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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.
Damaging behaviors in poultry include feather pecking, vent pecking, and toe pecking. While feather and vent pecking are well-known welfare problems in poultry that have received significant attention from researchers and farmers, toe pecking remains relatively unknown. Therefore, this article aims to shed...
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Max Obers, CEO of HATO Agricultural Lighting, outlines HATO’s strategic priorities in livestock lighting for the coming years. He discusses the importance of North American and Latin American markets, the evolution of poultry housing systems, and how lighting solutions must adapt to different production environments. ...
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May 5, 2026
Canada - Alberta - Edmonton
Heading to PEAK 2026 in Minneapolis?
Our colleagues Andrew Flemming and Carlos Toro will be representing HATO at the Minneapolis Convention Center from 14 to 16 April 2026, ready to talk about practical lighting solutions and the daily challenges happening inside...
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Presented by Tim Brons, Account Manager at HATO Agricultural Lighting, this session examines the CORAX lighting system as a precision illumination solution, focusing on spectral options, uniform floor-level light distribution, hygienic wash-down design, and its role in optimizing bird movement, litter conditions, and production performance in poultry housing systems. ...
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Andrew Flemming (HATO Agricultural Lighting) shares a Technical overview of spectrum design, light placement, and photoperiod management in cage-free aviary systems ...
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Max Obers, CEO at HATO Agricultural Lighting, explains how research and development drive HATO’s long-term innovation strategy in livestock lighting. He details how scientific research, field data, and customer feedback are integrated to design advanced lighting systems that improve animal behavior, welfare, and production efficiency across diverse livestock operations. ...
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Cristabel Huerta López, Livestock Lighting Consultant at HATO Agricultural Lighting, shares how lighting has become a critical component of climate management in modern poultry houses. ...
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Carlos Toro, Business Development Manager at HATO Lighting for North America, presents a new lighting technology designed to meet a common need in poultry farms: flexible, efficient, and adaptable lighting solutions. ...
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Lighting plays a central role in every poultry house. It influences animal behaviour, supports daily routines, and contributes to overall farm performance. When lighting works well, everything else runs smoother. We’re announcing the next generation of CORAX and PULSA lighting systems - built to meet...
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Description of the problem Broiler chicks are typically exposed to continuous or near-continuous light for their first week of life (Scanes and Christensen, 2019), a practice supported by many broiler management guidelines (Aviagen, 2018; Cobb, 2021). The rationale behind this approach is to provide chicks with ample time for feeding during their rapid growth phase. However, the effectiveness of continuous lighting for modern fast-growing broilers during brooding remains...
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Biodegradation of Mycotoxins: A Biotechnological Innovation for Safe Animal Feed
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The highly anticipated 2026 Latin American Poultry Summit is set to bring together leading voices from across the Americas to explore the future of poultry production, innovation and sustainability. With a full day of expert sessions, global perspectives and networking opportunities, attendees can expect a dynamic program focused on driving progress and strengthening collaboration within the industry.
The event will take place on Monday, Jan. 26, and will open with a presentation of...
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Reviews made on the impact of intermittent lighting (IL) on broiler performance (Buyse et al., 1996; Rodrigues and Choct, 2017) attest to the consistency of such lighting programs in achieving better feed conversion rates. So far, no research has been conducted to assess the impact of IL on the susceptibility to and recovery from infectious diseases. We hypothesized that an IL program would increase broiler resilience to necrotic enteritis (NE). In order to test this hypothesis, a 2 x 2...
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Mycotoxin Testing in the Feed Chain: A Risk Prevention Strategy for Raw Material Suppliers, Grain Storage Facilities and Processors, and Feed Manufacturers
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As the global egg industry moves steadily toward cage-free production, ensuring a successful transition from rearing to laying is more critical than ever. Hy-Line pullets raised in environments that prepare them for the complexities of cage-free layer systems are far more likely to meet their full genetic...
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The ancestor of the modern-day chicken, the red jungle fowl, was exposed to different spectra of light in their natural habitat (Prescott et al., 2003). The surrounding environment, vegetation, season, and time of day all affect the color of light exposure to the wild bird (Endler, 1993), which may have lingering behavioral...
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Naturally brooded domestic chicks spend a large proportion of time resting under and gaining warmth from their mother, spending multiple short bouts in relative darkness (Shimmura et al., 2010). In contrast, during rearing, commercial chicks experience one continuous light period each day. In this situation, behaviours become unsynchronised, with the potential for active chicks to disturb and direct feather pecks towards resting conspecifics (Riber et al., 2007; Gilani et al., 2012)....
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Lilong Chai (University of Georgia) discusses advantages and issues of cage-free poultry houses regarding pecking behavior, egg production, and dust bathing, among other aspects, in this Engormix interview. ...
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1. Introduction Factors such as investments in breeding facilities and the adoption of advanced technologies have been decisive in consolidating Brazil’s global leadership in broiler chicken exports [1]. Among the available structural typologies, the “dark house” stands out as an intensive production system, equipped with automated systems that control variables such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and light intensity. The precise control of these...
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I. INTRODUCTION Severe feather pecking (SFP) is an abnormal behaviour which reduces both hen welfare and the efficiency of egg production. While the specific causes are unknown, it is acknowledged to be multifactorial, complex and unpredictable (Rodenburg et al., 2013; Hartcher et al., 2016). The problem is compounded because the behaviour seems to spread rapidly via social learning (Zeltner et al., 2000) and is therefore difficult to control in large groups of hens. A reliable...
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FIGAP 2026: The Scientific And Technological Exhibition Of The Livestock Industry
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1. Introduction Ensuring efficient chicken farming is crucial, including prioritizing their welfare and health in agricultural production [1]. Individual variability in behavior enhances our understanding of how housing can be utilized differently by chickens. This may be due to individual preferences for certain types of equipment or impediments to access caused by dominant individuals [2]. This variability underscores the importance of improving accurate identification systems for...
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The WVEPAH training program is designed for veterinarians and poultry professionals who wish to consolidate and refine their knowledge in areas such as pathology, nutrition, biosecurity, and epidemiology, among others. We are pleased to announce our upcoming course:
Module II: Commercial Layers at the prestigious Universidad Nacional...
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