LET THERE BE LIGHT ...AND MORE EGGS

LED lighting contributes to 6.1% production uplift at Powys farm

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LED lighting has been linked to an increase of 6.1% in layer production at a Powys free-range egg farm, an uplift worth £27,192 a year in the 16,000-bird business.

Third generation farmer George Wozencraft produces eggs from a flock of Burford Brown hens at Glanalders, Nantmel, to supply Stonegate under its Clarence Court brand.

As part of his project work as a Farming Connect Our Farms programme, the influence of lighting on flock performance has been investigated.

George replaced 54 x 2ft strip lights with three lines of 48V/9.6W warm white LED lights, 105 lights in total, when he depopulated a flock from the shed in March 2024.

A new flock of 16-week-old hens was introduced to the shed the following month.

During the first eight weeks of their laying cycle, the lighting was on for 10 hours in every 24, increasing to 14.5 for the remainer of the 78-week cycle.

Software analysis of the performance data of that flock and the preceding cycle showed significant gains from the modern lighting.

Birds came into lay sooner and egg production increased by 6.1%, worth £27,192 in that cycle

Energy costs over 78 weeks reduced by £2,724.08