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Effect of Additional Light During Growing Period on Egg Production of October Hatched White Leghorn Pullets
Effect of Additional Light During Growing Period on Egg Production of October Hatched White Leghorn Pullets RICHARD W. LOWE AND BURT W. HEYWANG
Poultry Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, Southwest Poultry Experiment Station, Glendale, Arizona (Received for publication April 11, 1960)
T
OMHAVE (1954) compared the performance of October hatched New Hampshire pullets subjected to normal daylight with that of others receiving supplemental artificial light to simulate day-length of pullets hatched in March. The length of supplemental light varied from a low of one hour in October to a high of five hours in December. After 23 weeks of age all birds were placed under 14 hours of light daily. Body weight was slightly greater, age at sexual maturity was somewhat retarded (7-14 days), and egg size was greater in pullets reared under supplemental light. Little difference was observed in mortality or egg production over a laying period of 164 days. The report of Wilson et al. (1956), which summarized the results in several studies, shows that age at sexual maturity and egg production are affected adversely by continuous light during the growing period. Because fall-hatched White Leghorns make up a part of most commercial flocks in Arizona, it was considered desirable to investigate the effect of supplemental light during their first 20 weeks on the subsequent egg production of October-hatched White Leghorn pullets. Given and discussed in this paper are the results in two experiments at the Southwest Poultry Experiment Station to obtain information on the subject. PROCEDURE
The procedure in both experiments was similar. Day-old White Leghorn pullets were started in each during the third week
of October in two consecutive years. Pullets of different strains were used in the separate experiments. One hundred pullets were in each of four groups at the start of the first experiment, and 115 were in each of four groups at the start of the second. The groups were confined in separate 12' X12' brooder houses until they were eight weeks old, and then half the pullets in each group moved to another similar house and confined there until they were 20 weeks old. The brooder houses had openings about 44" wide and 11' long on their fronts. These openings were covered at night with canvas on wood frames. When they were 20 weeks old the birds of the same light treatment were combined to make two groups of 100 each in the first experiment and 110 each in the second, and moved into similar 20'X20' "opentype" laying houses where they were confined until they were 71 weeks old. These houses were about 9' high in front and 6^' high in the rear, and had sides of only wire mesh. During the brooding period all lights were removed from the brooders. Half the groups received normal daylight only until they were 20 weeks old and the other half received enough supplemental artificial light to furnish a total of 16 hours light daily. The artificial light was provided by one 60-watt bulb six feet above the floor in each house. Normal daylight during the 20 week period ranged from a low of slightly less thaii 10 hours to a high of slightly less than 12 hours. After the 20th week, all groups received
177
178
R. W. LOWE AND B. W. HEYWANG
TABLE 1.—Weight and diet consumption during early part of both experiments Light ex-
Average weight of pullets (gm.)
Average total diet consumption jer pullet (kgm.)
through first 20 weeks
Age in weeks
Age in weeks
4
8
12
16
19
23
4
8
12
16
19
.48 .47
1.63 1.66
3.40 3.45
5.46 5.65
7.03 7.12
9.44 9.39
.50 .52
1.67 1.75
3.68 3.75
5.78 5.89
—
9.62 9.69
23
Experiment 1 Normal 16 Hours
183 196
537 559
921 933
1,184 1,223
1,349 1,319
1,593 1,584
Experiment 2 Normal 16 Hours
219 219
571 574
954 946
1,215 1,194
— —
1,659 1,640
enough supplemental artificial light to provide 14 hours of light daily when the daylight hours did not provide that much. All groups were fed an all-mash chick diet until they were 18 weeks old, and thereafter were fed an all-mash laying diet. These diets had been fed with satisfactory results for many years at this station. The pullets were weighed individually at intervals during the first 20 weeks, shortly after they started to lay (23 weeks), and at the end of each experiment. Group diet consumption data were recorded when the pullets were weighed during the first 20 weeks, and at 28-day intervals thereafter. Group egg production was recorded daily. In the first experiment, all eggs laid in each group were weighed collectively on five successive days during March, May, and November. In the second experiment, all eggs laid in each group were weighed collectively on 10 successive days after the pullets had been laying about seven months. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Mortality was low in both experiments. As shown in Table 1 by the combined data from similarly lighted groups, differences in average pullet weight and average total diet consumption were small.
