Manipulation of green LED in chicken egg incubation

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a 12 hours light, 12 hours dark (12L: 12D) photoperiod of green light during day 1 to day 18 of incubation time, on embryo growth and the hatch process. In the test group, monochromatic light was provided by a total of 204 green LEDs (522nm) mounted in a frame which was placed above the top tray of eggs to give even spread of illumination. The control group has no light-dark cycle. Four batches of eggs (n=300 per group per batch) from fertile Ross 308 broiler breeders were used in this experiment. The beak length and crown-rump length of embryos incubated under green light were significantly longer than that of control embryosat day10and day 12, respectively (P<0.01). Furthermore, green light exposed embryos had a longer third toe length compared to control embryos at day 10, day14 and day17 (P=0.02). The individual hatching time of the light exposure focal chicks (n=33) was 3.4h earlier (P=0.49) than the control focal chicks (n=36). The results of this study indicate that green light accelerates embryo development and results in earlier hatching.