Egg Production of Chickens Raised and Kept in Darkness

REARING pullets in darkness does not prevent them from coming into production according to Rider (1938) and King (1961). Hens continued to lay some eggs when changed from light to continuous darkness as was shown by Wilson and Woodard (1958). Recent investigations of photo-stimulation of gonadal activity in birds have stressed the importance of the prior as well as the immediate light pattern on the nature of the response (Hutchinson and Taylor, 1957; Wolfson, 1958; and Abplanalp and Wilson, 1960). The purpose of the present tests was to determine the egg production of pullets raised in darkness and continued in darkness during the laying period. Single Comb White Leghorn chicks obtained from a commercial hatchery December 4, 1958, and December 10, 1959, were brooded and raised to 22 and 25 weeks of age, respectively, in a windowless, fan-ventilated concrete block house. The house contained rooms 6 feet by 8 …