To determine whether hens find the flicker of some fluorescent light aversive, the preferences of 16 light hybrid laying hens for light produced by high-frequency or low-frequency compact fluorescent lamps were tested individually in a two-room testing chamber in which each room could be illuminated by either source. The spectral distributions of the lamps and levels of illumination (ca. 14 lx) in the two rooms were carefully matched and both rooms contained feed, water, and a nesting area. Overhead video cameras recorded the position and behaviour of the birds during a 6-h test period on each of 2 d. The light sources in the rooms were switched on the second test day to balance for any preferences for chamber room.On both test days, the birds spent similar amounts of time in fluorescent light produced by high-frequency and low-frequency lamps (P > 0.10). When data from both test days were combined, the birds spent on average 48.2% of time in light from high-frequency lamps and 51.8% from low-frequency. The frequency distributions of individual activities indicated that the birds performed all activities in light produced by both types of lamps. The results indicate that the laying hens in this experiment did not exhibit a preference for high-frequency fluorescent lamps over low-frequency lamps. We conclude that at the illumination levels used in this experiment, the hens did not perceive the flicker of low-frequency light or they perceived it but did not find it aversive. Low-frequency fluorescent light does not appear to adversely affect the welfare of hens. Key words: Lighting, fluorescent, flicker, behaviour, poultry
Lighting Control System for High Frequency Fluorescent Lamps
