Comparison of Incandescent, CFL, LED and Bird Level LED Lighting: Growth, Fear and Stress

摘要

The eventual removal of incandescent lights from the market has left poultry producers with the need to find alternative lighting sources. Light-emitting diode (LED) and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs have arisen as the likely replacements for incandescent lights. However, there is little knowledge how these bulbs compare with each other in how they affect bird production, behavior and stress. To investigate this broilers (n = 120 per treatment) were raised under incandescent (INCAN), CFL, or LED lighting or an alternative of using LED lights at bird level (LED bird). All lighting was 23L:1D at 20 lx for 14 d and then was changed to 20L:4D at 5 lx for the remaining 31 d. Fearfulness was determined using several fear tests and stress susceptibility was assessed using a composite asymmetry score determined by middle toe length and metatarsal length and width. All alternative lighting to INCAN improved weight gain at 45 d (p<0.05). Both LED treatments exhibited less fear and less stress susceptibility than those raised under CFL or INCAN (p<0.05). Using CFL and LED bulbs can increase the size of the birds while not changing FCR and LED bulbs appear to reduce fear and stress in older birds compared with CFL or Incan bulbs. The results also indicate that LED bird not only increases growth and feed conversion but results in birds that are less fearful and less stress susceptible. This method of illuminating birds might save energy and improve production and bird welfare.