Supplementary artificial light to increase egg production of geese under natural lighting conditions

• Published in: Animal reproduction science Vol. 113; no. 1; pp. 317 - 321
• Main Authors: Wang, Chin-Meng, Chen, Lih-Ren, Lee, Shuen-Rong, Jea, Yu-Shine, Kao, Jung-Yie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.07.2009; [Amsterdam]: Elsevier Science
• Subjects: animal housing; Animals; breeding season; Efficiency - physiology; Efficiency - radiation effects; Egg production; Eggs - statistics & numerical data; Female; female fertility; female reproductive system; Geese; Geese - metabolism; Geese - physiology; Housing, Animal; laying performance; Light; Lighting - methods; Lighting program; Male; optimization; ovulation; Photoperiod; photoperiodism; physiological response; poultry production; Random Allocation; Seasons; supplementary lighting; tropics; Taiwan; Geese; Lighting program; Egg production
• ISSN: 0378-4320; 1873-2232
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2008.05.073

A new supplementary lighting program was designed to increase the egg production of geese under natural light conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the supplementary lighting program on egg production of White Roman geese in an open housing system at the Tropic of Cancer. Forty mature White Roman geese were randomly allocated into two groups (male:female = 1:4). The supplementary lighting program with a total daily photoperiod of between 12.0 h and 13.5 h was initiated on 1 November and withdrawn from the experimental group on 30 January. In contrast, the geese in the control group were kept under natural lighting conditions throughout this study. The results showed that the laying peak of the experimental group occurred earlier than normal in the reproductive season and the geese continued laying throughout the breeding season. The geese in the experimental group had 47.6 eggs/goose which was significantly ( P < 0.05) more than that of the control group having 26.4 eggs/goose. We can conclude that the supplemental lighting method will result in an earlier laying peak of the geese in the breeding season and higher egg production. The supplementary lighting program was able to maximize egg production in geese at the Tropic of Cancer.