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The Influence of Incandescent and Infrared Light Upon Chicks
528
RESEARCH NOTES
TABLE 1.-—Isolation of Clostridium sporogenes from the viscera of day-old chicks tchery A
B C D E F
Lot
Bird type
CI. sporogenes isolated*
1 2 3 4 1 2 1 1 1 1 2
Broiler No. 1 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 1 Broiler No. 1 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 2 Leghorn No. 1 Leghorn No. 1
14/103 46/52 75/100 41/103 0/25 9/99 7/50 10/103 13/99 3/108 2/71
* Isolations/Chicks examined.
REFERENCE Peterson, E. H., 1964. Clostridium novyi isolated from chickens. Poultry Sci. 4 3 : 1062-1063.
THE INFLUENCE OF INCANDESCENT AND INFRARED LIGHT UPON CHICKS W. H. MCCLTJSKEY AND G. H. ARSCOTT Department of Poultry Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 (Received for publication November 26, 1966)
From time to time poultry producers inquire about the cause of a peculiar eye abnormality in young chickens in which the eye appears enlarged and elongated. This condition has been described by Lauber et al. (1961) and was produced by exposing young chicks to continuous incandescent light of 3-foot candle intensity at bird level. Because poultry producers sometimes use various forms of infrared heat lamp equipment, it was desirable to determine if such equipment would cause development of the abnormal eye condition. An experiment was conducted to deterTechnical Paper No. 2218, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.
mine what effect light from two kinds of heat lamps as compared to light from incandescent lamps had upon chicks. Quadruplicate pens of broiler cross chicks1 equally divided for sex received light as follows: (1) 250 watt infrared heat lamps of red glass—24 hrs.; (2) 250 watt infrared heat lamps of white glass—24 hrs.; (3) 60 watt incandescent lamps—24 hrs.; and (4) 60 watt incandescent lamps—12 hrs. Heat for brooding was provided by elec1
White Vantress male X Cobb White Rock female.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at NERL on May 26, 2015
as described from the liver, spleen and heart of day-old chicks. These results are presented in Table 1. Of 913 visceral cultures from day-old chicks (Table 1), CI. sporogenes was isolated from 220, or 24 percent. Isolations
were made from all six sources although in varying degrees. Twenty-eight isolations, (6.9%), were made from 406 "number 1" chicks, and 192 isolations, (37.9%), from 507 "number 2" chicks, the latter group being classified by the respective hatchery graders as seconds or inferior birds. There is strong indication, therefore, that the presence of this organism is related to chick quality. The source of the Clostridium, embryonic, hatchery or other source, is not known nor is its significance fully understood. In addition to CI. sporogenes, other spore-forming anaerobes, presumably Clostridia, were also isolated from these chicks. These latter organisms are being studied further with regard to classification.
529
RESEARCH NOTES TABLE 1.—Influence of light upon body weights and feed conversion (56 days) Feed Body wt. Conversion (gms.)
Treatment Red infrared—continuous White infrared—continuous Incandescent—continuous Incandescent—intermittent
3,769 3,619* 3,880 3,746
2.26 2.30 2.21 2.18
FIG. 1. Comparison of the profiles of molds made from abnormal and normal eyes, ca. 1.5 X-
* P<.05.
TABLE 2.—Influence of light upon size of eye
Light exposure Red infrared—24 hrs. White infrared—24 hrs. Incandescent—24 hrs. Incandescent—12 hrs.
Av. wt. As % of Relative per eye body eye wt. (mg.) wt. (%) 3,588 3,229 3,183 2,757
.403 .368 .352 .302
133.4 121.9 116.6 100.0
REFERENCE Lauber, J. K., J. V. Shutze and J. M. McGinnis, 1961. Effects of exposure to continuous light on the eye of the growing chick. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 106: 871-872.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at NERL on May 26, 2015
trie hover brooders in the pens having incandescent light. A high-energy corn-soybean meal ration and water were provided ad libitum. Body weights were taken at 4 and 8 weeks of age and eyes were scored as normal or abnormal at 4 weeks. Samples of 4 birds/treatment were sacrificed at 4 and 8 weeks and measurements made upon the enucleated eye. Light intensity (foot candles) in the central portion (brightest) of the pen at floor level was as follows: Red infrared lamp—62 foot candles White infrared lamp—600 foot candles Incandescent lamp—1.2 foot candles. Body weights and feed conversion are shown in Table 1. Chicks exposed to white infrared lamps were lower in body weight than chicks under other lamp treatments and rate of gain under continuous infrared light was less than under continuous incandescent light. Feed conversion was poorer under infrared lamps than under incandescent. There was an apparent trend of increased body weight as the intensity of the light decreased with groups exposed to 24
hours of light. Unfortunately temperatures within the pens were not measured and the possibility exists that temperature differences could have influenced body weights. All light treatments except the intermittent (12 hour) incandescent lamp exposure caused the chicks to develop abnormal eyes. This eye condition has been referred to as a "slant eyed" condition. The abnormality was observed at 4 weeks in all groups but those exposed to the 12 hours of incandescent light. The condition was more common in birds under the infrared lamps than the incandescent and more common under the red heat lamps than the white heat lamps even though the intensity of light from the white heat lamp was approximately ten times greater as measured on a light meter. Weights of eyes enucleated at eight weeks are shown in Table 2. Along with the increased weight of the eye, a flattening of the cornea was apparent. This is illustrated in Figure 1 by the profile outline projected from a plaster of paris mold made from an abnormal and normal eye. Although this study did not include an evaluation of the effect of early light exposure upon subsequent reproductive ability, unpublished work conducted at this station suggests that early light treatments similar to those used in this study adversely influenced later egg production.
