Customer Story

 

Meeting the Challenges of Modern Egg Production

Located in Guadalajara, Spain, Avícola Barco is one of the country's most established and respected egg producers. Over the years, the company has continuously evolved its operations to meet changing consumer expectations and industry requirements.

What began as a conventional cage operation transitioned to enriched cages and has now been largely converted to alternative aviary systems. Today, Avícola Barco manages approximately 3 million laying hens in alternative production systems, reflecting its commitment to animal welfare and the future of egg production.

As consumer demand shifted toward cage-free and alternative eggs, the company recognized the need to adapt.

“If we want to remain at the forefront of the industry, we have to adapt to what society is asking for. Our customers and retailers increasingly demanded alternative eggs, so we began transforming our facilities to meet those expectations.”

— Eduardo Barco, Avícola Barco

New Housing Systems, New Challenges

While aviary systems provide hens with greater freedom of movement, they also introduce new management challenges.

One of the most significant concerns Avícola Barco encountered was bird piling and crowding behavior. In large open environments, hens can react collectively to stressors, causing groups of birds to rush toward the same area. These events can increase mortality, negatively affect welfare, and create operational challenges for farm staff.

The company also sought to reduce floor eggs and improve bird training during the critical adaptation period after placement.

Looking Beyond Traditional White Light

Historically, poultry facilities relied primarily on conventional white lighting. However, poultry perceive light differently than humans, responding to wavelengths and color spectrums that can directly influence behavior, stress levels, and biological functions.

To support bird welfare and improve management outcomes, Avícola Barco implemented Signify's intelligent dynamic multispectral lighting system throughout its aviary operations.

Unlike traditional lighting systems that primarily adjust brightness and photoperiod, Signify's solution enables producers to control:

• Light intensity

• Spectral composition

• Light distribution

• Photoperiod and daily lighting schedules

Together, these elements create a dynamic lighting environment tailored to the needs of the birds throughout the day and across different stages of production.

Creating a Calmer Environment

Following implementation, Avícola Barco observed noticeable improvements in flock behavior.

The dynamic combination of color spectrums and controlled light intensity helped create a calmer environment, reducing stress responses that can trigger crowding and piling incidents.

The lighting program also became an important management tool for teaching hens where to roost and lay eggs.

“These intelligent lights provide a range of colors that help create a calmer environment. We believe this has played a significant role in reducing crowding behavior compared to traditional white lighting.”

— Avícola Barco Management Team

Near-Zero Floor Eggs

One of the most impressive outcomes was the reduction in floor eggs.

By using customized lighting schedules to guide birds toward appropriate resting and laying areas, Avícola Barco successfully trained hens to return to the aviary system before lights-out and begin each day in the correct location.

In a house containing approximately 80,000 hens, the farm now records only around 50 floor eggs per day, effectively achieving near-zero out-of-place egg production.

This means virtually all eggs are collected from designated laying areas and are suitable for commercial sale.

Lighting as a Management Tool

For Avícola Barco, lighting has evolved from a basic utility to a critical management technology.

The farm now uses light not simply to illuminate buildings, but to actively influence behavior, support welfare, and improve production outcomes.

The intelligent lighting system enables smoother transitions during management activities, helps reduce stress during routine events, and creates a more stable environment for the birds throughout their production cycle.

Building for the Future

The success of the lighting system has influenced future facility decisions across the company.

Today, intelligent multispectral lighting is included in every new aviary house Avícola Barco builds.

The company views smart lighting as an essential component of modern egg production—alongside genetics, nutrition, ventilation, and housing design.

Results at a Glance

Challenges

• Transition to alternative aviary systems

• Bird piling and crowding behavior

• Elevated mortality risk

• Floor egg reduction

• Maintaining welfare while optimizing production

Solution

• Signify Intelligent Dynamic Multispectral Lighting

Results

• Calmer flock behavior

• Reduced stress-related crowding

• Improved bird training and navigation

• Approximately 50 floor eggs in an 80,000-hen house

• Near-zero misplaced egg production

• Enhanced welfare and operational efficiency

• Intelligent lighting adopted as standard for future facilities

Looking Ahead

As poultry production continues to evolve, Avícola Barco believes technology will play an increasingly important role in balancing animal welfare, sustainability, and profitability.

For the company, intelligent lighting is no longer simply illumination—it is a powerful management tool that helps create better outcomes for birds, producers, and consumers alike.

Watch the interview here.