Lighting for summer egg production by turkeys: day length and light intensity

This experiment tested the hypothesis that typical poor egg production during the summer is a consequence of insufficient lighting and reduced photoperiodic drive. Large White turkey breeder hens were photostimulated at 30 wk of age with incandescent light on May 12 for summer (off-season) egg production and continued for 28 wk. The lighting treatments were given in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement with day length and light intensity as main effects. Day lengths used were 15L:9D and 18L:6D, whereas the intensities were 567 +/- 67 and 22 +/- 2 lx. All the treatments were within a light-controlled building, and there were 8 replicate pens of 4 hens for each treatment. Data were collected, by pen, for onset and the rate of lay; BW and feed consumption at 4-wk intervals; and egg weight (EW) at 4-wk intervals including the weight of the first 14 eggs laid, livability, and plasma thyroid hormones for 8 wk postlighting. The rate of egg production through 28 wk of photostimulation was better in the hens receiving 18 than 15 h of light per day (14 eggs/hen difference) but was similar between the 2 intensity treatments. The lower number of eggs in the 15-h group was associated with a greater number of photorefractory hens than in the 18 h of light per day group (39 vs. 14%, respectively). Egg weights were similar between the 18 and 15 h of light/day treatment groups but was significantly greater in the low intensity treatment as compared with the high intensity treatment. We may conclude that by increasing photoperiodic drive by increased day length, but not light intensity, there results an improved summer egg production by turkeys and reduced incidence of photorefractoriness. Egg weight was best at a reduced light intensity.