RELATION BETWEEN LIGHT SOURCE AND GROWTH OF BROILER CHICKENS
Four hundred and forty vent-sexed commercial broiler chicks were used in this study. One half of this sample was exposed to common fluorescent light, the other half to a light source that in the spectral composition better approximates daylight characteristics (Vita-lite). Body weights of all birds were measured at weekly intervals. Weight of the body organs was measured on 20 birds randomly taken from each of four possible light source-sex combinations at 14-day intervals. The only significant difference in body weights linked with lighting was found in 2-wk-old chicks. High interactions between sex and lighting at this age revealed a positive effect of Vita-lite on females. In all other age categories, lighting did not affect body weights and did not interact with sex. Regression of body weights on age did not show any differentiation in growth related to the light source. Proportional weight of body organs did not indicate any significant effect of lighting. Birds in cages, illuminated with Vita-lite, when transferred to floor pens showed lower ambulatory activity than their counterparts from normal fluorescent light. Overall mortality during the first 14 days was lower in the Vita-lite group. Frequencies of subjective classifications of birds’ visual appearance showed evident sex × light source interactions only at the age of 14 days.