Content
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Light mode -
Lighting types
An important factor in the proper development of chicks in a chicken coop is a sufficient level of heat and a correctly selected light regime. All this can be achieved with the help of special lamps.
Light mode
The length of daylight is very important when growing young chickens – proper lighting largely regulates the physiological activity of chicks. In the early days, the temperature should be kept at 33-34 degrees, since even slight hypothermia can lead to the death of chickens. To prevent this from happening, special lamps are used, they not only illuminate the chicken coop, but also heat it, creating all the conditions necessary to maintain the normal life of the birds.
In the first month of the life of the chicks, the aviary should be evenly lit – a wakefulness zone is set up around the drinkers, lamps are always on there, it is desirable that they be low-power (no more than 15-20 W) and be supplemented with reflectors.
Thus, chickens will be able to see feeders and drinkers around the clock and drink water and peck grain feed as needed, but young birds prefer to sleep in twilight.
Keep in mind, there should not be complete darkness in any zone of the chicken coop – Recent studies have shown that during the first 20 days of a chicken’s life, he needs round-the-clock illumination, since in this way the growth of muscle mass is stimulated and the physical activity of the bird increases. As the birds grow, constant illumination begins to oppress the birds.
Fact is that Darkness is considered to be as important a factor in the health of birds as light. The time of darkness in the lighting program for young animals is determined by two basic parameters – the duration of daylight hours and its frequency during the day. Until quite recently, there was an opinion that the best ratio for chickens would be 23 hours of light and 1 hour of darkness. However, recent studies have shown that for the full growth of chickens, they need at least 4 hours of darkness, this ratio can significantly reduce the loss of birds.
This effect is largely due to the fact that in complete darkness, chickens synthesize melatonin, which affects the balance of daily fluctuations in body temperature and other metabolic processes. In addition, melatonin has an effect on the release of lymphokines responsible for the state of the immune system.
That is why the most comfortable for birds will be the cyclical change in the phases of lighting during the day.
Lighting types
Several types of lamps are used for installation in an aviary.
- Incandescent lamps – cheap and affordable, but at the same time an extremely impractical option. Such lamps are easy to break and injure young birds.
- Luminescent – this is the main advantage of such equipment is reduced to their efficiency and low cost. However, at the same time, they are characterized by frequent flickering, which is imperceptible to the human eye – chickens have much sharper eyesight. Such lighting irritates the birds, they become restless and apathetic.
- LED Light – These are slightly better lamps that are devoid of a flickering effect. Such equipment has a fairly long service life, is equipped with a high level of security and can emit light of several spectra. It is best to use white spectrum lamps, but if possible, you can combine them with blue-green spectrum light sources – the first calms, and under the influence of the second chickens grow better. But the cost of LEDs is quite high, so not every poultry house can afford such a lighting system.
- Infrared lamps are considered the best option. According to experienced poultry farmers, this type of lighting is most desirable in a chicken coop, it is most suitable for birds, has the ability to illuminate and heat at the same time, can significantly reduce energy costs and at the same time has a fairly affordable price.
infrared lighting
Infrared lamps with a heating regulator are heat emitters used when raising a large number of birds at the same time. The operation of an IR lamp for heating is somewhat similar to the principle of the Sun. Its rays touch objects, illuminate them, and then begin to heat the latter, in turn, give their received heat to the environment and thereby contribute to the heating of the air.
Technical parameters of infrared lamps:
- power – 50-500 W;
- temperature limit – 600 degrees;
- range of IR waves – 3,5-5 microns;
- mains voltage – 220 V;
- period of work – 6 thousand hours.
The most effective are mirror lamps, as well as lamps made of red glass. Typically, these warming lights are installed with special lamps equipped with ceramic cartridges – this is important to ensure the safety of the chickens and prevent them from burning, and they also minimize the risk of flammable straw or water entering the lamp.
During the operation of such a lamp, electrical energy is converted into an infrared spectrum. Its design is reliable, since rather thick glass is usually used to make the jar-flask, which protects against impacts. The inner surface of the lamp is usually coated with a reflective pigment, which allows the light beams to be focused and directed towards the chicks.
Usually one 250 watt lamp is enough to light a 10 square meter chicken coop or brooder. m, however, experienced breeders prefer to install several lamps in the brooder at once in case of burnout and failure of one of them. If this is not done, then in your absence, the chickens may be left without light and heat, which often ends in the death of the young.
The advantages of infrared lamps are obvious:
- soft and calm light – such lighting does not irritate the birds and reduces their level of aggressiveness;
- The IR spectrum helps to increase the appetite of pets, improves the digestibility and assimilation of feed;
- the radiation of such a lamp significantly increases immunity;
- the heater has a high efficiency, due to which the cost of electricity is reduced in comparison with other heaters by 3-4 times;
- IR light can dry out the litter and thus make the microclimate more suitable for birds.
Infrared lamps work absolutely silently, while they heat objects and living beings very quickly – the heat comes after only 27 seconds. This is an eco-friendly device that is absolutely safe for both the birds themselves and their breeders.
However, it was not without drawbacks. With a long stay in the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe lamp, the mucous membrane of the eyes begins to dry out in a person, and with careless handling, burns are possible if accidentally touched. However, these shortcomings are insignificant, and all risks are reduced to zero if the safety rules for working with lighting equipment are observed.
A red lamp for hatched chickens should be placed at a distance of 30-40 cm.
To understand whether they have enough light and heat in this case is very simple – you just need to look at the behavior of the young. In comfortable conditions, pets are evenly dispersed throughout the enclosure. But if you notice that the chickens are huddled together and tend to be closer to the lamp, then they are cold. In this case, it is necessary to lower the light and heat source a little lower or add its power.
When the birds are hot, they begin to crawl around and breathe heavily – this will be the first signal to raise the lamp a little higher or reduce its power. When working with IR lamps, it is very important to follow safety rules.
To remove dust and dirt, the cooled bulb is wiped with a soft, damp cloth – it is strictly forbidden to clean the connected device.
When using budget models with a thin glass bulb, it is necessary to protect the lamp from active chicks with a metal mesh. During the use of the equipment, the state of the cartridge should be kept under control, while the use of plastic models is undesirable – they melt too quickly. Try to avoid moving the lamp, in this case, its operation time will be significantly reduced.
Important! The main task of any infrared lamp is to heat the young, so it makes sense to use them only in the room where the chickens are kept. For older laying hens, such equipment can cause serious harm.
See the next video for more about infrared lamps.
