PRODUCTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF BROILER CHICKENS EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT COLORED LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE AND REARED UNDER DIFFERENT STOCKING DENSITIES

This study intended to evaluate the effects of different light colors and stocking densities on productive and physiological performance of broiler chickens. A total number of 648 seven-day-old mixed sex broiler chicks (Ross- 308), were randomly distributed and housed into 6 treatments in three replicates for each density 10, 12 and 14 birds/m². Treatments were exposed to incandescent light (ICL, 60 Watt) as a control, while the others were distributed according to LED colors into Red light (RL), Blue light (BL), Green light (GL), White light (WL), and Mixed light (ML) produced by a light-emitting diode (LED) with light intensity 5 watt /m² at 37.5 lux. Interestingly, results indicate that birds reared under LED-BL and stocked at 10 bird /m² exhibited significantly (p ≤0.05) higher productive performance than groups exposed to other light colors and densities. However, the highest livability and European production efficiency factor (EPEF) observed for birds exposed to LED-BL and reared under 10 birds / m² compared with other groups. Also, birds exposed to LED-BL and kept under 10 birds / m² exhibited less fear and stress response as judged by low corticosterone hormone level and increases of melatonin concentration. In addition, lymphoid organ weights and immunity titer response significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved, when bird’s exposed to LED-BL and kept under 10 birds/ m² compared with other experimental groups. In conclusion, this study revealed that applying LED-BL with 10 birds /m² in broiler house is preferable to other colors and densities because it keeps the birds calmer and showed a significant positive effects on productive and physiological performance compared with other light colors and densities.