Effect of pre-hatch incubator lights on the ontogeny of CNS opsins and photoreceptors in the Pekin duck

The Pekin duck is a valuable agricultural commodity globally and in the United States. Pekin ducks are seasonal breeders; they are sensitive to light and thus, research on the neuroendocrine and behavioral responses are needed to maximize production and to improve their welfare. There is compelling evidence that specific wavelengths of light may adversely alter the growth and welfare of meat (grow out) ducks. However, despite a birds’ dependence upon light, in commercial poultry hatcheries, incubators almost exclusively hold eggs in the dark. Therefore, our objective was to determine the effects of lighting on the expression of retina photoreceptors (RPs) and deep brain photoreceptors (DBPs) during duck embryological development. Two groups of ducks were raised with and without light over 21 d from egg laying, embryonic day 0. Brain and retinal tissues were collected at embryonic days 3, 7, 11, 16, and 21 of a 24 d incubation period. qRT-PCR was performed on RPs (OPN1LW, OPN2SW, OPN1SW, MAFA, RHO, and RBP3) and the DBP OPN4M from retinal and brain samples, respectively. We find that the presence and absence of light during pre-hatch incubation, had no influence on the expression of any retinal photoreceptor. However, a late embryological increase in DBP OPN4M expression was observed. Taken together, the impact of light during pre-hatch incubation does not impact the overall post-hatch production. However, future directions should explore how OPN4M pre-hatch activation impacts Pekin duck post-hatch development and growth.