Maintain the lighting period for layer poultry farming very carefully , otherwise they will lay eggs very soon or stop laying eggs . Use incandescent or fluorescent bulb for the purpose of artificial lighting . Fluorescent bulbs are very expensive than incandescent bulbs . But fluorescent bulbs are very energy efficient and long lasting . However , a farmer should use bulbs according to his or her choice and demand . In the case of incandescent bulbs , use a 60 watt bulb for each 200 square feet area , and use a wide reflector always to maximize the light . Clean the bulbs regularly . The farmer can use an automatic controller for maintaining a regular lighting period . Because if he or she forgets to switch on the light manually , then it can hamper the egg and meat production of his or her poultry birds .
Always use waterproof sockets inside the poultry housing system . Maintaining a lighting period inside the poultry house in the morning is very effective than lighting in the evening . Adjust the lighting period according to the weather conditions and season . Where there is no electricity or load shedding is very high , use batteries , lanterns or solar panels for lighting the poultry house .
8 . Litter : For successful poultry farming and getting desired production , litter management is very important . Usually the litter is used for covering the floor of the poultry housing system which may be made of concrete , wooden or earthen . Litter absorbs the moisture and dilutes the manure . It also works as the bed for the poultry birds . Rice hulls and soft wood shavings are the common materials used by the farmers around the world . Besides this , they can use some other materials for litter making purpose such as recycled newspaper , sand , dried wood fiber , chopped pine straw , peanut hulls etc . Small-scale poultry farmer also use some other materials such as hay and straw as poultry litter .
Whatever the farmer uses , he or she should always try to use those materials which are healthy for poultry and compost well . A good litter contains about 20 % to 30 % moisture and a depth of about 2 to 4 inches . Ventilate the house very well , and it will help to remove moisture from the litter . High moisture in litter is very harmful for poultry health . Wet litter causes some problems like sores , and blisters on poultry birds and produce ammonia gas which hampers the respiratory system of poultry . Use aluminum sulfate or hydrated lime to reduce ammonia gas from the litter . A farmer can use the litter again and again after drying the materials properly . But he or she should not use the used litter if any disease has been detected in the poultry farm .
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