Windows are being put into broiler houses supplying the
Moy Park group as
part of its bird welfare programme.
Speaking at a recent East Midlands poultry discussion group
meeting, Moy Park general manager of agriculture, Andrew
Ballantyne, told members that research and practical experience
indicated that birds respond well to daylight.
They were more active, moved around the house more and made more
use of their legs, with obvious benefits to leg health.
“It gives them something positive to do and they are better for
it,” he said.
But soon after the houses were first commissioned, farm managers
discovered that flocks in windowed houses within range of vehicle
headlights ran the risk of the occasional disturbed night.
Moonlight, starlight and security lights were not a problem, but
the beam from a passing vehicle could give rise to a mass migration
from one end of the house to the other as the headlights lit up the
roof of the building.
“Once we discovered the cause, it was just a matter of fitting
shutters to keep out the unwanted light,” Mr Ballantyne
explained.
