GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OF PULLETS REARING IN COMMERCIAL LAYER FARMS
Dr Deepak Prasad Sinha, Technical Manager,Venkys.
The rearing of the young pullets is an essential phase on a layer farm. Optimal management of chicks and pullets ensures optimal egg production and a healthy and productive layer flock.
The first 18 weeks of a chick’s life is the most critical and will impact future production. Errors made during this time are difficult to overcome. During pullet development, their body is focusing on growing and building reserves for future laying. Low egg production and poor shell quality during lay can often be traced back to pullet development. Pullet management is essential for the success and profits of the future laying flock. The overall aim of pullet development is to reach a target body weight with high uniformity. Less than 85% uniformity will cause a decrease in egg production and peak production will be hard to maintain. Understanding developmental stages, maintaining brooder temperature, providing enough space, and providing fresh, balanced rations will help ensure the success of your future layer.
Understanding the different stages of development will help pinpoint when your hen had issues in her early life. Interrupted growth during any of these developmental phases will result in hens lacking the body reserves and organ function to sustain high production as adult layers.
Bodyweight
Management and nutrition of young pullets should be aimed at reaching an optimal bodyweight. The optimal bodyweight depends on the type of laying hen and can be found in the key figures of the breed. Mostly it falls between 1.35 and 1.65 kg at the start of the egg production.
It is advised to adjust nutritional management in order to reach target bodyweights at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 weeks of age. During these weeks of age, the birds should be weighed and the bodyweight should be compared to the standard bodyweight of the breed. If the bodyweight does not fit the standard, adjustments to the diet are needed.
Feather pecking
The rearing phase is also the designated period to take preventive measures against feather pecking behaviour. Avoid stress, dim the lights when birds look excited, formulate diets according to the requirements, reduce stocking density, add enrichment materials to keep the birds occupied, remove injured, sick, dead and aggressive birds as soon as possible.
Transfer to laying house
Birds are transferred to the laying facility at an average age of 15 to 16 weeks. This transfer is a stressful event for the pullets, so care should be taken to ensure a smooth transition. Some weight loss after transfer is, however, inevitable. Using the same water and feed systems in rearing and laying facilities helps to reduce stress. Keeping the lights on for the first three days after transfer will help the birds to become familiar with their new environment. Keep track of the water intake of birds during their first hours in the new facility by installing a water meter. Proper water intake is crucial for good feed intake. A few days before and after transfer, additional care in the form of nutritional support (vitamins, like Stress Aid ) may be given. The transfer to the laying house is also a good time to check the health status of the birds, register their bodyweight, and remove male or sick birds.
Diseases that can be prevented by proper rearing of pullets
Prolapse
Prolapse is a very difficult issue to resolve when it’s already there. Many causes of prolapse originate in the rearing period of the pullet, so it is very important to bear this in mind when the pullets are growing up.
When a hen lays an egg, the lower part of the hen’s reproductive tract (oviduct) is turned inside out along with the egg. This allows the hen to lay an egg without coming into contact with faecal material. Sometimes the oviduct does not immediately retract back into the hen once an egg has been laid. This condition is known as prolapse. If noticed early, the oviduct can be gently pushed back into the hen. If not noticed immediately, other hens will pick at the protruding oviduct, damaging it and preventing it from retracting.
Prolapses can occur when the eggs are relatively too big for the chicken, or when the cloaca is damaged (for example by infection or cannibalism).
Many of the causes of prolapse originate in the development phase of the pullets.
Grower Management
• Proper cleaning and disinfection of grower house is needed before introduction of grower birds.
• Provide sufficient floor space, feeding space and water space
• Spread litter material to a height of 4” in case of deep-litter system
• Change the feeder and waterer according to the need.
• Arrange feeder and waterers in the grower house.
• Adopt restricted feeding programme during growing period to prevent fattening of pullers and early sexual maturity and thus to improved egg production
• Follow good litter management to avoid diseases like coccidiosis.
• Only 12 hours lighting programme is sufficient in case of open-sided houses. No artificial light is needed.
• Aim for the uniformity of the flock. Sample weights are taken once in a week to find out the average body weight as per the breeder suggestions.
• Follow strictly the recommended vaccination, medication and other management programs like deworming, debeaking etc for the growers.
It is adopted during growing period of layers or breeders. There are two types of restricted feeding.
1) Quantitative feed restriction
In which the amount of feed is reduced below the normal requirement of birds. This can be done on day-to-day basis or skip-a-day programme or skip-two days in a week programme. But this restriction depends on the matching of the flock average body weight with standard body weight provided by the breeder.
2) Qualitative feed restriction
In which the quality of the feed is reduced below the standard requirement of the bird. This can be done by including unconventional feeds or lesser nutrient feed ingredients in place of high protein or high energy diet. Here the quantity of allotment to the bird is not restricted.
During restricted feeding programme, provide more number of feeders and see that all the birds are taking feed simultaneously or otherwise dominant birds will take more amount of feed and the weaker will be subjected feed deprivation and hence the uniformity will be affected.
Advantages of feed restriction during growing period
• A considerable saving on feed cost because, only 80% of the calculated feed requirement will be offered.
• They are likely to consume less feed per dozen eggs even during laying period when they are offered ad libitum feed.
• The pullets accumulate less fat and therefore produce more eggs.
• It is easier to identify weaker birds at an early age during feed restriction. Culling of such birds helps not only saving feed but also promoting layer house survivability because, healthier birds will be moving to laying house.
• Layers feed-restricted during growing period have been found to produce heavier eggs in longer clutches than those fed ad libitum.
At a given age, growing pullets should have average body weight very closer breeder recommendations and at least 70% of the birds’ weight within 10% of flock average. Points to be considered for getting uniformity among growing pullets are,
• Receive chicks of uniform weight.
• Provide proper feeding, watering and floor space.
• Change the feeder and waterer according to the age.
• The height of the feeder and waterer should be at the back height of the bird.
• Provide proper energy in the diet.
• Sample weights of the pullets are taken at regular intervals and change the feed accordingly.
• Provide proper feeding space, so as to all birds consume feed simultaneously.
Reference:On request.
