The highlights from a recent conference on lighting for domestic poultry. Dr Neville Prescott from Glasgow noted that usually there is a mismatch between the light provided in animal houses and the vision or requirements of poultry. He went on to explain, "Artificial lights are very different from natural light, not only by having orders of magnitude difference in light intensity but also a different spectrum". To illustrate these points, he gave examples of light intensities that outside might varybetween 1,000 and 100,000 lux and contrasted the 250 lux of a business office with the 2 to 5 lux often provided in turkey and broiler housing. Whereas daylight provides a relatively even spectrum of light between the ultra-violet (UV) and infra-red ranges, artificial lights typically provide an uneven distribution with virtually no UV. In the case of fluorescent light, peaks of energy relate to the material coating the tubes.
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