The appropriate lighting plays an extremely important role in the growth of the laying hens and broiler chickens.For instance, the healthy poultry will become weak or dying if they stay in darkness for a long time.
Generally speaking, visible light is made of seven colors as the rainbow illustrates to us. It also can be distinguished by human eyes when the light is decomposed by a prism. For years of research, it was begin to realized that the color of light could affect the people's mood and healthy. The effect on poultries is similar, the habit nature of poultry could be controlled by using different colors of light(especially long wavelength light, red, orange, yellow, green and blue, e.g.). Year 1986, an America academic, MarcO．North, worked out a chart which demonstrate the poultry's characteristics and habits interfered by those colors of light.

Marc O.Nort,1986

Light intensity
Measures of light are commonly known as intensity. The unit of the light intensity is lx. Generally, 30lx is the standard luminance for young poultry in search of food and water. When the poultry is skilled in feeding, the light intensity could be decreased. Besides, the mature poultry only need 20lx to reduce the consuming of its activity. Because of the different amounts , types and assembling positions of light sources, the light intensity in the poultry house is usually uneven. The light meter could be used to measure the light intensity for ensure the demand of 30lx.
The influence of light on poultry
The wild poultry has adapted to the meteorological conditions in nature, they won't lay or grow in winter until later spring. One of the most significant reasons of it is the lack of daytime in winter. The laying hen which is less than one year old doesn't sensitive enough to be reacted with the changes of daytime and lamination, the sexual maturity of them will be slow down as long as the daytime is less than 11-12hours, as a result, they won't laying. The phenomenon of it is caused by the unsound of pituitary gland in poultry brain——which will produce hormones that regulate sexual maturity and laying only in the conditions of being under the sunshine. Therefore, the sunshine amount is extremely important to young poultry.
 In order to keep the poultry from trampling and shocking when the light switch turned on or off in the poultry house, the procedures of adjusting the light intensity should be slowly and smooth.
Stroboflash
Stroboflash is a common phenomenon in fluorescent lamps, which is cause by the movement of electrons.
Generally, the human eyes are too slow to respond the stroboflash, but the poultry could catch it. Scientific data indicates that the flare phenomenon does effect on poultries. The frequency of Common hot-cathode-energy-saving-lamp is 50Hz, which is unable to be caught by human eyes. However, the poultry will feel uncomfortable and tired when they under the glare of the lamps all the time, thus it will produce an negative effect on poultry-growth. The lamp from Samisen Manufacture Co.,Ltd. has a frequency of 3000Hz, which even poultry couldn't feel the stroboflash at all.
The functions of color lamp
The cold light source(color temperature 6500K,white) is widely used in broiler chickens farming, while the laying hens farming commonly make use of the warm light source(color temperature 2700K,yellow).
The red light could excites the poultry, both stimulate the appetite and increase the food-intake of the poultry, thus contributes to the poultry's growth and egg-production. Therefore, red light to main light source by 1 to 10 is a property ratio to be used, which could be switched on when feeding until finished.
The green light could enhance the hens' absorption capacity to the calcium which is a necessary nutrient in their bodies, especially after continuous production of eggs. Though calcium is mixed into hens' feed as a rule, most of it will be simply discharged with the faeces because of the hens' absorptive capacity are not strong enough to transform it into Organic calcium without green light in sunshine. Therefore, take use of the green light lamp as a ratio of 1 to 10 with the main light resources is a practicable way to solve the issues.
The blue light has a function of keep the poultry stay in calm as a result of its blue blind. Some dates indicate that animal poison will be produced while the poultry is in shocking, which will affect the quality of the poultry meat. It will be much easier to catch the poultry without frighten under the light of blue with other light switch off. The quality of the poultry meat thus could be improved.