Ahemeral lighting of turkey breeder hens. 2. Early age at lighting and reproductive performance

Poultry Science
T D Siopes, E R Neely

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine whether ahemeral lighting (AH) could be used to obtain increased egg weight and poult weight and otherwise normal reproductive performance in Large White turkey hens lit as early as 26 wk of age. The experimental design utilized a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments that evaluated two light cycle lengths (24 h, control and 28 h, ahemeral) at two hen ages (26 and 30 wk). Treatments were continued for 24 wk and the following variables were measured: BW, feed intake, onset and rate of lay, fertility, hatchability, incidence of floor eggs, egg weight, poult production, and poult weight. As compared to the response of hens in the control lighting treatment, ahemeral lighting increased egg weight and poult weight early in the lay period only and resulted in delayed onset of lay (+3.4 d) and depressed egg production (-7 eggs to 54 wk of age). Percentage fertility and hatchability were similar between ahemeral and control treatment groups. However, ahemeral lighting decreased the number of poults per hen when started at 26, but not 30, wk of age. Hens photostimulated early at 26 wk of age were delayed in onset of lay by 5.9 d but produced more eggs per hen to 54 wk of age (95.8) than hens ...Continue Reading

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