LAYER FLOCKED MANAGEMENT Flashcards
The designed and construction of house for layers
should be such as to provide for:
❑ Top performance of the layers
❑ Optimum environment control
❑ Maximum labor efficiency
❑ Satisfactory waste disposal
❑ Maximum housing and care costs per dozen eggs produced
housing
Before the pullets actually start laying eggs they must be transferred to the laying house.
They should not be allowed to lay eggs on rearing floor to avoid the development of eating habit.
Also if they have started laying, transferring birds from the rearing pen to laying houses may affect the laying performance.
If everything is so programmed so that the layer
houses are prepared at the proper time, whether it is a first batch of pullets or a replacement stock, pullets are best transferred before they commence laying.
This should be done at approximately 16-18 weeks or a month before laying.
Handling pullets when they started laying is very
dangerous. Handling itself can cause stress that can depress the production.
- TRANSFERRING THE PULLETS TO THE LAYER HOUSE
- age, size and egg production rate of the particular layer
- Energy content of the diet
- Climatic condition
- Health status of the hen
The amount of feed consumed by layers is influenced by
variety of factors
– Layers must be fed a dietary composition referred to as
layer ration or breeder ration. Layer ration will generally contain a
protein level ranging from 15% to as high as 18%.
feeding of layers
❑Drinking water must be available to the layers all time.
The eggs is about 65 to 70% of water.
❑100 layers can consumed about 7 gallons of water during a normal day and will drink more when the temperature of the environment becomes higher
❑Layers can take certain point of starvation (without feed) when water is available and keep a normal egg production rate.
❑When they are deprived of drinking waters for couple of hours, even when there is feed all the time, this will certainly be reflected in a declined egg production rate
watering of layers
❑Laying hens sure expected to produce one egg everyday.
❑They are capable of doing it but it is next to impossible
to realize one-egg-one-day for long period of time.
Therefore, they are expected to skip some days in egg
production.
❑OVIPOSITOR- (act of egg laying) takes place normally as
early as 7:00 am to as late as 4:00 pm.
❑Majority of hens lay their eggs between 10:00 am to
2:00 pm.
egg collection
❑The eggs can be kept in the egg storage room where
favorable environmental conditions can be provided.
❑Eggs kept long in the nests or pens or cages are liable to
be exposed to high temperature, more dust dirt, bird’s
dung trampled by hens, intentionally picked, or broken by
some layers and other possible agencies that can injure
them.
❑Eggs must be collected in wire basket to provide good air
circulation.
advantages of collecting egg more often
❑One of the factors that can influence the profitability
of layer flock operation is the rate of egg production.
❑The number of eggs on the other hand, depends on
the presence or absence of poor and non productive
layers.
❑As a general practice, culling can be executed at any
time if it is necessary that some of the birds must be
removed due to whatever characteristic condition
existing at a particular time
culling
❑A replacement can be planned as what to follow.
However, it can be subjected to any modification or
adjustment to suit existing conditions. It must be
understood that in commercial egg production farms, a constant egg supply throughout the year is desirable.
❑In a set up of one year laying program and a total
replacement of all old hens, the number of chicks to be raised can be determined.
❑Raising of replacement pullets must be started so as to coordinate or synchronize the time of maturity
together with time of disposal of the old birds to be replaced.
❑Program of replacement can vary from a set of one
flock every 3 months but it can also be done monthly
depending on the program availability of facilities
flock replacement program
❑Feed is the biggest item in operational cost
❑The quality of feeds is always reflected in the growth of broilers.
❑Chicks can’t wait the availability of feeds so feeds must be
available all the time.
❑Modern stock of broilers respond very well to feed supplements
and additive that influence fast growth.
❑Birds also benefit much from medical treatment in cases of
stress conditions that may be unexpectedly encountered.
❑Vaccines must always be available to be able to follow cardinal
rules of disease prevention
CONSTANT SUPPLY OF GOOD BROILER FEEDS, FEED SUPPLEMENTS AND ESSENTIAL MEDICINE
❑Broiler raising needs intensive capital, returns arequick but investments are highheads operational cost profit100 broilers Php. 7,000
*conservation estimate excluding housing
*Includes chick cost, feeds, labor, light, water, etc.
Php. 3 to Php 5/
broiler
CAPITALIZATION of broiler
❑Dry Cleaning - sweep or blow dust and other loose dirt off ceilings,
light fixtures, walls, cages or nest boxes, fans, air inlets etc. onto the
floor.
❑Wet Cleaning - is done in three steps: soaking, washing and rinsing.
Soaking - until the accumulated dirt and manure has softened to
the point it is easily removed.
Washing - every surface in the building, especially window sills,
ceiling trusses, wall sills and any surface where dirt and dust may
accumulate
Rinsing - final rinse immediately after washing is recommended to
remove any harmful residues and to obtain a spotless building
Cleaning and Disinfecting Poultry House
❑Drying - air-dry the building if disinfection cannot
immediately follow rinsing. Open all windows and
ventilation openings
❑Repairs - make any repairs to the structure prior to
the final disinfection step.
❑Disinfecting - should be applied only after the
building and equipment have been thoroughly
cleaned, ideally right after rinsing. Disinfectants can
be applied by sprays, aerosols or fumigation
(Darre, 2014). Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Poultry
House.
cleaning and disinfecting poultry house
– only one broiler of one being raised and all of them are sold at the same time. This is most desirable to affect a simple disease control measure, especially if in one locality, community or
area, there will be no other age groups of birds. This can only be done if a strict rule, ordinance or regulation is agreed upon and respected by all people concerned. Private producer could form an
association and agree on a common price and program of production.
The all-in-all out system can be so exclusive of one farm and it can be effective if there is no neighbor who is also raising broilers.
5-6 batch can be raised in one year
all in all out system
Two groups of broilers are being kept in the
farm.
If the principle that no different ages of chicks
are not to be mixed in one house will be
followed, the two stage operation certainly calls
for separate brooder house and grower house.
two stage operation
i. More efficient utilization of the house
ii. More efficient utilization of brooder facilities
During brooding (all-in-all system) – growing house is
idle while
During growing period (all-in-all system) the brooder
house or area and brooder facilities are idle.
iii. More broiler can be raised (double the all-in-all out)
during the year
iv. More frequent intervals of selling broilers
advantages of two stage operation sytem
