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Relation of All-Night Light to Egg Quality in Turkeys
Relation of All-Night Light to Egg Quality in Turkeys V. S. ASMUNDSON, F. H. KRATZER AND B. D. MOSES Divisions of Poultry Husbandry and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis (Received for publication November 2, 19S0)
RESULTS
The light used and some of the results are presented in Table 1. The results agree well with those previously obtained. The birds in pen 37 did not respond to dim (10 watt = 0.04 to 0.1 foot candle) all-night light since they started to lay later than the birds in the control pen (pen 35).,Birds similarly lighted for 13 to 14 hours laid about the same number of eggs as the controls (Asmundson, Lorenz and Moses 1946). Thus it is apparent that subjecting the birds to continuous dim light during the night did not increase the response in any way. TABLE 1.—Results of 1948-49 lighting test Averages Lamp •
Pen
No. 35 36 37 38 39 40
Lighting schedule
used (in 18'X16' pen)
First egg
Control 14 hours All night All night* All night All night
Watts none 150 10 150 ISO ISO
Date Mar. 18 Jan. 6 Apr. 5 Dec. 26 Jan. 3 Dec. 24
Eggs laid to end of May
Hatch of fertile eggs
No. . Percent 30.6 79.0 61.7 74.3 31.2 62.5 60.5 62.7 72.1 78.8 62.5 62.6
* Changed to 14 hours Jan. 8 when all hens had started laying.
The birds given all-night light came into production slightly earlier than those on a 14 hour day. While the difference is not statistically significant for this experiment when considered alone, the results agree with earlier data (Asmundson and Moses, 1950) and when taken with them show that all-night lights bring the birds into production just a little faster.
546
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Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Georgetown University on May 22, 2015
ALL-NIGHT lights bring turkey hens -**• into production a little earlier than morning lights that extend the day to 14 hours, but there may be unfavorable effects on reproduction such as reduced hatchability (Scott, 1937; Davis, 1948; Asmundson and Moses, 1950). A test was set up which would provide some information about (1) the effectiveness of dim all-night lights, (2) the effect of changing all-night light to a 14 hour day after the birds started laying, and (3) the value of adding vitamin A, vitamin D, and riboflavin to a presumably adequate ration. The housing and management of the birds was similar to that reported earlier (Asmundson, Lorenz and Moses 1946; Asmundson and Moses 1950). The birds in pen 40 were given a ration containing more of vitamins A and D by doubling the fish oil; the riboflavin was increased by feeding 1 percent more of a fermentation product containing 250 milligrams of riboflavin per gram. The birds in pens 35 to 39 were fed the following mash in parts per hundred: fish meal 5, meat meal 5, soybean oil meal 14, dried whey 5, alfalfa meal 15, salt 1, bone meal 2, ground limestone 2, fish oil (750 A, 400 D) 0.5, wheat millrun 15, ground yellow corn 10, ground wheat 6, ground barley 18.7, fermentation product (250 milligrams of riboflavin per gram) 0.8, manganese sulfate 0.05.
ALL-NIGHT LIGHT AND EGG QUALITY
547
TABLE 2.—Percentage of eggs unsuitable for hatching {includes broken, soft shelled, double yolked, and dwarf-eggs) 1945-46 Pen
1946-47
1947-48
1948-49
Lighted hours
Percent
Lighted hours
Percent
Lighted hours
35 36 37
9 11
5.28 + 1.07 4.18 + 1.13 5.05 + 1.32
12 13
9.45 + 1.42 13.53 + 1.61 6.88 + 1.09
12 13
3.78 + 0.87 4.29 + 0.88 6.19 + 0.89
38 39 ,40
13 15 all night
3.32 + 0.79 10.91 + 1.38 10.13 + 1.39
14 15 all night
6.72 + 1.04 6.08+1.02 9.63 + 1.18
14 15 all night
5.42 + 0.80 4.76 + 0.80 9.92±1.20
Percent
Lighted hours 14 dim all night 14* all night all night
Percent 10.78+1.77 11.02 + 1.26 8.33 + 1.56 10.83 + 1.27 16.80+1.48 16.30 + 1.51
* Started on all night lights—see table 1.
