Welfare and Production Benefits for Broilers using the Junglite light recipe
Chickens are highly photosensitive and rely on the lighting environment to understand their surroundings. Broilers require and prefer different lighting conditions depending on their age. In the brooding phase, broilers need bright, full spectrum light to acclimate to their surroundings and locate feed and water sources. As they age, they require shorter photoperiods, lower light intensities, and a blue/green spectrum to promote growth and calming behaviors. Signify researchers developed a species-specific recipe, Junglite, to facilitate optimal lighting conditions for broilers at every growth stage. The recipe begins with a full-spectrum green/white light (Jungle Green) to stimulate bird activity and feeding behaviors. As the broilers age, the recipe will transition to reduced photoperiods/light intensity, and the spectrum will become a blue/green hue (Jungle Sky), which has been demonstrated to reduce bird stress and fear responses.
The Junglite recipe was developed in a small-scale research setting, but once refined, was brought into commercial broiler houses for thorough testing. In the 47 commercial trials tested worldwide to date, it was found that the dynamic Junglite recipe resulted in a 3.008 Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) point improvement compared to lighting programs utilizing white LEDs. There were no significant differences seen in growth rate or livability. The European Broiler Index was improved by 9.81 points under Junglite.
The Junglite recipe has also undergone rigorous welfare testing in commercial field trials. It was found that broilers grown under the Junglite recipe had significantly lower physiological indicators of stress including lower Heterophyl:Lymphocyte ratios as well as lactate levels. Broilers also showed significantly reduced fear response under the Junglite recipe in academically validated fear tests. These tests included tonic immobility, inversion wing flapping, isolation vocalizations, time to emergence, and avoidance distance tests.
In addition to improving performance and bird welfare, the NatureDynamics override function allows growers to manage bird behavior and stress during situations involving more intensive bird handling. For example, a monochromatic blue light can be applied as a recipe override to keep birds calm and reduce bird movement during pre-harvest catching. Very dim monochromatic blue light (< 1 lux) can be used to replace dark periods
Altogether, the Junglite recipe improved production and welfare, representing clear wins for the producer and the birds!
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