Barn lighting

Daylength is one of the key factors influencing the life cycle of cows. Therefore, the lighting of the barn is given increased attention even at the design stage of the farm complex. An insufficient amount of light in the premises leads to a low weight gain in meat breeds and a decrease in milk yield in dairy breeds. It has been practically proven that the competent organization of lighting helps to increase the productivity of the barn by almost 10%, all other things being equal.

Lighting requirements in a barn

• A high level of illumination in the premises should be for 16 hours during the day, regardless of the time of year. Night mode - 8 hours. Such a schedule maximizes the efficiency of meat and dairy production.
• The beginning of daylight hours should be approximately 4 hours, the end - at 20:00. Such a cycle is optimal for cows, and this is important to consider when setting up automation. Light levels should decrease gradually throughout the day.

Principles of creating a system

Lighting in barns requires an analysis of the following factors.

• Specifics of the room. Depending on the purpose, the atmosphere in different parts of the barn can be humid, dry, with the presence of chemically active and especially aggressive vapors. The degree of protection of the lamp depends on the air indicators. For example, cow stalls have the most humid environments with high ammonia levels. The rest of the areas, such as utility blocks, electrical panels, inventory, etc., are dry.
• Zoning the premises. It is important that the required level of illumination is not only near the feeder, but also in the lying box. The cow spends no more than 4 hours a day near the feeder, and most of the time is in the stall.
• Lamp locations. You can place devices locally, to illuminate certain areas, or you can create a general uniform lighting. With an individual arrangement, the characteristics of each device are calculated separately depending on the position of the cow and the characteristics of technological processes. To create general lighting, a linear scheme is most often used, when the lamps are placed in the direction of view along the entire barn.
• Emergency lighting arrangements. It is necessary to install a separate panel to power the lamps in the evacuation passages.

The level of general illumination in the premises should be at least 160 lux, in stalls for dairy cattle - 200 lux. When choosing fixtures, it is necessary to take into account the large amount of dust. Over time, it will settle on the ceiling and reduce the flow rate. Lamps are located at a low height for ease of maintenance. Lighting at night is realized with the help of colored lamps. The cows do not see the red light, so they sleep peacefully, and the barn staff continues to work.

Hardware selection

In barn projects, lighting is most often calculated using LED devices. The devices are characterized by high luminous efficiency per unit of power, stability of the luminous flux throughout the entire service life, long operating time, and low ripple. Such lamps are resistant to voltage fluctuations, have a high color rendering index and do not require special disposal measures.
For lighting livestock complexes, it is recommended to use devices in a housing made of PMMA or lighting polycarbonate. Degree of protection of devices IP66 for premises containing livestock. For staff rooms, utility blocks, you can choose lamps with IP20 and above. The power of devices is not less than 5 W/m2.

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