The first egg in the groups on normal light was laid 13 days before the first egg in the groups on supplemental light in the first experiment, and seven days before in the second experiment. Observations of external characteristics indicated that average sexual development among the pullets receiving 16 hours of light daily was retarded about 10 days in both experiments. The data in each experiment on diet consumption, live weight, and egg production during the 51-week laying period were also combined for the groups which had received the same light treatment during the growing period. There were no appreciable differences in average total diet consumption or change in live weight per bird in either experiment. Shown in Figures 1 and 2 is the percent egg production by 28-day periods in the two experiments. The pullets which had received normal light only during the growing period averaged seven eggs more in the first experiment and eight eggs more during the second than those which had received 16 hours of light daily. Differences in average egg weight were small. SUMMARY
In two experiments, each involving ni 100 or m- 115 11.5 White Whirp T.porVinrn four groups? of Leghorn
179
LIGHT AND PRODUCTION 90 80
t 1 1 1 1 1 , 1 /
70 Z60
H O 3
° 50
a: a.
^40 UJ
o
£0.
1—
30 —
1 1 1 1 1 1 11 11 1 1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1 1
NORMAL LIGHT
1 1
16 HOURS LIGHT DAILY
20
39 43 47 51 AGE IN WEEKS
FIG. 1. Effect of added light during growing period on egg production. Experiment 1.
Thereafter, all received enough artificial light to make a total of 14 hours light daily when normal light did not furnish that much. In both experiments sexual maturity
pullets hatched in October, half were exposed to normal daylight only and half were exposed to normal daylight plus artificial light to make a total of 16 hours of light daily until they were 20 weeks old. 90
•NORMAL LIGHT • 16 HOURS LIGHT DAILY
39
43
47
51
59
67
AGE IN WEEKS
FIG. 2. Effect of added light during growing period on egg production. Experiment 2.
180
R. W. LOWE AND B. W. HEYWANG
was retarded in the birds receiving 16 hours of light daily. The first egg was laid 13 and 7 days later, respectively, in those groups than in the normal light groups. Over a period of 51 weeks of egg production, the birds that had received normal light only until they were 20 weeks old averaged seven eggs more per bird in the first experiment and eight more in the second than those that had received 16 hours light daily.
There were only slight differences in mortality, live weight, diet consumption, and egg weight. REFERENCES Tomhave, A. E., 1954. Influence of artificial light during rearing on the egg production of October hatched New Hampshires. Poultry Sci. 33: 725729. Wilson, W. 0., A. E. Woodard and H. Abplanalp, 1956. The effect and after-effect of varied exposure to light on chicken development. Biol. Bull. 111:415-422.
Restricted Feeding with Restricted Light for Developing Pullets1 LAWRENCE R. BERG AND GORDON E. BEARSE
Washington State University, Western Washington Experiment Station, Puyallup, Washington (Received for publication April 13, 1960)
I
N PRACTICALLY all of the literature, both scientific and popular, the conclusion is reached that restricting nutrient intake of developing pullets results in delayed sexual maturity (Sunde et al., 1954; Milby and Sherwood, 1956; Tomhave, 1958; and Maclntyre and Aitken, 1959). However, the effect of restricted feeding during the developing period on such laying house performance criteria as egg production, body weight, liveability and size of egg have not been consistent from test to test. Many of the experiments reported have been conducted with winter or spring hatched pullets subjected to natural daylight during the developing period. In such instances the birds were exposed to increasing day length as they progressed to sexual maturity. The data to be reported herein indicate that when pullets are raised under con1
Scientific Paper No. 1957, Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations, Pullman. Project No. 1241.
