Poultry farmers need to supplement lighting in a timely manner to ensure that layer hens produce more eggs. Guangzhou Zhongshen Ribbon Products Co., Ltd. shares the following considerations regarding supplementary lighting.

     1. Reasonable application of light color: Different colors of light have different wavelengths and thus different effects on egg-laying hens. Under the same feeding conditions, hens raised under red light show a significantly higher egg production rate than those under other colors, generally increasing by about 20%.

     2. Properly stable duration: Lighting for the hens should generally begin at 19 weeks of age, with the light duration gradually increasing by 30 minutes each week. When the daily lighting time reaches 16 hours, it should be maintained at a stable duration; sudden changes in lighting should be avoided. The best method is to supplement lighting twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening.

     3. Uniform and suitable light intensity: For standard layer hens, the required light intensity is generally 2.7 watts per square meter. In multi-tier cage systems, to ensure sufficient illumination on the bottom tier, the design should increase the intensity to about 3.3 to 3.5 watts per square meter. Therefore, light bulbs should be installed with a power of 40 to 60 watts, typically positioned 2 meters high and spaced 3 meters apart. If installing more than two rows of bulbs, they should be arranged in a crosswise pattern, with wall-mounted bulbs spaced half the distance of the regular bulb spacing. Additionally, regularly replace any damaged bulbs and clean the bulbs weekly to maintain appropriate brightness. Avoid sudden lighting changes during dark or bright periods that could disturb the chickens and cause stress reactions; turn the lights on before dark or after there is some brightness.

     4. Reasons why lighting impacts egg production rates: As the days shorten in early spring, the effects of light on the chickens diminish, leading to a decrease in the secretion of gonadotropin hormone from the anterior pituitary gland in the chickens, resulting in a drop in egg production rates.