STABLES

Stable lighting for livestock farming:

Cattle:

Cattle do not normally distinguish between LED, high-pressure sodium or metal halide lighting; therefore, only the intensity and duration of the light are important. Research shows that the light level should be at least 150 lux. A lighting regime of approximately 16 hours of light at a minimum of 150 lux, followed by approximately 8 hours of darkness (maximum 5 lux), promotes positive characteristics. Extending the ‘days’ through barn lighting has a positive effect on melatonin production.
Light inhibits melatonin production, whilst darkness accelerates it. The lighting regime described above simulates the long summer days: the days when cattle are naturally at their most active, resulting in higher production and greater feed intake.

Since around 1978, independent studies have been conducted into the effects of barn lighting on dairy cattle. These have shown that the correct light intensity and duration of lighting make a significant positive contribution to the health, fertility, welfare and productivity of dairy cattle.
The best-known effect of light is that it regulates the hormonal balance in dairy cattle and, consequently, milk production, which can increase by up to 15 per cent. Something that is perhaps less well known is the fact that correct and uniform barn lighting improves fertility, has a positive effect on oestrus and also makes it easier to detect.

The interval between births can also be shortened by applying the correct lighting regime and light level. In addition, diseases can be detected earlier.
An unsuitable light level or lighting regime can have consequences for the health, production or welfare of your animals.

Poultry:

It is well known that light is an important factor within the poultry sector. Nevertheless, questions regularly arise as to which lighting regime is most suitable for healthy and productive poultry.

For example, chickens perceive light differently to humans. Humans can roughly distinguish three colours: red, green and blue. In chickens, the eye is one of the most highly developed senses, enabling them to perceive a wider range of colours. The chicken’s eye is situated on the side of the head. As a result, chickens have a wider field of vision than humans, whose eyes are positioned at the front of the head.

In addition, chickens can detect light outside the field of vision. They have a sort of eye-like organ just below the skull, which enables them to perceive light and dark. Chickens also have an additional peak in the ultraviolet spectrum. This extra peak allows them to recognise one another more easily. This is important for the pecking order. If chickens cannot recognise one another, they will start pecking at each other, resulting in the pecking order being disrupted.

Chickens are sensitive to light, which means that good light distribution and light levels are of great importance. Good light distribution ensures that the chickens are spread out optimally across the entire floor area of the house. This results in fewer damp resting areas and significantly reduces the risk of footpad inflammation.

To manage the lighting as effectively as possible, it is essential that the house lighting is adjustable or dimmable. Adjustable lighting allows you to set any desired light level within the house.

Good light distribution generally ensures that there are as few shadows as possible. Chickens do not like being in the dark. It is important to have as few shaded areas as possible in the house.

For poultry, it is important to use high-frequency housing lighting. Chickens perceive light differently to humans. With housing lighting operating at a frequency of up to 160 hertz, chickens can perceive flashes of light. Traditional fluorescent lighting operates at a frequency of 50 hertz. These flashes of light create a sort of stroboscopic effect in the housing; an unpleasant experience for the chickens.

Various lighting regimes can be applied for poultry. This depends on the type of poultry present in the house. For broilers, it is a legal requirement to have a minimum light level of 20 lux over 80 per cent of the floor area. The same applies to laying hens, whilst older hens require 40 to 60 lux. An unsuitable light level or lighting regime can have consequences for the health, production or welfare of your poultry.

Horses:

Light intensity, light distribution, day length and light colour influence animal welfare and, consequently, the behaviour of horses. The right balance of these four factors has a positive effect on the horses. Appropriate and uniform stable lighting contributes, amongst other things, to better health and productivity. Questions regularly arise as to what constitutes the best lighting within the equine sector.

Independent research indicates that a light level of at least 150 to 200 lux is desirable in horse stables. This light level, combined with a light regime of 16 hours of light followed by 8 hours of darkness, yields positive results. By using stable lighting to extend the ‘days’, the production of melatonin is influenced. Melatonin is also known as the ‘sleep hormone’. Light inhibits the production of melatonin, whilst darkness accelerates it. More light means less sleep hormone, and therefore more active horses
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In addition, horses need visual contact. In dark stables, there are fewer opportunities for contact with other horses. This can lead to the emergence of abnormal behaviour, such as weaving, cribbing and sucking, which are often caused by boredom.

Stable lighting also plays an important role in horse breeding. Lighting has a major influence on horses’ hormonal balance and fertility. By implementing a lighting regime of 16 hours of light at a minimum intensity of 150 to 200 lux, you extend the days: this prevents the so-called ‘winter slump’. As a result, mares come into heat more frequently. In addition, horses grow a thinner winter coat, which significantly reduces labour and costs associated with, for example, thermal blankets and clipping.

In riding halls, it is important to have as even a light distribution as possible. Avoiding shadows, bright spots and circles in the riding halls are key considerations. An unsuitable light level or lighting regime can have consequences for the health, production or welfare of the horses.