in total egg production. For the comparison, the birds in pen 38 (Table 2—194849) were considered to have been on a 14 hour day. Hatchability of the eggs from pen 40 was 62.6 percent. It may be concluded that increasing the vitamins in the ration to a higher level than that fed to the other pens (see above) did not improve hatchability. An analysis of the data for 4 years to show the percentage of waste eggs is in Table 2. The percentages for the 5 pens started and kept on all night lights were compared with those for pens 38 plus— in 1948-49—pen 36. The birds on allnight light laid significantly more (5.09 ±0.67 percent) waste eggs. This might account for the variable hatchability of eggs from birds on artificial light observed by Asmundson and Moses (1950) and others. It would be expected that
partly accounted for by the effect of allnight lights on the time of day when eggs are laid. Warren and Scott (1936) found that chicken hens changed to continuous (all-night) light laid eggs throughout the day and night. Eggs laid at night would be more likely to be broken or otherwise damaged in these tests (Table 2) than eggs laid during the day up to 5 P.M. Since the birds changed to a 14 hour day laid fewer waste eggs, this method—starting on all-night light until all birds are laying and then changing to a 14 hour day—may have some merit. It is questionable, however, whether starting birds on all-night lights is worthwhile except in unusually foggy weather (Asmundson and Moses 1950). SUMMARY
Turkey hens did not respond to allnight dim (0.04 to 0.1 foot candle) light.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Georgetown University on May 22, 2015
thin-shelled eggs would not hatch as well as eggs with strong shells although the available data are not in good agreement (see review by D. C. Warren, pp. 84-85, 1949). Obviously, length of day is not the only factor that may influence the percentage of waste eggs. Nevertheless there is a good indication that birds on bright all-night light laid more eggs that were later broken than did birds on a 13 to 14 hour day. Perhaps this is
There is again no difference in egg production to the end of May between birds on a 14 hour day and those on allnight lights (Table 1). An analysis of the data in Table 1 and those obtained earlier (Asmundson and Moses 1950) did, however, show that the birds on all-night light laid, on the average, 8.22+1.21 fewer eggs after the end of March than birds on a 13 or 14 hour day. It should be recalled that there was no difference
548
N E W S AND NOTES
Turkey hens started and kept on bright all-night lights laid a higher (5.09 + 0.67) percentage of waste eggs than hens on a 14 hour day or hens changed to a 14 hour day after all had started laying on allnight light. Increasing the vitamin A, D, and riboflavin in a presumably adequate ration did not have any observable effect.
News and Notes (Continued from page 519)
as Directors-at-large on the executive. The first president of the Federation, C. W. Wampler, Harrisonburg, Virginia, is a lifetime member. T. L. Jones was named as representative to the Poultry and Egg National Board, M. C. Small as representative to National Poultry Producers Federation, and H. Beyers as representative to Associated Egg and Poultry Industries. D. W. Evans, Salt Lake City, Utah; C. F. Smith, New York, New York; and E. Y. Smith, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, were awarded Honorary Life Memberships in the NTF for valuable services rendered the industry. The retiring president, W. D. Johnson, Nottingham, Pennsylvania, was presented with a watch. The program included talks on the Eat More Turkey Campaign, the activities of the Poultry and Egg National Board in the turkey industry, and distribution of market information. Panel discussions were held on the topics: What's Ahead in Turkey Marketing, Turkey Size and Type
Progress, What's New in Turkey Breeding and Breeder Management, and What's New in Turkey Production and Disease Control. This last panel discussion included antibiotics, "mud enteritis," enheptin and blackhead, debeaking and wing clipping, sinusitis and salmonellosis other than pullorum. The N.T.F. National Dressed Turkey Show and the Far West Turkey Show was held in conjunction with the convention. The grand champion dressed turkey award was won by G. L. Lovelace, Dinubia, California and the reserve award by Lloyd-Jones Brothers, Chaffee, New York. The grand champion in the live division was the champion adult hen owned by G. Lovelace, Dinubia, California and the reserve was the champion young torn shown by Griffin's Wagon Wheel Ranch, Sonoma, California. Since the annual meeting, A. L. Mackie, the Third Vice-President, died at his home in East Kingston on February 19th. He entered the turkey business in 1940 and became a director of the Federation
{Continued on page 551)
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Georgetown University on May 22, 2015
REFERENCES Asmundson, V. S., F. W. Lorenz and B. D. Moses, 1946. Influence of light intensity on ovulation in turkeys. Poultry Sci. 25: 346-354.
Asmundson, V. S., and B. D. Moses, 1950. Influence of length of day on reproduction of turkey hens. Poultry Sci. 29: 34-41. Davis, G. T., 1948. The influence of continuous light on reproductive performance in turkeys. Poultry Sci. 27: 658. Scott, H. M., 1937. Turkey production in Kansas. Kansas Bull. 276: 21-25. Warren, D. C , 1949. Formation of the hen's egg. Fertility and Hatchability of Chicken and Turkey Eggs, L. W. Taylor, Editor. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. N.Y. Warren D. C , and H. M. Scott, 1936. Influence of light on ovulation in the fowl. J. Exp. Zool. 74: 137-156.
