The effects of incubation green lighting on hatchability, chick length, and chick weight in broiler chickens: a meta-analysis

Bulletin of the National Research Centre

卷:50

Review

Herbert Wasswa Ssempuma¹  Nasir Abdallah²  Brian Tainika¹ 

[1] Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Muni University, 725, Arua City, Uganda

[2] Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Cukurova University, Adana, Türkiye

关键词: Meta-analysis;    Green light;    Hatchability;    Broiler;    Embryogenesis;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s42269-026-01499-4

 received in 2026-05-18, accepted in 2026-09-17,  发布年份 2026

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Green light stimulation during incubation is a potential strategy for enhancing hatching traits. However, findings across studies remain inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis evaluated the impact of green light exposure during incubation on chick length, hatchability of fertile eggs, and chick weight in broiler chickens. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted up to 26 January 2026 in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Of 3,660 articles, 23 met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate pooled mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess variation among studies. Green light exposure significantly improved hatchability of fertile eggs (MD = 3.11, 95% CI: 0.68–5.55; p = 0.0121). However, no statistically significant effects were observed for chick length (MD = 1.09; p = 0.2395) or chick weight (MD = 1.53, 95% CI: -0.16-3.21; p = 0.0755). High heterogeneity was observed across studies, and sensitivity analysis indicated that the chick weight estimate was affected by one study, unlike the estimates for hatchability of fertile eggs and chick length. Also, funnel-plot asymmetry was significant for chick weight and insignificant for hatchability of fertile eggs. It was concluded that green light exposure during incubation may improve hatchability of fertile eggs in broiler chickens, but its effects on chick length and chick weight remain inconsistent. The high heterogeneity among studies highlights the need for standardized research investigating light intensity, photoperiod, wavelength, and timing of exposure.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2026

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