ONCE Innovations, the animal-lighting division of Signify, has donated over 4 tons of chicken to local food shelves in 2022. ONCE’s Research Farm, established in 2019, was built to evaluate the effects of farm lighting “recipes” on the health, well-being, and performance of chickens.
“We’ve made significant progress to develop specific lighting recipes with regard to spectrum, intensity, distribution, and schedule, which gives chickens the best possible environment to live,” says Dr. Aaron Stephan, ONCE’s Director of Biological Research and Development. “The lighting programs have demonstrable positive impacts on [the chickens’] ability to interact socially with one another and exhibit behaviors one would expect from an animal living in a natural environment under low stress.” These lighting recipes are then made available to commercial poultry farmers worldwide.
Dr. Curtis Leyk, ONCE’s veterinarian and manager of the Research Farm, has meticulously cared for the birds’ health and well-being while conducting the lighting evaluation trials. “The Research Farm enables us to scientifically test innovations in lighting while allowing us to control environmental conditions more so than could be done in commercial barns,” says Dr. Leyk. At the conclusion of each trial, ONCE collaborates with a local custom processor to humanely process the chickens using rigorous food safety methods. The end result: a bounty of healthy, locally-grown chicken ready for consumption. The chicken is then donated to local-area food shelves in Minnesota. In 2022 alone, more than 1,200 chickens were donated, totalling more than 8,000 lbs.
“We are proud that our research program simultaneously benefits the well-being of chickens, while at the same time offers the opportunity to give back to the community locally by supporting those who experience hunger or food insecurity,” said Dr. Stephan.