RESULTS
The light used and some of the results are presented in Table 1. The results agree well with those previously obtained. The birds in pen 37 did not respond to dim (10 watt = 0.04 to 0.1 foot candle) all-night light since they started to lay later than the birds in the control pen (pen 35).,Birds similarly lighted for 13 to 14 hours laid about the same number of eggs as the controls (Asmundson, Lorenz and Moses 1946). Thus it is apparent that subjecting the birds to continuous dim light during the night did not increase the response in any way. TABLE 1.—Results of 1948-49 lighting test Averages Lamp •
Pen
No. 35 36 37 38 39 40
Lighting schedule
used (in 18'X16' pen)
First egg
Control 14 hours All night All night* All night All night
Watts none 150 10 150 ISO ISO
Date Mar. 18 Jan. 6 Apr. 5 Dec. 26 Jan. 3 Dec. 24
Eggs laid to end of May
Hatch of fertile eggs
No. . Percent 30.6 79.0 61.7 74.3 31.2 62.5 60.5 62.7 72.1 78.8 62.5 62.6
* Changed to 14 hours Jan. 8 when all hens had started laying.
The birds given all-night light came into production slightly earlier than those on a 14 hour day. While the difference is not statistically significant for this experiment when considered alone, the results agree with earlier data (Asmundson and Moses, 1950) and when taken with them show that all-night lights bring the birds into production just a little faster.
546
J
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Georgetown University on May 22, 2015
ALL-NIGHT lights bring turkey hens -**• into production a little earlier than morning lights that extend the day to 14 hours, but there may be unfavorable effects on reproduction such as reduced hatchability (Scott, 1937; Davis, 1948; Asmundson and Moses, 1950). A test was set up which would provide some information about (1) the effectiveness of dim all-night lights, (2) the effect of changing all-night light to a 14 hour day after the birds started laying, and (3) the value of adding vitamin A, vitamin D, and riboflavin to a presumably adequate ration. The housing and management of the birds was similar to that reported earlier (Asmundson, Lorenz and Moses 1946; Asmundson and Moses 1950). The birds in pen 40 were given a ration containing more of vitamins A and D by doubling the fish oil; the riboflavin was increased by feeding 1 percent more of a fermentation product containing 250 milligrams of riboflavin per gram. The birds in pens 35 to 39 were fed the following mash in parts per hundred: fish meal 5, meat meal 5, soybean oil meal 14, dried whey 5, alfalfa meal 15, salt 1, bone meal 2, ground limestone 2, fish oil (750 A, 400 D) 0.5, wheat millrun 15, ground yellow corn 10, ground wheat 6, ground barley 18.7, fermentation product (250 milligrams of riboflavin per gram) 0.8, manganese sulfate 0.05.
ALL-NIGHT LIGHT AND EGG QUALITY
547
TABLE 2.—Percentage of eggs unsuitable for hatching {includes broken, soft shelled, double yolked, and dwarf-eggs) 1945-46 Pen
1946-47
1947-48
1948-49
Lighted hours
Percent
Lighted hours
Percent
Lighted hours
35 36 37
9 11
5.28 + 1.07 4.18 + 1.13 5.05 + 1.32
12 13
9.45 + 1.42 13.53 + 1.61 6.88 + 1.09
12 13
3.78 + 0.87 4.29 + 0.88 6.19 + 0.89
38 39 ,40
13 15 all night
3.32 + 0.79 10.91 + 1.38 10.13 + 1.39
14 15 all night
6.72 + 1.04 6.08+1.02 9.63 + 1.18
14 15 all night
5.42 + 0.80 4.76 + 0.80 9.92±1.20
Percent
Lighted hours 14 dim all night 14* all night all night
Percent 10.78+1.77 11.02 + 1.26 8.33 + 1.56 10.83 + 1.27 16.80+1.48 16.30 + 1.51
* Started on all night lights—see table 1.
