Poultry House LED Lighting

National Poultry Technology Center

Auburn University, AL USA
2018
 Important Points for LEDs
• LED’s are Light Sources – only!
• Intensity, Uniformity, Lumen Depreciation & Costs
• Hard to Find a “One-size-fits-all” Solution
• Old & New Dimmer Challenges
• This is Probably the Fastest Changing Tech to Date

Many, Many Field Trials & Observations By NPTC

We See Lots Of Biased Light Info From Salesmen

 Bulbs Every Bulb’s Worst Enemy Is Heat
Smooth Fins

10W
6W
Wider
Beam Dimples
A19 LEDs – Classic “Thomas Edison” Shaped H80

PAR(R) Hybrids CFL & CCFL HPS

 Light Distribution
• Omni-Directional (Incandescent, CFL, CCFL & Omni-LED):
Light Emitted 3600, Only ~ Half The Lumens To Floor
• Uni-Directional (Directed): A19 & H80 Shaped LEDs
All Lumens Directed To Floor – Beam Angle Very Important!
Some LEDs are Designed For Table Lamps & Can Fixtures
 Color (Kelvin)

5000K Cool Warm 2700-3000K

Blue-White Hue Yellowish Hue
Pullets & Hens = 2700-3000K
Broilers = 3000K Or 5000K

Ignore Wavelength

LEDs Can Trick Eyes;

Light Meter Is A Must!
 Uniformity
Goal: Wall To Wall, End To End, Uniform Intensity
• Achieve With Various Bulbs & Layouts (Very House Dependent)

• At Distances Over 10-12’, Intensity/Uniformity Both Fall Fast

• A19 Style LED Yield Affordable, Uniform Coverage

• Swap CFL Spiral Brood Bulbs with 10W or higher LEDs

• Y-Splitters Useful For Using 2 Bulbs In 1 Existing Socket

 Lumen Depreciation (Light Loss)
All Lights Depreciate (Lose Light), But At Very Different Rates!
Two Sources Of Lumen Depreciation:
1) Physical Deterioration Over Time – We Can Not Control
Observed Physical Loss In Poultry Houses Over 1 Year:
CC & CFL ~ 15-25+% LED ~ 3-20+%
2) Debris Accumulation – We Can Control
Light Loss From 1 Flock Of Debris Can Be >15+%!
Cleaning LEDs Not Hard – 10% NH3 Solution In LP Sprayer
 100’ Cord Sets
• UL Wet Location Rated, Sockets 10’OC
• Nickel Plated Screwshells
• Very Durable & Small LED Current Draw
• Inexpensive – $60/100’ (Daisy-Chain Up to 7 Sets)
• Very Flexible In Broiler, Hen & Pullet Houses
• Easy To Relocate – Simply Zip Tie To Ceiling Bands
• Withstands Full Washdowns With Wet LEDs
Center Line LED Brood Lights
55 Watt Spiral CFL vs. 20 Watt H80 LED

55 Watts 20 Watts
3,600 Lumens 2,700 Lumens
Omni-Directional (~50%) Directed (100% To Floor)
8,000 Hour Life 50,000 Hour Life
1-2 Year Warranty 5 Year Warranty
~25% Depreciation ~5% Depreciation
 LED Dimming
• Most Poultry LEDs Dim Smooth, Very Low & Rarely Flicker

• Never Mix Brands/Types/Wattages On Same Dimmer Circuit

• Fluctuating Voltage Issue On Many Farms @ End Of Grid

(Voltage Drops, Bulbs Turn Off, Will Not Re-Fire @ Low Dim)

• Older Type Dimmers Show Many Problems At Low Dim

• New Digital Dimmers With LED Curves Work Best: Precision

PLS2400-MR4 (IGBT) & Overdrive ODMR-0210 (MOSFET)
 Dim Target-Pullets
Triacs

Dim Target-Big Broilers

Use a dimmer designed for LEDs !

 Intensity – Solid Wall Houses
Intensity @ Floor Affected By Height, Spacing & Bulb Design

General Light Intensity Targets: 1 fc ~ 10 Lux

• Broilers: 3-5+ fc Brood; Then Progressively Dim To Catch.

