Broiler breeder managment Flashcards

1
Q

what is egg production like

A
  • lighting preferably 21 weeks (23 max)
  • age at 5% production - 25 weeks
  • peak - 85.7% hen day production
  • 64 weeks of age- 50% hen day production
  • 182 total eggs per hen housed
  • 175 hatching eggs - not really selected for reproduction( but lighting program should be for reproduction)
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2
Q

what are advantaged of 2/3 slat 1/3 litter

A
  • increased housing density - more birds, because females can get away from the males
  • less disturbance of birds - get space from the males
  • fewer floor eggs of slats
  • improved ventilation of slats
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3
Q

what are disadvantages to 2/3 slat, 1/3 litter housing systems

A
  • difficult to adjust equipment
  • difficult to control rodents or flies (manure scrappers)
  • long time clean up
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4
Q

what equipment is used generally

A
  • nests = automatic collection 1 nest per 4 to 5 hens or community nests (prevent floor eggs bacteria and dirt and prevent explosion in incubator)
  • feed scales - needs to be weighed every singler day
  • bird scales
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5
Q

why do we control feeding during the brooding and rearing period

A
  • to prevent obesity (prolapse and get culled) and improve reproduction performance
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6
Q

what happens during a double yolk hierarchies from over weight

A
  • number of eggs - number of settable eggs - can lead to double yolked eggs or abnormal shapes
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7
Q

how can obesity effect fertility

A
  • males - low sperm count
  • poor egg laying - late/dead embryos
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8
Q

why do we want to have weight control during brooding and rearing period

A
  • improves feed efficiency
  • reduce mortality - heart and skeletal problems reduced (growing and allows for proper development, prolapes and fatty liver syndrome
  • delayed sexual maturity - larger initial egg size
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9
Q

what are disadvantages

A
  • birds are hungry particular during brooding and rearing
  • steriotipies are more prominant due to hunger = feeder pecking
  • animal rights groups are unhappy with the need for food
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10
Q

what are some other feeding options

A
  • spin feeders = spreads litter around over a large area
  • they forage, take longer and they have somethign to do
  • they eat slow
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11
Q

why is it important to fufill nutrient requirements

A
  • moderate energy and protein levels temper growth
  • poor uniformity and lack of success when attempting to use as sole growth regulator (birds wont get what they need)
  • useful when in addition to quantataive restriction
  • improving animal welfare (less stress) and extend feeding time
  • rule of thumb - each 10% DILUTION of the diet results in about 30fi longer feed clean up
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12
Q

how do you know what to feed the birds and when

A
  • ad libitum feeding until 2-3 weeks of age
  • initiate weekly individual sample weighing by at least 2 weeks of age but perferably at hatch
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13
Q

what are the 2 calculations

A
  • weigh birds at the same time each week - they eat more in the morning
  • calculate average weight and uniformity (competition)
  • record and plot using a bodyweight for age gap
  • coefficient of variation or proportion of birds within a specific range of the mean
  • feed allocation based on sample weight
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14
Q

when do you start to restrict feed

A

usually start restricting on a daily basis and then switch to feeding twice the restricted amount every other day basis= for improved flock uniformity
- every day ve everyother day feed = spin feeders and diet dilution
- return birds to everyday feeding at 18 weeks of age ( to get ready for egg laying )

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15
Q

what are requirements for feed restrictions

A
  • use the primary breeder feeding programe as a guild
  • adequate feeder space
  • high speed feeders = move fast so big birds cant eat everything
  • water intake control = too much water - larger amounts of fecal excretion - wet litter and ammonia and foot pad lesions
  • accurate scales
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16
Q

when does feed levels increase again

A
  • feed increasing levels of feed prior to sexual maturity
  • coordinated with photo stimulation - light them
  • start breeder ration by at least 22 weeks of age - higher in calcium for egg shells
  • reduced feed intake when egg production starts to decline
17
Q

what type of scratch feed should you use

A
  • oats or other low energy grain
  • large particle calcium source may benefit shell quality - sits in gut longer
18
Q

what feed form should you feed them

A
  • mash - keeps the weight down
19
Q

how can you control coccidiosis (intestinal disease)

A
  • chickens are susceptible to at least 11 specicies of coccidia
  • ubiquitous to the poultry industry
  • vaccination
  • anti-coccidial medication
20
Q

what happens to fertility as a bird ages

A
  • fertiltiy declines with age
  • decreased egg shell quality with flock age ( cracks and contamination - increased omphalitis
  • more late embryonic mortality late in breeding cycle
21
Q

what is dubbing

A
  • at the hatchery cut the top og comb off AB males to identify them
  • only on day of hatch chicks
  • only on tip of the comb
22
Q

what is vent sexing

A
  • squeeze penis out
  • only want AB males
23
Q

why removal of the dew clae and inner toe nails

A
  • infered removal
  • prevents female injury during mating
24
Q

what is beak tratment

A
  • infered light
  • male beak is left larger for mating process, he will not grab flap of skin = no mating
25
Q

why would you separate males and females

A
  • to keep uniformity, to avoid the males eating all the females food
26
Q

what are the males to females rations in hatcher

A

13-15 males to 100 females

27
Q

what are the males to females ratios in breeding

A

8-10 males per 100 females

28
Q

what happens if there is to many males

A

they fight

29
Q

not enough males

A
  • they dont breed as much
30
Q

why should you separate males

A
  • controlling male weight
  • male nutrition requirements (taller male feeders)
  • results in better fertility late in breeding cycle
  • methods of feeding males and females separately
  • physical differences between males and females - males have fatter heads and cant access female feeders
31
Q

what are nose bones

A
  • keep males from eating female food - no longer used / allowed
32
Q

what happens if a male is underweight

A
  • reduced semen output and fertility
33
Q

what are nutritional effects on reproduction

A
  • fertility
  • hatchability and chick quality (egg composition)
  • size of eggs
  • egg shell quality
  • timing of feeding - turn lights on to have them feed - increase calcium during initial egg development
  • energy and protein
34
Q

what happens if there is to much protein

A
  • affects metabolism
  • increases requirements for B vitmains ( vitamins b12 and biotin
  • reduced hatchability
35
Q

what happens if there is too little protein

A
  • focused on growing and not hatching