Effect of fluorescent light on hatchability of commercial broiler parent stock eggs and on body weight of chickens hatched under large-scale commercial conditions.

Two experiments involving 11,400 commercial broiler parent stock hatching eggs of varying sizes, ages, and arrangements during incubation were conducted to investigate the effect of fluorescent light (FL) on hatchability and on body weight at hatch. In Experiment 1, there were two trials for a total of 10 incubation trays (units) for lighted treatment as well as the control (nonlighted). All eggs within a trial were laid the same day and were of the same size. Incubation units (150 eggs/unit) of each trial were distributed randomly in the lighted or nonlighted incubators. Experiment 2 used larger sized eggs that were collected for 4 consecutive days to make four independent age groups. Treatment units were positioned on the same level of incubators for lighted and nonlighted groups. In both experiments the only difference between lighted, which extended for 18 days, and nonlighted treatments was the installation of two cool white 40 W fluorescent tubes positioned at the ceiling of the illuminated incubators. After 18 days of incubation, incubated trays were transferred to hatching compartments either distributed randomly in the same hatcher (Experiment 1) or positioned as they were in the incubator (Experiment 2). No significant differences (P greater than .05) in hatchability or body weight at hatch were found between the light treatment and the control.