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Abstract
1. Research focused on lower light intensity levels is required to set minimum standards appropriate for production and welfare of intensively housed broilers. The objective of this research was to study light intensity (0.1 to 10 lx) effects on Ross × Ross 308 and 708 genotypes.
2. Three experiments (35 d each) using 18 720 broilers were conducted with the initial experiment using two replicates of 0.1, 1, 5 and 10 lx. The second and third experiments examined 0.5, 1, 5 and 10 lx with treatments replicated twice in each experiment in a randomised complete block design with experiment acting as a block. In each experiment, mixed sex broilers from each genotype were housed in 6 equally sized pens per room.
3. In Experiment 1, the introduction of 0.1 lx at d 7 caused high levels of mortality and poor growth rate from d 7 to 14 and was discontinued.
4. In Experiments 2 and 3, increasing light intensity increased body weight gain (0–35 d) and feed intake (0–35 d) in a quadratic and linear fashion, respectively. Similarly, mortality corrected gain to feed ratio (FCR, 0–35 d) demonstrated a quadratic response with a maximum at 5 lx. Carcass, breast meat and skin, abdominal fat and drum skin, as a percentage of live weight, increased while drum bone and wing yield decreased in a linear fashion with increasing light intensity. Total carcass composition was unaffected by light intensity.
5. Genotype effects were numerous. No interactions were found between genotype and light intensity.
6. Ocular dimensions and the incidence of foot pad lesions decreased in a quadratic and linear fashion, respectively, with increasing light intensity. In contrast, welfare-associated gait score and mortality levels were not affected by light intensity.
7. It was concluded that performance, breast meat yield and bird welfare improved with increasing light intensity. The data support 5 lx as a minimum light intensity in broiler production.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge support provided by the Poultry Centre staff and fellow graduate students. Technical support provided by Dawn Abbott and Robert Gonda is sincerely appreciated. Financial support provided by Aviagen and Lilydale is acknowledged.