J.

TEZA RVM/11- 42
M. RAMA SURYA NARASIMHA
NEEHAR
RVM/11- 23
Through the winter, poultry have no
interest in breeding.
There are sound biological reasons
for this because, in the wild, the cold
weather conditions and general lack
of food would mitigate against it.
As spring approaches and the day
length increases, it is a different
scenario.
The effect of increased light has a
galvanising effect.
As it falls on the bird, it stimulates
the pituitary gland of the brain to
produce more of the hormone
pituitrin.
This is transported in the
bloodstream to the ovary that is then
stimulated to produce eggs.
At one time, it was thought that
the pituitary gland was affected
by the reception of light through
the eyes, but recent research has
shown that even blind birds
respond to increased daylight. It
is now thought that the whole
head and back area are affected.
Increasing the 'day' by giving
a certain amount of artificial
light in the house is a routine
exercise with commercial
flocks, so that the number of
eggs does not dip in the
winter.
 Itis also a technique that is used by
breeders to induce earlier laying so that
the breeding season is extended.
 For best fertility, it is generally
recommended to give the male birds
extra light for two weeks before it is
given to the hens.
 As with the females, the effect of light is
to stimulate hormone production
The amount of extra light needed is
not great, and involves two factors:
day length and light intensity.
The former is the provision of a total
of 15 hours of light, made up of
natural and artificial light as
required.
The latter is the degree of brightness
and the unit of measurement is a lux.
Around 10-lux is the
minimum required for a
house, and when you consider
that 5-lux is the equivalent of
side road lighting, it will be
seen that the required
intensity is not great.
Depending on the size of
the house and the flock
lighting could be from one
40-watt tungsten bulb, one
6 to 8 watt fluorescent bulb
or tube, or one 25-watt
bulb. One light source is
enough for up to 100 birds.
 The need for light was well known even
before the widespread availability of
electricity.
 Traditionally, winter houses were painted
white inside to maximise the amount of
reflected light.
 Sometimes, a mirror was placed inside for
the same purpose.
 Many of the new, mobile houses now
being designed for commercial free-
range and organic flocks are also white
inside.
 Their smooth interior panels are highly
insulated and smooth for ease of
cleaning, as well as not providing a
heaven for pests such as red mites.