At Tractors & Chicks Farm, operating for the past several years in Chilliwack, British Columbia, owner and operator Des Soumang sought a way to calm his naturally aggressive birds. He turned to the Junglite light recipe by ONCE, which resulted in calmer birds with reduced mortality and Des being able to make crucial repairs without walking on eggshells.
The Challenge: Reducing Bird Stress Among a Typically Wild and Aggressive Species
Tractors & Chicks is a double-decker barn with two houses that features between 35,000-36,000 specialty chickens, a style that requires a 90-day growing cycle. Canadian farms, particularly in British Columbia, raise these specialty birds, which are highly valued for their meat quality to be featured in local ethnic and specialty markets. This particular species tends to be wild and more aggressive than regular birds. “You have to have the lights fairly dim, so they don’t cock fight and rip each other apart,” Des explains, adding “They spook easily.”
The Solution: Incorporating the ONCE Junglite Light Recipe on Each House of a Double-Decker Barn
Des, no pun intended, found himself walking on eggshells around the birds, knowing the wrong movement could cause a bit of dust that in turn would result in a thousand bird pile-up. Learning that green lights calm birds, he turned to the Junglite light recipe from ONCE that combines combines blue and green spectrums to stimulate broilers’ natural behavior. He installed 60 lights per floor, replacing the agriculture-rated white LEDs then in place. Tractors & Chicks, incidentally, was the first farm in Canada to install the Junglite light recipe, back in 2022, with a representative from ONCE flying out to help with the installation.
The Results: Calmer Birds with Reduced Mortality and the Opportunity to Make Crucial Repairs
Des soon began seeing results, noticing the birds were much calmer and when he did his flock report, he documented a drop in mortality because of less cock fighting. “The additional colors made a big difference,” Des recalls.
He installed the Junglite lights with a blue monochrome at a very low voltage that is intertwined with a maximus control system operated by a wireless adapter, which Des finds easier and more convenient than using his phone. The birds see the blue light and go to sleep, thinking it’s nighttime. Catchers can see fine in the blue light and gather up birds without the use of headlamps. And Des, meanwhile, was able to do a series of repairs, using drills and hacksaws, without spooking any of the birds.
“I was making a bunch of ruckus and nothing happened!” Des recalls, adding, “When you’ve got long-term birds like mine and they’re 50 days old and your feed line breaks, you’re in trouble. Being able to fix it is a huge advantage.”
Des plans on building more barns and will ensure they feature Junglite lights. He also regularly advises his peers on how lighting can have a significant impact on bird behavior and is pleased when they follow his advice.
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