| Show poultry house lighting will maintain production of eggs 1 e 0 ilk nr ordinary and ultraviolet ultra violet lights maintain health as well as p ro by IRA MILLER rural electrification bureau WITH ITH the coming of the shorter days of fall and winter many farmers experience a sharp decline in the egg production of their flocks for many others however there is little if any decrease in the number of eggs they obtain why barring disease the difference is solely due to the fact that the latter group has wired its poultry houses for electric lights it long has been known that hens require thirteen to fifteen hours of light per day to consume sufficient food to lay regularly however when days are short there is only enough natural light to permit them to eat cat but little more than is necessary to maintain body weight in consequence egg production drops precipitately just when prices are highest and the not only urgently needs a quick cash crop but also usually has a chance to make a real profit on oil his poultry operations for the year by installing electric lights in the poultry house to artificially increase the working day and thereby give the hens a normal amount of time to eat and exercise the flock can be kept at al approximately uniform laying efficiency throughout the normally slack slach season eason regular light bulbs most frequently are used tor for this purpose although within the past lew few years the use of ultraviolet ultra violet lamps has come into increasing favor the latter also alse furnish invisible radiations which supply the necessary amount of vila min D thus making for stronger healthier and more rapid growing birds as well as for more eggs with a higher percentage of fertility and greater hatchability if you now have electric service or at expect to obtain it by all means wire your poultry house not only for lights but also for water warmers the cost tor for extra wiring equipment and power will be relatively small when compared with the added profits that result for when lights and warmers are used fr from 0 m about september 1 to april 1 a net gain in income of from 25 to 50 cents per hen per year frequently more is easily realized full information concerning the wiring and aig lighting of your poultry house can be obtained by writing to the extension division of your state college or university or directly to the equipment manufacturers |