in total egg production. For the comparison, the birds in pen 38 (Table 2—194849) were considered to have been on a 14 hour day. Hatchability of the eggs from pen 40 was 62.6 percent. It may be concluded that increasing the vitamins in the ration to a higher level than that fed to the other pens (see above) did not improve hatchability. An analysis of the data for 4 years to show the percentage of waste eggs is in Table 2. The percentages for the 5 pens started and kept on all night lights were compared with those for pens 38 plus— in 1948-49—pen 36. The birds on allnight light laid significantly more (5.09 ±0.67 percent) waste eggs. This might account for the variable hatchability of eggs from birds on artificial light observed by Asmundson and Moses (1950) and others. It would be expected that
partly accounted for by the effect of allnight lights on the time of day when eggs are laid. Warren and Scott (1936) found that chicken hens changed to continuous (all-night) light laid eggs throughout the day and night. Eggs laid at night would be more likely to be broken or otherwise damaged in these tests (Table 2) than eggs laid during the day up to 5 P.M. Since the birds changed to a 14 hour day laid fewer waste eggs, this method—starting on all-night light until all birds are laying and then changing to a 14 hour day—may have some merit. It is questionable, however, whether starting birds on all-night lights is worthwhile except in unusually foggy weather (Asmundson and Moses 1950). SUMMARY
Turkey hens did not respond to allnight dim (0.04 to 0.1 foot candle) light.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Georgetown University on May 22, 2015
thin-shelled eggs would not hatch as well as eggs with strong shells although the available data are not in good agreement (see review by D. C. Warren, pp. 84-85, 1949). Obviously, length of day is not the only factor that may influence the percentage of waste eggs. Nevertheless there is a good indication that birds on bright all-night light laid more eggs that were later broken than did birds on a 13 to 14 hour day. Perhaps this is
There is again no difference in egg production to the end of May between birds on a 14 hour day and those on allnight lights (Table 1). An analysis of the data in Table 1 and those obtained earlier (Asmundson and Moses 1950) did, however, show that the birds on all-night light laid, on the average, 8.22+1.21 fewer eggs after the end of March than birds on a 13 or 14 hour day. It should be recalled that there was no difference
548
N E W S AND NOTES
Turkey hens started and kept on bright all-night lights laid a higher (5.09 + 0.67) percentage of waste eggs than hens on a 14 hour day or hens changed to a 14 hour day after all had started laying on allnight light. Increasing the vitamin A, D, and riboflavin in a presumably adequate ration did not have any observable effect.
News and Notes (Continued from page 519)
as Directors-at-large on the executive. The first president of the Federation, C. W. Wampler, Harrisonburg, Virginia, is a lifetime member. T. L. Jones was named as representative to the Poultry and Egg National Board, M. C. Small as representative to National Poultry Producers Federation, and H. Beyers as representative to Associated Egg and Poultry Industries. D. W. Evans, Salt Lake City, Utah; C. F. Smith, New York, New York; and E. Y. Smith, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, were awarded Honorary Life Memberships in the NTF for valuable services rendered the industry. The retiring president, W. D. Johnson, Nottingham, Pennsylvania, was presented with a watch. The program included talks on the Eat More Turkey Campaign, the activities of the Poultry and Egg National Board in the turkey industry, and distribution of market information. Panel discussions were held on the topics: What's Ahead in Turkey Marketing, Turkey Size and Type
Progress, What's New in Turkey Breeding and Breeder Management, and What's New in Turkey Production and Disease Control. This last panel discussion included antibiotics, "mud enteritis," enheptin and blackhead, debeaking and wing clipping, sinusitis and salmonellosis other than pullorum. The N.T.F. National Dressed Turkey Show and the Far West Turkey Show was held in conjunction with the convention. The grand champion dressed turkey award was won by G. L. Lovelace, Dinubia, California and the reserve award by Lloyd-Jones Brothers, Chaffee, New York. The grand champion in the live division was the champion adult hen owned by G. Lovelace, Dinubia, California and the reserve was the champion young torn shown by Griffin's Wagon Wheel Ranch, Sonoma, California. Since the annual meeting, A. L. Mackie, the Third Vice-President, died at his home in East Kingston on February 19th. He entered the turkey business in 1940 and became a director of the Federation
{Continued on page 551)
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at Georgetown University on May 22, 2015
REFERENCES Asmundson, V. S., F. W. Lorenz and B. D. Moses, 1946. Influence of light intensity on ovulation in turkeys. Poultry Sci. 25: 346-354.
Asmundson, V. S., and B. D. Moses, 1950. Influence of length of day on reproduction of turkey hens. Poultry Sci. 29: 34-41. Davis, G. T., 1948. The influence of continuous light on reproductive performance in turkeys. Poultry Sci. 27: 658. Scott, H. M., 1937. Turkey production in Kansas. Kansas Bull. 276: 21-25. Warren, D. C , 1949. Formation of the hen's egg. Fertility and Hatchability of Chicken and Turkey Eggs, L. W. Taylor, Editor. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. N.Y. Warren D. C , and H. M. Scott, 1936. Influence of light on ovulation in the fowl. J. Exp. Zool. 74: 137-156.