CMancaster Farming, Saturday, July 16, 1994 iuf P' 'o Penn State Ipsfev Poultry \ \ Pointers r DO BROILERS NEED 23 HOURS OF LIGHT PER DAY FOR OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE? Dr. Magdi Mashaly Dr. Abdulrahman Atta* Magda Galal* Rowland Bynum Dept. Of Poultry Science It is a well-known fact that light is important in affecting different biological processes in the body. In many instances, these effects are hormonal and are the result of increased activity of the pituitary gland, located at the base of the ATTENTION WOOD SHOP OWNERS Interested in burning your waste and making heat. Here’s a different heating system. Burn your scrap wood, sawdust and papers. Heat your shop as well as your home. If interested please call or write: OUTDOOR HEAT INC. RD 4 Box 4262 A Mohnton, PA 19540 (610) 856-1386 Rod or Kathy Woodmaster brain. The length of the daily light period is important in stimulating the reproductive cycles of chick ens; however, in growing broilers, the amount of light needed is only that amount necessary to enable the bird to move around and to see to eat and drink. In meat-type birds, there is always an attempt to reduce activity to improve effi ciency. In the poultry industry, the most commonly used light regime for broilers is 23 hours of light and 1 hour of darkness per day. In our laboratory, we have con ducted several studies using diffe rent photoperiodic regimes to find a lighting schedule that results in optimum performance. The regimes used were 23 hour lighi/1 hour dark (23 L/l D); 12 hour light/12 hour dark (12 L/12 D); 2 hour light/2 hour dark (2 L/2 D); and 1 hour light/3 hour dark (IL/3 D). One-day old broiler chicks were used. Birds were weighed weekly and feed consumption was calcu lated. Percentage mortality was also recorded. (Immune parame ters were measured every two 8! i weeks to assess differences in immune status and will be pre sented in a future article.) At all ages measured, body weights of birds receiving 12 L/12 D were less than those of the other three groups. Body weights in the 23 L/l D group were slightly high er than in either 2 L/2 Dor IL/3 D groups. This difference was espe cially apparent at six and seven weeks of age. The birds in the 1 L/3 D group consumed less feed and had slightly better feed efficiency than the other three groups. Per centage of mortality was less in the 1 L/3 D group than in the 23 L/l D group (2 percent vs. 3 percent). It could be concluded from our results as well as results from other researchers that raising broiler chicks on intermittent lighting programs (1 L/3 D) could be more advantageous when compared to continuous or 23 L/l D systems for the following four reasons: 1. 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Reduction in the incidence of leg abnormalities. Poultry Litter Becomes Friendly WASHINGTON, D.C. Alum, an item found in household medicine cabinets, could be put to a new use as a prescription for turning the litter in poultry houses into fertilizer that’s kind to the en vironment. As an astringent, alum is the main ingredient of styptic pencils used to stop bleeding, such as from shaving nicks. U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture scientist Phil ip A. Moore Jr. has put alum to work in commercial poultry hous es to cut the loss of nitrogen in chicken litter. Fresh poultry litter is loaded with nitrogen, phosphorus and other essential plant nutrients, making it a seemingly ideal “na tural” fertilizer, Moore said. But nitrogen in the litter tends to vaporize into ammonia while still in the poultry house. When that happens, the litter’s ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus is thrown off balance, leaving a heavy load of phosphorus. Dbmon, PA EVERGREEN TRACTOR CO. OutnyvM*, PA GRUMELLI'S FARM SERV. 4. Reduction in the cost of electricity, since the light will be on only six hours versus a possible 23 or 24 hours per day. ■ •Research Associates from Egypt on USAID Research Grant Fertilizer Litter is applied to land as ferti lizer based on its nitrogen content, said Moore. Spreading enough lit ter to provide sufficient nitrogen can result in serious phosphorus overloads that can wash off farm fields bad news for nearby wa terways. Phosphorus accelerates the growth of algae in streams and rivers. Adding alum to the litter while it’s still on the poultry house floor changes that. Moore said research showed that alum ties up the phos phorus into a form that won’t dis solve in water and doesn’t move in soil. Moore and co-researchers found in other tests at an ARS poultry laboratory in Fayetteville, Ark., that adding alum to poultry litter at the rate of 200 grams per kilogram of litter reduced nitrogen evaporation by 99 percent “Chicken litter is one of the best fertilizers in the world, as long as it’s used wisely,” Moore said. Swlngout Tailgate ■ one aide Operator Friendly, engine and engine eompo- You'll find tho 77 name service. Easy acceaa to oftara aaay opal all eoolar and radiator (which enlry/axll Into a ara mil protected). No need roomy cab. to ralae lift arm*. Easy-to-usa toot padala control loader hydraulic functions, while two alaarlng Ounbl a axtaat Bobcat 7753 txlet xn tot built tfian tpoelally heat traatad. Axle Baarlnga NEVER need graaalng bacauae •. a*atact oil bath kaapa Itiam lubricated. New M/f hub dttlgn proltelt «/• *••/ from dtmtgt from win or fwlno. Hub It tttlly nmovod If oorvlet It nqulnd. levers allow precise maneu verability. TOTAL HAND CONTROL! 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