Effect of light colour on egg performance and hatchability rate of Beltsville Small White Turkey hens

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Ussadawut Pantasearm
Jiranan Insee

Abstract

Objective The effects of natural light plus various light colours on egg performance and hatchability rate of Beltsville small white turkey hens kept in Loei livestock research and breeding center were studied.


Materials and methods Beltsville Small White turkeys aged 8 months, total 192 hens were randomly distributed to 16 pens, which each pen containing 3 males and 9 females those raised on the floor. The breeder turkeys were reared on 12 hours of natural light and 4 hours of artificial light per day (16L:8D). Completely randomized design (CRD) was used in the study. The treatments were natural light, (T1, control), natural light + green (T2), natural light + red (T3) and natural light + blue fluorescent light color (T4). Data of egg production, egg weight, fertility, hatchability and birth weight were collected for 6 months.


Results The results did not showed significant differences in egg weight, fertility and birth weight (p>0.05). The 6 months egg production and hen house production in the T2 and T3 were not significantly difference from control (p>0.05) but higher than T4 turkey hen (P<0.05). The hatchability of fertility and hatchability of total egg in T2, T3 and T4 higher than control turkey hen (p<0.05).


Conclusion – From the study, it is concluded that higher hatchability rate was obtained in turkey hens reared under natural light + red and green fluorescent light color.

Article Details

Section
Research articles

References

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