Abstract
HighlightsQuantifying illuminance with ceiling-facing sensors underestimates the light intensities birds experience.Light ingress from operating tunnel fans increased light intensities above target across 54% of the house length.Important sensor orientations to capture maximum light intensities may vary depending on a number of parameters.Abstract. The measurement of illuminance (light intensity) in commercial broiler houses has typically been performed with photometric meters placed on the floor with the sensor facing the ceiling. This orientation is useful in adjusting light intensity from bulbs but does not have the field of view to account for light intrusion through the tunnel fans that may affect bird activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sensor orientation on the measurement of light intensities in commercial broiler houses during tunnel ventilation. Light intensity was measured on a commercial broiler farm with three 18.3 x 182.9 m modern broiler houses in southeast Alabama. Stands were constructed to measure light intensity at bird height in five directions [ceiling, evaporative pad end wall, north side wall, south side wall, fan end wall] at each of 76 measurement locations. Target light intensity was set at 0.2 lx. Directional light intensity measurements were simultaneously taken down the length of each house near solar noon (±1.75 h) with all tunnel fans operating. Descriptive statistics were calculated using PROC FREQ, and graphs were generated with SGPLOT in SAS. The current method of using ceiling-facing photometric sensors to quantify light illuminance trends in broiler houses underestimates the light intensities that birds experience. At the center of the house width near the fans, ceiling-facing sensors captured approximately 15.7% of the maximum light ingress (measured by north-side wall sensors facing the tunnel fans). This study has shown that mapping light intensity in five directions for each location provides an improved understanding of the maximum light intensity the birds may be experiencing compared to the current ceiling-facing sensor or other single orientation method. For the described solid-sidewall broiler houses tested during tunnel ventilation, only 46% of the house length was controlled by the lighting system near company-specified target intensities. Light ingress from operating tunnel fans and the evaporative cooling system increased light intensities above target across 54% of the house length. Important photometric sensor orientations to capture maximum light intensities may vary depending on the measurement location, house design and orientation, tunnel fan size and location, number of fans operating, time of day and season, and specified company target intensities. Keywords: Broilers, Illuminance, Light intensity, Light meters, Light uniformity.
Published Version
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