Effect of Light Regime Upon Time of Oviposition in Turkey Hens

INTRODUCTION An early report by Albright and Thom-son (1933) indicated that there was an effect of light on seasonal egg production in turkeys. Other authors have shown a definite effect of light restriction in the pre-laying period upon subsequent egg production (Marr et al., 1956; Harper and Parker, 1957; Wilson et al., 1962; Wolford et al., 1964a). Although the pattern of oviposition in turkey hens has been studied by several investigators (Woodard et al., 1963; Stockton and Asmundson, 1950; Kosin and Abplanalp, 1951; Wolford et al., 1964b), little information exists on the regulation of oviposition time by means of artificial light. Controlled oviposition time has been demonstrated in other avian species (Warren and Scott, 1936; Arrington et al., 1962). The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether oviposition time could be controlled in turkeys so as to artificially inseminate hens early in the morning with the absence of a . . .