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.
Page 16 of 163