Light: duration, intensity and programmes in open-sided houses
In an open-sided house, the sun rises around 6 a.m. and sets around 6 p.m., all year round: twelve hours of daylight that you can neither shorten nor extend without lamps. Yet light decides many things: whether the chicks find the water on the first night, whether the chickens eat in the cool hours, whether the pullets start laying on the right date and lay eggs of the right size. This lesson explains duration, intensity and the realistic programmes with a few lamps and a timer switch.
11 min read · 5-question quiz at the end
By Abdul Hussein ChoumanFounder of NEXTEKCI · Agnibilékrou hatchery since 2006Lesson reserved for students following the steps
This lesson is part of Level 8 — Climate control and housing in a hot climate. It opens to registered students who have passed the level 7 exam. Levels 1 to 5 and the tracks remain readable by everyone.
What you will learn
- ✓Explain why light duration and intensity act on growth, laying and behaviour
- ✓Measure intensity in lux with a phone and size the lamps of an 8 m house
- ✓Apply a lighting programme for broilers in an open-sided house, with a continuous dark night
- ✓Manage the light of pullets and layers without ever reducing the duration during lay