ditions of restricted light, from 8 to 21 weeks of age, restricting the feed intake of pullets to 83 percent of normal consumption during the same period will not retard days to sexual maturity nor affect subsequent rate of lay. EXPERIMENTAL
July 1958, commercial strain-cross S. C. White Leghorn pullets were brooded in confinement and fed a "corn-soy-fish," 20 percent protein, chick starter ration to eight weeks of age. The brooder house was of windowless construction with mechanical ventilation. Artificial light was provided for 14 hours per day to eight weeks. When eight weeks old, 616 pullets were selected and distributed into eight groups of 77 each. The groups were maintained in 12X12 foot pens, located in the same house in which they were brooded. Ad libitum and restricted feeding were compared using diets in which corn or barley comprised the grain portion of the diet. The composition of the diets is
Poultry Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, Southwest Poultry Experiment Station, Glendale, Arizona (Received for publication April 11, 1960)
T
OMHAVE (1954) compared the performance of October hatched New Hampshire pullets subjected to normal daylight with that of others receiving supplemental artificial light to simulate day-length of pullets hatched in March. The length of supplemental light varied from a low of one hour in October to a high of five hours in December. After 23 weeks of age all birds were placed under 14 hours of light daily. Body weight was slightly greater, age at sexual maturity was somewhat retarded (7-14 days), and egg size was greater in pullets reared under supplemental light. Little difference was observed in mortality or egg production over a laying period of 164 days. The report of Wilson et al. (1956), which summarized the results in several studies, shows that age at sexual maturity and egg production are affected adversely by continuous light during the growing period. Because fall-hatched White Leghorns make up a part of most commercial flocks in Arizona, it was considered desirable to investigate the effect of supplemental light during their first 20 weeks on the subsequent egg production of October-hatched White Leghorn pullets. Given and discussed in this paper are the results in two experiments at the Southwest Poultry Experiment Station to obtain information on the subject. PROCEDURE
The procedure in both experiments was similar. Day-old White Leghorn pullets were started in each during the third week
of October in two consecutive years. Pullets of different strains were used in the separate experiments. One hundred pullets were in each of four groups at the start of the first experiment, and 115 were in each of four groups at the start of the second. The groups were confined in separate 12' X12' brooder houses until they were eight weeks old, and then half the pullets in each group moved to another similar house and confined there until they were 20 weeks old. The brooder houses had openings about 44" wide and 11' long on their fronts. These openings were covered at night with canvas on wood frames. When they were 20 weeks old the birds of the same light treatment were combined to make two groups of 100 each in the first experiment and 110 each in the second, and moved into similar 20'X20' "opentype" laying houses where they were confined until they were 71 weeks old. These houses were about 9' high in front and 6^' high in the rear, and had sides of only wire mesh. During the brooding period all lights were removed from the brooders. Half the groups received normal daylight only until they were 20 weeks old and the other half received enough supplemental artificial light to furnish a total of 16 hours light daily. The artificial light was provided by one 60-watt bulb six feet above the floor in each house. Normal daylight during the 20 week period ranged from a low of slightly less thaii 10 hours to a high of slightly less than 12 hours. After the 20th week, all groups received
177
178
R. W. LOWE AND B. W. HEYWANG
TABLE 1.—Weight and diet consumption during early part of both experiments Light ex-
Average weight of pullets (gm.)
Average total diet consumption jer pullet (kgm.)
through first 20 weeks
Age in weeks
Age in weeks
4
8
12
16
19
23
4
8
12
16
19
.48 .47
1.63 1.66
3.40 3.45
5.46 5.65
7.03 7.12
9.44 9.39
.50 .52
1.67 1.75
3.68 3.75
5.78 5.89
—
9.62 9.69
23
Experiment 1 Normal 16 Hours
183 196
537 559
921 933
1,184 1,223
1,349 1,319
1,593 1,584
Experiment 2 Normal 16 Hours
219 219
571 574
954 946
1,215 1,194
— —
1,659 1,640
enough supplemental artificial light to provide 14 hours of light daily when the daylight hours did not provide that much. All groups were fed an all-mash chick diet until they were 18 weeks old, and thereafter were fed an all-mash laying diet. These diets had been fed with satisfactory results for many years at this station. The pullets were weighed individually at intervals during the first 20 weeks, shortly after they started to lay (23 weeks), and at the end of each experiment. Group diet consumption data were recorded when the pullets were weighed during the first 20 weeks, and at 28-day intervals thereafter. Group egg production was recorded daily. In the first experiment, all eggs laid in each group were weighed collectively on five successive days during March, May, and November. In the second experiment, all eggs laid in each group were weighed collectively on 10 successive days after the pullets had been laying about seven months. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Mortality was low in both experiments. As shown in Table 1 by the combined data from similarly lighted groups, differences in average pullet weight and average total diet consumption were small.
