Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications

Document Type

Article

Publication Version

Published Version

Publication Date

2000

Journal or Book Title

Transactions of the ASAE

Volume

43

Issue

6

First Page

1767

Last Page

770

Abstract

In-transit supply of nutrients and water supplement is essential to maintaining good chick quality and well-being during long, international shipments. Although chicks require light to promote ingestion of nutrients, supply of continuous in-transit lighting is impractical. This study compared four intermittent lighting regimens of 1L:5D, 5L:10D,10L:10D, and 5L:15D applied to a three-day simulated transport period with regard to chick performance and energetics during the treatment period and a four-day subsequent growth period. The four lighting regimens produced similar seven-day chick performance, although chicks under 10L:10D had a somewhat higher body mass loss and metabolic rate than birds in other regimens during the three-day treatment period (P < 0.05). The results suggest the existence of flexibility in providing in-transit lighting for shipping chicks. Significant differences in the heat and moisture production rate of the chicks were observed between light and dark periods, with the response values being 21 to 27% lower in the dark period than in the light period. The results further suggest that chicks in transit would benefit the most from sufficient lighting to ingest necessary nutrients but then remaining in darkness to conserve body energy.

Comments

Journal Paper No J-18686 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Iowa State University, Project No. 3311. Financial support for the study was provided by the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association and is acknowledged with gratitude. Mention of vendor or product names is for presentation clarity and does not imply endorsement by the authors or Iowa State University nor exclusion of other suitable products.

This article is from Transactions of the ASAE 43, no. 6 (2000): 1767–1770.

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Copyright Owner

American Society of Agricultural Engineers

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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