• Pullets: Brood Phase @ 3+ fc ; Rearing Phase @ 0.50-0.90 fc.
Dial In Exact Light Level With Dimmer & Reduce Digging
• Hens: 4-6X Rearing fcs Min.; 5+ fc @ Slat Edge; 3+ fc @ Wall.
Light/Dark Hours
**Consult Primary Breeder Technical Reps For Specific Pgm
Consider Light Intrusion – curtains, fans
 Light Intrusion During Ventilation

• Solid walls - But No Light Control • Dimming Below .20 FC Impossible

• Higher Wind Speed = More Fans • Extreme Non-uniform Lighting
• Renders Light Programs Useless • Bird Uniformity Sacrificed
• Dimming Programs Only at Night • Run More Light
• Install Light Shades
 20.00

18.00
66X600, No Lights On, Shaded vs. Unshaded
16.00

14.00
Average Footcandles

12.00

10.00

8.00

6.00

4.00

Shaded Unshaded
2.00

Distance Down House From Tunnel Fans

0.00
 Fan & Vent Door Shades
• Costs ~$175/Fan And ~$50/Vent Door Installed.
• Slight Increase In Static Pressure (~ 0.01”) (0.18 To 0.19)
• Slight Windspeed Reduction (19 fpm) (703 To 684)
• Eliminates 90+% Of Unwanted Outside Light Intrusion
• Simple, Quick Install, But Costly! ($7,500-$8,000 = 66X600)

Fan Shades Vent Door Shades

 “Sweet Spot” Solutions - Broilers
• 6W (~550 Lumen) Or 10W (~1,000 Lumen) LED Grow Lights
Over Feed Lines, 16-20’ OC, Nickel Plated Sockets

• Non-Dim Low Wattage (10W Or 20W) LED Brood Lights

• **Or 10W Dim LEDs, 10-12’ OC, With No Brood Lights Needed

• Brood At 3-5 fc. Progressively Dim Until Catch

Watch Bird Behavior & Water Consumption - Adjust

Most Common Broiler/Pullet/Hen Lighting Layouts - Handout

 ~Annual Power Cost & Savings Estimates
For Broiler Lights – 40’ X 500’
*Cost/Year = #Bulbs*Watts/1000*Hours/Yr*Per kWH Rate
50 Bulbs @ 4,500 Hours Per Year
Bulb Watts Power Annual Annual Repl. Years Pay-
Type /Hr Rate Cost* Savings Cost Life back
100W Inc 5,000 .12 $2,700 ----- $25 0.5
10W LED 500 .12 $270 $2,430 $400 5+ 2 -3 Flocks
6W LED 300 .12 $162 $2,538 $350 5+ 2 -3 Flocks

Pullet numbers are very similar*

 40’ Pullet House LEDs

6W 20’OC + 10W LED Broods 6W LED 20’OC, Broods Off

• 6W, 3000K, Dim

• 10W, 3000K, Dim
• Dim To Exact fcs For Rearing
• Reduces Digging
• 10W N-D LED Broods
6W LED 10’OC, No Broods
60’ Pullet House LEDs – 3 Dim Rows, 10’ OC

Chain Pan

• 3 Runs – 6/10W, 3000K, Dim, 10’OC, No Broods

• LED Dimmer - Dial In Exact Dim fcs For Rearing Phase
• Very Minimal Digging & Very Uniform Coverage
• Pan Or Chain Feeder – Same Lights
Hen House LEDs – 2 Rows, 10’ OC + Supplements

40X400 40X500
~100 Bulbs ~120 Bulbs

• 10W, 27000K, Non-Dim, Wide Beam (<$7)

• Very Good Intensity & Uniformity
• Performance Equal Or Better To CFL & HPS
• Power Bill Saving $9-10/Day Over HPS
 Hen House LEDs – 3 Rows, 10’ OC
Best For
Open Truss

40X400 40X500
~120 Bulbs ~150 Bulbs

• 10W, 27000K, Non-Dim, Wide Beam

• Very Good Intensity & Uniformity
• Performance Equal Or Better Than CFL & HPS
• Power Bill Saving ~$7/Day Over HPS
Solid Wall Hen House LEDs – 4 Rows, 10’ OC
• 10W, 27000K, Non-
Dim, Wide Beam

• Best Intensity &

Uniformity (Note
White Walls)

• Performance Better
Than CFL & HPS

• Power Bill Saving

~$6/Day Over HPS
 ~Annual Power Cost & Savings Estimates
For 40’ X 400’ Hen House Lights
*Cost/Year = #Bulbs*Watts/1000*Hours/Yr*Per kWH Rate
Assuming 5,000 Hours Per Hen Flock
Light Approx kWH Power Annual Annual Repl. Life
Type Number Used Rate Cost* Savings Cost Flocks
150W HPS 32 .1875 .12 $3,600 ----- ----- ---
23W CFL 100 .0230 .12 $1,380 $2,220 $300 2
10.5W LED 100 .0105 .12 $630 $2,970 $1,000 4-5

** Excludes Any Demand Metering Charges **

Questions?
Demo =>