Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T23:04:10.609Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Exposing broiler eggs to green, red and white light during incubation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2017

G. S. Archer
G. S. Archer*
Affiliation:
Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Previous work has shown that exposing broiler eggs to white light during incubation can improve hatchability and post-hatch animal welfare. It was hypothesized that due to how different wavelengths of light can affect avian physiology differently, and how pigmented eggshells filter light that different monochromatic wavelengths would have differential effects on hatchability and post-hatch animal welfare indicators. To determine, we incubated chicken eggs (n=6912) under either no light (dark), green light, red light or white light; the light level was 250 lux. White and red light were observed to increase hatch of fertile (P<0.05) over dark and green light incubated eggs. White, red and green light exposure during incubation improved (P<0.05) the proportion of non-defect chicks over dark incubated eggs. Post-hatch 45-day weight and feed conversion was not affected by light exposure of any wavelength (P>0.05). Fear response of during isolation and tonic immobility was reduced (P<0.05) in broilers incubated under white or red light when compared with either green or dark broilers. Broilers incubated with white or red light had lower (P<0.05) composite asymmetry scores and higher (P<0.05) humoral immunity titers than dark incubated broilers, however, green light broilers did not differ (P>0.05) from dark incubated broilers. All light incubated broilers had lower (P<0.05) plasma corticosterone and higher (P<0.05) plasma serotonin concentrations than dark incubated broilers. These results indicate that white light and red light that is a component of it are possibly the key spectrum to improving hatchability and lower fear and stress susceptibility, whereas green light is not as effective. Incubating broiler eggs under these spectrums could be used to improve hatchery efficiency and post-hatch animal welfare at the same time.

