The effect of blue and red LED light on the growth, egg production, egg quality, behavior, and hormone concentration of Hy-Line W-36 laying hens
Ishab Poudel, Mary M. Beck, A.S. Kiess, Pratima Adhikari
Abstract
A study was conducted to investigate the effect of blue and red light-emitting diode (LED) on performance, behavior, egg quality, and hormonal concentration of pullets and laying hens. A total of 1,000 Hy-Line W-36 birds were raised in a cage-free housing system consisting of two identical rooms, one equipped with blue-LED from 1 to 18 wk of age and red-LED from 19 to 31 wk of age, and the other with normal-LED bulbs throughout the study. The study was repeated the following year. Body weight was recorded monthly, and egg production was recorded daily. Egg quality, organ weight, tonic immobility (TI), heterophil-lymphocyte ratio, serum corticosterone, luteinizing hormone and melatonin were analyzed monthly after the egg production started. The results showed that birds raised in blue-LED had a significantly higher body weight during the pullet phase from 1 to 18 wk of age (P = 0.049). A higher relative egg yolk percentage was observed in the red-LED (P = 0.043) with a lower relative albumen percentage (P = 0.015) compared to the normal-LED light. Lower relative spleen weight was observed in the red-LED compared to the normal-LED (P = 0.027). There was no difference between the light treatments with respect to hen day egg production, brain weight, tonic immobility and hormone concentration. The effects of these lights on the overall production, health, and immune system are not completely understood. Hence, it is difficult to conclude that exposing birds to blue-LED in the pullet phase for improved growth and red-LED in the laying phase for earlier and greater egg production would benefit overall egg production.