Eggs should have a 28-hour light cycle

Eggs should have a 28-hour light cycle

Light can affect the number of mature eggs in laying hens and the discharge time. As the layer ages, the egg size increases, but the rate of egg maturation slows, increasing the time between two ovulations from 25 hours to approximately 26 hours. Therefore, the conventional 24-hour light cycle most commonly used in laying hens does not allow chickens to maximize their genetic potential for egg production. Experiments show that the 27-hour light cycle is very close to the physiological ideal of laying hens, and the 28-hour light cycle is best suited to production practice. Because the 28-hour light cycle is repeated 6 times every 7 days, and only 6 days a week, chickens lay eggs, which makes it easy for the management and keeping staff to arrange other work. The 28-hour light cycle includes 12 hours in the bright period and 16 hours in the dark period. If the light cycle is carried out from Sunday, the light conditions in the week are: 4:00 to 16:00 (Ming) - 8:00 to 20:00 (Ming) - 12:00 to 0:00 (Ming) - 16:00 - 4:00 (Ming) - 20:00 - 8:00 (Ming) - 0:00 - 12:00 (Ming) - Saturday and Sunday without egg production peaks No eggs need to be processed. Practice has shown that, in the case of light cycles longer than 24 hours (eg, 28-hour light cycle), the egg weight, shell thickness, and feed intake of laying hens are 5.9%, 8%, and 5, respectively, higher than when a 24-hour light cycle is applied. %, the egg production rate dropped by 20%, but the loss caused by the drop in the egg production rate and the increase in feed intake can be compensated by the increase in egg weight and the reduction of the electricity bill. In general, the economic efficiency is higher. The circadian clock in laying hens is 24.5 hours per day. Therefore, changing from 24-hour light cycle to 28-hour light cycle requires shortening the light period within each light cycle by 3.5 hours (conversion factor: 28-24.5 = 3.5 hours). , 24.5 hours as egg clock time) to provide a considerable light stimulation to the hens. For the chickens before and during the end of the production, especially when the weather is hot, a 28-hour light cycle can increase the egg weight and improve the quality of the shells, resulting in higher economic benefits.

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