Keywords

lightincubationstressfearbroiler
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 11 , Issue 7 , July 2017 , pp. 1203 - 1209
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Archer, GS 2015a. Timing of light exposure during incubation to improve hatchability, chick quality and post-hatch well-being in broiler chickens: 21 or 18 days. International Journal of Poultry Science 14, 293–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Archer, GS 2015b. Effect of exposing layer and broiler eggs to red or white light during incubation. International Journal of Poultry Science 14, 491–496.Google Scholar
Archer, GS 2016. Spectrum of white light during incubation: warm vs cool white LED lighting. International Journal of Poultry Science 15, 34–348.Google Scholar
Archer, GS and Mench, JA 2013. The effects of light stimulation during incubation on indicators of stress susceptibility in broilers. Poultry Science 92, 3103–3108.Google Scholar
Archer, GS and Mench, JA 2014a. The effects of the duration and onset of light stimulation during incubation on the behavior, plasma melatonin levels, and productivity of broiler chickens. Journal of Animal Science 92, 1753–1758.Google Scholar
Archer, GS and Mench, JA 2014b. Natural incubation patterns and the effects of exposing eggs to light at various times during incubation on post-hatch fear and stress responses in broiler (meat) chickens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 152, 44–51.Google Scholar
Archer, GS and Mench, JA 2016. Exposing avian embryos to light affects post-hatch anti-predator fear responses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186, 80–84. Retrieved on 29 October 2016 from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2016.10.014.Google Scholar
Archer, GS, Shivaprasad, HL and Mench, JA 2009. Effect of providing light during incubation on the health, productivity, and behavior of broiler chickens. Poultry Science 88, 29–37.Google Scholar
Chiandetti, C, Galliussi, J, Andrew, RJ and Vallortigara, G 2013. Early-light embryonic stimulation suggests a second route, via gene activation, to cerebral lateralization in vertebrates. Scientific Reports 3, 2701.Google Scholar
Cockrem, JF 2007. Stress, corticosterone responses and avian personalities. Journal Ornithology 148, S169–S178.Google Scholar
Cooper, JB 1972. Effect of light during incubation on hatchability of turkey eggs. Poultry Science 51, 1105–1108.Google Scholar
Dimond, SJ 1968. Effects of photic stimulation before hatching on the development of fear in chicks. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 65, 320–324.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Erwin, WT, Boone, MA and Barnett, BD 1971. Response of the developing embryo to light. Poultry Science 50, 1883–1884.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fairchild, B and Christensen, V 2000. Photostimulation of turkey eggs accelerates hatching times without affecting hatchability, liver or heart growth, or glycogen content. Poultry Science 79, 1627–1631.Google Scholar
Federation of Animal Science Societies 2010. Guide for the care and use of agricultural animals in agricultural research and teaching, Federation of Animal Science Societies, Savoy, IL, USA.Google Scholar
Forkman, B, Boissy, A, Meunier-Salaün, MC, Canali, E and Jones, R 2007. A critical review of fear tests used on cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry and horses. Physiology Behavior 92, 340–374.Google Scholar
Ghatpande, A, Ghatpande, S and Khan, MZ 1995. Effect of different intensities of fluorescent light on the early development of chick embryos in ovo. Cellular Molecular Biology Research 41, 613–621.Google Scholar
Halevy, O, Piestun, Y, Rozenboim, I and Yablonka-Reuveni, Z 2006. In ovo exposure to monochromatic green light promotes skeletal muscle cell proliferation and affects myofiber growth in posthatch chicks. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 290, R1062–R1070.Google Scholar
Hluchý, S, Toman, R, Cabaj, M and Adamkovičová, M 2012. The effect of white and monochromatic lights on chicken hatching. Scientific Papers: Animal Science and Biotechnologies 45, 408–410.Google Scholar
Huth, JC and Archer, GS 2015. Effects of LED lighting during incubation on layer and broiler eggs. Poultry Science 94, 3052–3058.Google Scholar
Jones, RB 1986. The tonic immobility reaction of the domestic fowl: a review. World's Poultry Science Journal 42, 82–96.Google Scholar
Nejad, JG, Kim, BW, Lee, BH and Sung, KI 2016. Coat and hair color: hair cortisol and serotonin levels in lactating Holstein cows under heat stress conditions. Animal Science Journal 88, 190–194. Retrieved on 15 July 2016 from https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.12662.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, RJ and Demas, GE 1997. Role of melatonin in mediating seasonal energetic and immunologic adaptations. Brain Research Bulletin 44, 423.Google Scholar
Özkan, S, Yalçın, S, Babacanoğlu, E, Uysal, S, Karadaş, F and Kozanoğlu, H 2012. Photoperiodic lighting (16 hours of light: 8 hours of dark) programs during incubation: 2. Effects on early posthatching growth, blood physiology, and production performance in broiler chickens in relation to posthatching lighting programs. Poultry Science 91, 2922–2930.Google Scholar
Ratner, SC 1967. Comparative aspects of hypnosis. In Handbook of clinical and experimental hypnosis (ed. JE Gordon), 550–587. Macmillan, New York, NY, USA.Google Scholar
Rogers, L and Krebs, G 1996. Exposure to different wavelengths of light and the development of structural and functional asymmetries in the chicken. Behavioural Brain Research 80, 65–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rogers, L and Workman, L 1989. Light exposure during incubation affects competitive behaviour in domestic chicks. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 23, 87–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rozenboim, I, El Halawani, ME, Kashash, Y, Piestun, Y and Halevy, O 2013. The effect of monochromatic photostimulation on growth and development of broiler birds. General Comparative Endocrinology 190, 214–219.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rozenboim, I, Huisinga, R, Halevy, O and El Halawani, ME 2003. Effect of embryonic photostimulation on the posthatch growth of turkey poults. Poultry Science 82, 1181–1187.Google Scholar
Rozenboim, I, Piestun, Y, Mobarkey, N, Barak, M, Hoyzman, A and Halevy, O 2004. Monochromatic light stimuli during embryogenesis enhance embryo development and posthatch growth. Poultry Science 88, 1413–1419.Google Scholar
Shafey, T 2004. Effect of lighted incubation on embryonic growth and hatchability performance of two strains of layer breeder eggs. British Poultry Science 45, 223–229.Google Scholar
Shafey, T, Al-Batshan, H, Ghannam, M and Al-Ayed, M 2005. Effect of intensity of eggshell pigment and illuminated incubation on hatchability of brown eggs. British Poultry Science 46, 190–198.Google Scholar
Shafey, T and Al-Mohsen, T 2002. Embryonic growth, hatching time and hatchability performance of meat breeder eggs incubated under continuous green light. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 15, 1702–1707.Google Scholar
Shafey, TM, Al-mohsen, TH, Al-Sobayel, AA, Al-Hassan, MJ and Ghnnam, MM 2002. Effects of eggshell pigmentation and egg size on the spectral properties and characteristics of eggshell of meat and layer breeder eggs. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 15, 297–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tong, Q, McGonnell, IM, Romanini, CE, Bergoug, H, Roulston, N, Berckman, D, Exadaktylos, V, Guinebretière, M, Eterradossi, N, Garain, P and Demmers, T 2015. Effect of a photoperiodic green light program during incubation on embryo development and hatch process. Agricultural Engineering International CIGR Journal 2015, 264–267.Google Scholar
Zeman, M, Gwinner, E, Herichová, I, Lamošová, D and Koštál, L 1999. Perinatal development of circadian melatonin production in domestic chicks. Journal Pineal Research 26, 28–34.Google Scholar
Zhang, L, Zhang, HJ, Qiao, X, Yue, HY, Wu, SG, Yao, JH and Qi, GH 2011. Effect of monochromatic light stimuli during embryogenesis on muscular growth, chemical composition, and meat quality of breast muscle in male broilers. Poultry Science 91, 1026–1031.Google Scholar
Zhang, L, Zhang, HJ, Wang, J, Wu, SG, Qiao, X, Yue, HY, Yao, JH and Qi, GH 2014. Stimulation with monochromatic green light during incubation alters satellite cell mitotic activity and gene expression in relation to embryonic and posthatch muscle growth of broiler chickens. Animal 8, 86–93.Google Scholar
Zhang, L, Zhu, XD, Wang, XF, Li, JL, Gao, F and Zhou, GH 2016. Green light-emitting diodes light stimuli during incubation enhances posthatch growth without disrupting normal eye development of broiler embryos and hatchlings. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 29, 1562–1568.Google Scholar