RESEARCH NOTES
TABLE 1.-—Isolation of Clostridium sporogenes from the viscera of day-old chicks tchery A
B C D E F
Lot
Bird type
CI. sporogenes isolated*
1 2 3 4 1 2 1 1 1 1 2
Broiler No. 1 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 1 Broiler No. 1 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 2 Broiler No. 2 Leghorn No. 1 Leghorn No. 1
14/103 46/52 75/100 41/103 0/25 9/99 7/50 10/103 13/99 3/108 2/71
* Isolations/Chicks examined.
REFERENCE Peterson, E. H., 1964. Clostridium novyi isolated from chickens. Poultry Sci. 4 3 : 1062-1063.
THE INFLUENCE OF INCANDESCENT AND INFRARED LIGHT UPON CHICKS W. H. MCCLTJSKEY AND G. H. ARSCOTT Department of Poultry Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 (Received for publication November 26, 1966)
From time to time poultry producers inquire about the cause of a peculiar eye abnormality in young chickens in which the eye appears enlarged and elongated. This condition has been described by Lauber et al. (1961) and was produced by exposing young chicks to continuous incandescent light of 3-foot candle intensity at bird level. Because poultry producers sometimes use various forms of infrared heat lamp equipment, it was desirable to determine if such equipment would cause development of the abnormal eye condition. An experiment was conducted to deterTechnical Paper No. 2218, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.
mine what effect light from two kinds of heat lamps as compared to light from incandescent lamps had upon chicks. Quadruplicate pens of broiler cross chicks1 equally divided for sex received light as follows: (1) 250 watt infrared heat lamps of red glass—24 hrs.; (2) 250 watt infrared heat lamps of white glass—24 hrs.; (3) 60 watt incandescent lamps—24 hrs.; and (4) 60 watt incandescent lamps—12 hrs. Heat for brooding was provided by elec1
White Vantress male X Cobb White Rock female.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at NERL on May 26, 2015
as described from the liver, spleen and heart of day-old chicks. These results are presented in Table 1. Of 913 visceral cultures from day-old chicks (Table 1), CI. sporogenes was isolated from 220, or 24 percent. Isolations
were made from all six sources although in varying degrees. Twenty-eight isolations, (6.9%), were made from 406 "number 1" chicks, and 192 isolations, (37.9%), from 507 "number 2" chicks, the latter group being classified by the respective hatchery graders as seconds or inferior birds. There is strong indication, therefore, that the presence of this organism is related to chick quality. The source of the Clostridium, embryonic, hatchery or other source, is not known nor is its significance fully understood. In addition to CI. sporogenes, other spore-forming anaerobes, presumably Clostridia, were also isolated from these chicks. These latter organisms are being studied further with regard to classification.
529
RESEARCH NOTES TABLE 1.—Influence of light upon body weights and feed conversion (56 days) Feed Body wt. Conversion (gms.)
Treatment Red infrared—continuous White infrared—continuous Incandescent—continuous Incandescent—intermittent
3,769 3,619* 3,880 3,746
2.26 2.30 2.21 2.18
FIG. 1. Comparison of the profiles of molds made from abnormal and normal eyes, ca. 1.5 X-
* P<.05.
TABLE 2.—Influence of light upon size of eye
Light exposure Red infrared—24 hrs. White infrared—24 hrs. Incandescent—24 hrs. Incandescent—12 hrs.
Av. wt. As % of Relative per eye body eye wt. (mg.) wt. (%) 3,588 3,229 3,183 2,757
.403 .368 .352 .302
133.4 121.9 116.6 100.0
REFERENCE Lauber, J. K., J. V. Shutze and J. M. McGinnis, 1961. Effects of exposure to continuous light on the eye of the growing chick. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 106: 871-872.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at NERL on May 26, 2015
trie hover brooders in the pens having incandescent light. A high-energy corn-soybean meal ration and water were provided ad libitum. Body weights were taken at 4 and 8 weeks of age and eyes were scored as normal or abnormal at 4 weeks. Samples of 4 birds/treatment were sacrificed at 4 and 8 weeks and measurements made upon the enucleated eye. Light intensity (foot candles) in the central portion (brightest) of the pen at floor level was as follows: Red infrared lamp—62 foot candles White infrared lamp—600 foot candles Incandescent lamp—1.2 foot candles. Body weights and feed conversion are shown in Table 1. Chicks exposed to white infrared lamps were lower in body weight than chicks under other lamp treatments and rate of gain under continuous infrared light was less than under continuous incandescent light. Feed conversion was poorer under infrared lamps than under incandescent. There was an apparent trend of increased body weight as the intensity of the light decreased with groups exposed to 24
hours of light. Unfortunately temperatures within the pens were not measured and the possibility exists that temperature differences could have influenced body weights. All light treatments except the intermittent (12 hour) incandescent lamp exposure caused the chicks to develop abnormal eyes. This eye condition has been referred to as a "slant eyed" condition. The abnormality was observed at 4 weeks in all groups but those exposed to the 12 hours of incandescent light. The condition was more common in birds under the infrared lamps than the incandescent and more common under the red heat lamps than the white heat lamps even though the intensity of light from the white heat lamp was approximately ten times greater as measured on a light meter. Weights of eyes enucleated at eight weeks are shown in Table 2. Along with the increased weight of the eye, a flattening of the cornea was apparent. This is illustrated in Figure 1 by the profile outline projected from a plaster of paris mold made from an abnormal and normal eye. Although this study did not include an evaluation of the effect of early light exposure upon subsequent reproductive ability, unpublished work conducted at this station suggests that early light treatments similar to those used in this study adversely influenced later egg production.