The first egg in the groups on normal light was laid 13 days before the first egg in the groups on supplemental light in the first experiment, and seven days before in the second experiment. Observations of external characteristics indicated that average sexual development among the pullets receiving 16 hours of light daily was retarded about 10 days in both experiments. The data in each experiment on diet consumption, live weight, and egg production during the 51-week laying period were also combined for the groups which had received the same light treatment during the growing period. There were no appreciable differences in average total diet consumption or change in live weight per bird in either experiment. Shown in Figures 1 and 2 is the percent egg production by 28-day periods in the two experiments. The pullets which had received normal light only during the growing period averaged seven eggs more in the first experiment and eight eggs more during the second than those which had received 16 hours of light daily. Differences in average egg weight were small. SUMMARY
In two experiments, each involving ni 100 or m- 115 11.5 White Whirp T.porVinrn four groups? of Leghorn
179
LIGHT AND PRODUCTION 90 80
t 1 1 1 1 1 , 1 /
70 Z
H O 3
° 50
a: a.
^40 UJ
o
£0.
1—
30 —
1 1 1 1 1 1 11 11 1 1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1 1
NORMAL LIGHT
1 1
16 HOURS LIGHT DAILY
20
39 43 47 51 AGE IN WEEKS
FIG. 1. Effect of added light during growing period on egg production. Experiment 1.
Thereafter, all received enough artificial light to make a total of 14 hours light daily when normal light did not furnish that much. In both experiments sexual maturity
pullets hatched in October, half were exposed to normal daylight only and half were exposed to normal daylight plus artificial light to make a total of 16 hours of light daily until they were 20 weeks old. 90
•NORMAL LIGHT • 16 HOURS LIGHT DAILY
39
43
47
51
59
67
AGE IN WEEKS
FIG. 2. Effect of added light during growing period on egg production. Experiment 2.
180
R. W. LOWE AND B. W. HEYWANG
was retarded in the birds receiving 16 hours of light daily. The first egg was laid 13 and 7 days later, respectively, in those groups than in the normal light groups. Over a period of 51 weeks of egg production, the birds that had received normal light only until they were 20 weeks old averaged seven eggs more per bird in the first experiment and eight more in the second than those that had received 16 hours light daily.
There were only slight differences in mortality, live weight, diet consumption, and egg weight. REFERENCES Tomhave, A. E., 1954. Influence of artificial light during rearing on the egg production of October hatched New Hampshires. Poultry Sci. 33: 725729. Wilson, W. 0., A. E. Woodard and H. Abplanalp, 1956. The effect and after-effect of varied exposure to light on chicken development. Biol. Bull. 111:415-422.
Restricted Feeding with Restricted Light for Developing Pullets1 LAWRENCE R. BERG AND GORDON E. BEARSE
Washington State University, Western Washington Experiment Station, Puyallup, Washington (Received for publication April 13, 1960)
I
N PRACTICALLY all of the literature, both scientific and popular, the conclusion is reached that restricting nutrient intake of developing pullets results in delayed sexual maturity (Sunde et al., 1954; Milby and Sherwood, 1956; Tomhave, 1958; and Maclntyre and Aitken, 1959). However, the effect of restricted feeding during the developing period on such laying house performance criteria as egg production, body weight, liveability and size of egg have not been consistent from test to test. Many of the experiments reported have been conducted with winter or spring hatched pullets subjected to natural daylight during the developing period. In such instances the birds were exposed to increasing day length as they progressed to sexual maturity. The data to be reported herein indicate that when pullets are raised under con1
Scientific Paper No. 1957, Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations, Pullman. Project No. 1241.
ditions of restricted light, from 8 to 21 weeks of age, restricting the feed intake of pullets to 83 percent of normal consumption during the same period will not retard days to sexual maturity nor affect subsequent rate of lay. EXPERIMENTAL
July 1958, commercial strain-cross S. C. White Leghorn pullets were brooded in confinement and fed a "corn-soy-fish," 20 percent protein, chick starter ration to eight weeks of age. The brooder house was of windowless construction with mechanical ventilation. Artificial light was provided for 14 hours per day to eight weeks. When eight weeks old, 616 pullets were selected and distributed into eight groups of 77 each. The groups were maintained in 12X12 foot pens, located in the same house in which they were brooded. Ad libitum and restricted feeding were compared using diets in which corn or barley comprised the grain portion of the diet. The composition of the diets is