Goats:

Stable lighting has a major influence on the milk production and fertility of goats, particularly the lighting regime, or day length. Darkness causes the brain to produce more melatonin, and this so-called ‘sleep hormone’ plays an important role in the production of growth hormones and in the inhibition of the hormone insulin.

On days with longer periods of light, such as in spring and summer – namely around 12–16 hours of light – growth hormone production increases and the goat produces more milk. As the days grow shorter, such as in autumn, with approximately 8–10 hours of light per day, milk yield decreases whilst fat deposition and readiness to mate increase.

A light regime of 16 hours of light at a minimum intensity of 200 lux, followed by an 8-hour period of darkness, can extend the lactation period of dairy goats. Simulating long days in the barn is a key factor in maintaining so-called continuous milking for several years without any intervening pregnancies.

For the dry period, you should reduce the light in the shed to 8 hours a day in good time. To stimulate a lactation peak, you should adjust the lighting from short to long days, in addition to the feed.

By nature, goats are fertile in autumn and are in a state of oestrus, known as ‘ritsig’. The cycle and oestrus are mainly influenced by variations in day length, but also by temperature, the presence of a billy goat and stress. A desired proportion of the goats can be induced into oestrus outside the normal season, or even earlier, by first maintaining 200 lux for 16 hours over a specific period and then artificially shortening the day length to 8 hours of light per day. This lighting programme, applied to both does and bucks, stimulates a simultaneous, more pronounced and longer oestrus period, whilst also improving the quality and quantity of the semen.

A carefully designed lighting programme also supports hormone treatments and artificial insemination, resulting in a higher percentage of successful pregnancies. Off-season lambing, for example, leads to the production of (fatty) winter milk and better labour planning throughout the year. With the correct light level in the barn, you can also identify any health problems in the animals at an earlier stage.

According to research, it must be dark in the barn for at least 4 hours a day (maximum 3 lux) in order to achieve the positive effects of the lighting regime on the goats. During night-time rounds, red lighting provides sufficient visibility whilst not disturbing the animals’ sleep. An unsuitable light level or lighting regime can have consequences for the health, production or welfare of your goats.


Pigs:

Light intensity, light distribution, day length and light colour influence animal welfare and, consequently, the behaviour of pigs. The right balance of these four factors has a positive effect. Appropriate and uniform housing lighting contributes, amongst other things, to better health and productivity.

For beef cattle, a minimum light level of 150 to 200 lux is not necessary. After all, there is no need to manage fertility or milk yield. It has been found that a light level of 80 to 100 lux is sufficient. However, a light regime of 16 hours of light followed by 8 hours of darkness is important for beef cattle. Just like dairy cattle, beef cattle also need sufficient sleep.

A good lighting system ensures, in addition to good working conditions, optimal colour recognition in the livestock. Furthermore, an adequate light level enables the farmer to detect any diseases at an earlier stage. Moreover, good lighting stimulates the growth of beef cattle. A well-designed lighting regime contributes to the welfare of your livestock.

Naturally, it is important that the lighting system is suitable for the barn climate. An unsuitable light level or lighting regime can have consequences for the health, production or welfare of pigs.

In sows, good barn lighting can stimulate oestrus. Sows breed seasonally and therefore not all year round. Naturally, sows come into oestrus in the spring. Dark and short days delay this process. The shorter days of the year can be extended by means of lighting. It is therefore common practice to maintain a minimum of 150 lux for 16–18 hours, followed by 8 hours of darkness. With this light level and lighting regime, you can best mimic the natural oestrus period (spring).

In a farrowing pen, 16 hours of light are required, followed by an 8-hour period of darkness. For farrowing sows, it is important to stimulate piglet growth. By using longer periods of light, the piglets are given the opportunity to feed more frequently, thereby increasing the amount of milk they consume. Good pen lighting often results in better piglet growth. It also increases the survival rate of weaker piglets.

In addition to the lighting regime mentioned, an average light level of 100 to 150 lux is recommended. The same applies to weaned piglets and fattening pigs. By extending the ‘day’, every animal – including those lower in the pecking order – is given the opportunity to reach the drinking or feeding trough.

Research shows that housing lighting is important for increasing feed intake in fattening pigs, enabling the animals to reach their target weight more quickly. A light level of at least 100 lux usually achieves this. Furthermore, a good light level ensures that the farmer can carry out their work effectively. With a good light level, work tasks and the detection of any diseases are made easier. Here too, a light regime of 16 hours of light followed by 8 hours of darkness applies.

Although the presence of the boar has a major influence on rearing sows, a good light level and light regime are also of great importance. A light level of 150 lux and a light regime of 8 hours of light followed by 16 hours of darkness are normally used here.

Various studies have shown that good lighting in the pen where mating is to take place stimulates oestrus and ensures successful ovulation. A light level of 200 to 300 lux is by no means a luxury in this pen. This is not only beneficial for the pigs but also for the farmer themselves.

Good pen lighting simplifies work tasks and makes it easier to spot any signs of disease. The light cycle used here, just as in the farrowing pens, is 16 hours of light followed by 8 hours of darkness.