Poultry lighting

Light is an essential aspect of poultry production. In most housing systems, artificial light is utilized to maximize production in pullets, layers and breeders. Today, a variety of different bulbs are available to illuminate the inside of a poultry house, all of which have benefits and shortcomings. Understanding the different lighting options available for poultry, as well as the terminology and management of light, is essential to achieve the best production. Light is critical for egg production and pullet growth. Domestic poultry see and respond to a different range of light color spectrum and have different spectral intensity responses than humans. While humans respond to light from around 400–750 nm, chickens can see UV-A light (315–400 nm) in addition to 400–750 nm. Additionally, the magnitude of sensitivity for red and blue spectra is much higher for chickens with additional peaks of light sensitivity around 480 nm and 630 nm.