Layer management in poultry farm
Time : 2012-07-05

Basic information

The purpose of layer management is to provide a proper condition that can ensure the optimum performance of the birds. Given reasonable conditions, brooding hens are very successful at hatching their chicks, but good hatchability using artificial incubation (both large and small) relies on careful management of temperature, humidity, ventilation, position and egg turning. During incubation, the egg loses water vapour through its shell, the rate of water loss depends on both the shell structure and the humidity of the air surrounding the egg

Managing layers in a poultry farm has to do with the whole processes involve in breeding laying birds. This has to do with the maintenance of their cage, the lighting system or temperature, feeding, vaccination, drinking system, disposing their manure appropriate and so on are what the managing system must put in place

Most laying pullets are housed in cages and should be moved to these facilities at least 1 week before egg production begins. Breeders moved from a growing house to an adult house should also be given at least 1 week to adjust to their new environment before the stress of egg production begins, beaks should be re-trimmed as necessary, and cull birds removed at the time

Layer management in poultry farm


Features

1. Chick management

Layers can be reared successfully on floor and cage brooding systems. However, they need more careful management than village chicks, which are better able to cope with temperature fluctuations. Prior to chick arrival, it is important to clean and disinfect the cages or the floor brooding area. The brooders should be set up the day before delivery, at 34 to 36 °c for cage brooding or 35 to 36 °c for floor brooding. Drinkers need to be full or the drinking system in operation, to encourage birds to drink. If nipple drinkers are used, the water pressure should be reduced so that birds can see the drop of water hanging on the drinker. Feed should be placed on paper if birds are reared in cages. Feeders on the floor should be filled and kept under high light intensity for 20 to 22 hours per day for the first week, to attract the birds

2. Growing period management

The first 17 weeks of a pullet’s life are critical. Careful management during this period will allow the bird to meet her performance potential. Although it is not always possible to grow pullets in strict isolation from older birds on village farms, it is recommended on semi-commercial and commercial farms. During the first six weeks, it is important to provide feed at least twice a day. After five weeks, feed consumption and body weights should be checked. It is good practice to weigh 100 pullets a week during the growing period, beginning at five weeks of age. Pullets should be moved to cages or the laying house at 16 weeks of age, before the onset of sexual maturity floor systems management perches should be provided in the growing and laying house environment. This allows the birds to develop their leg and flight muscles, which is essential for their full utilization of the laying house environment. Perches reduce the social stress of birds interacting on the floor, by providing them with a place to roost and get away from other birds in the flock. It is also desirable that birds have access to the same type of feeder and water system in the growing house as they will have in the laying house, although this is not always possible, birds also need to adapt to the presence of humans, and walking through a poultry house regularly will socialize them. In the laying period, the lighting times need to be synchronized with those in the rearing facility. When birds are placed in the laying house they need to be encouraged to explore the nest boxes. Commercial-scale operations can do this with nest lights to train the birds to use the nests

3. Lighting programme

The egg production of layers is very closely related to the changes in day length to which the pullets are exposed. Egg numbers, size and liveability can be markedly influenced by the lighting programme. An effective lighting programme for houses where outside daylight can be excluded involves giving pullets 20 to 22 hours of light a day at 30 lux in the first week, reducing this to 20 hours at 5 lux in the second week, and then reducing the photoperiod over the following weeks, to reach ten to 12 hours by seven to nine weeks of age. In open-sided houses, lighting is increased to the longest natural day length from six to 17 weeks of age. It is useful to provide light stimulation when the body weight of commercial hybrids reaches about 1.5 kg. Light can be increased by 15 to 30 minutes per week, until 16 hours of light a day is reached, it is critical that light intensity in housing is increased to 10 to 30 lux, there should be no decrease in day length or light intensity for adult layers. In village poultry production, most birds are exposed to a natural day length, and farmers do not have lighting available to stimulate egg production in village hens. In developing countries, layers are not generally reared or kept in light-controlled housing. The onset of sexual maturity or egg production depends on reaching the minimum chronological age and a minimum body weight (usually about 1.5 kg in commercial hybrids), as well as having adequate nutrient intake to support production, and a constant or increasing day length of at least 12 hours, an optional lighting technique for promoting increased feed consumption is night lighting, this involves turning the lights on for one hour in the middle of the dark period, to allow the birds to feed 

4. Egg size management

Egg size is largely genetically determined, but can be manipulated by lighting and feeding programmes. The larger the body weight at maturity, the larger the hen’s eggs will be for her entire life. Egg weight is thus generally a reasonable indicator of body weight, but in general the earlier a flock begins production, the smaller the egg size will be, and the later the onset of egg production, the larger the egg size. Lighting programmes can be manipulated to influence rate of maturity. A decreasing light pattern continuing past ten weeks of age delays maturity and increases average egg size. Egg size is greatly affected by the intake of energy, total fat, crude protein, methionine and cysteine and linoleic acid, levels of these nutrients can be increased to improve early egg size, and then gradually reduced to control egg size at later ages 

5. Moulting

Many producers practise induced moulting of the whole flock, which does not involve fasting of the birds. Commercial birds perform very well after a rest, particularly in the latter weeks of the moult cycle, when they achieve excellent shell quality and persistency. The optimum age for moulting is usually about 65 weeks


Series of products to serve the poultry farm fully, click the name to learn more

1. Steel structure poultry house, opening type for hot countries and close type for cool countries

2. Poultry hatching equipment’s capacity of eggs up to 120,000+ to be hatching house

3. Chicken rearing cage and equipment of layer, day old chicken, brooder, broiler and chicken parents

4. Chicken feed processing equipment from feed crushing and mixing to stock to feeding chicken

5. Paper egg tray manufacturing equipment, the output from 1000 trays per hour to 6000 trays per hour

6. Egg processing equipment from automatic egg collection to packing egg to trays

7. Chicken slaughtering equipment from slaughter to vacuum package

8. Chicken manure cleaning and drying equipment to control the water content in chicken manure between 10% and 40%

9. Other poultry farm equipment are coming soon...

Bookmark our website and contact us now to discuss your modern poultry farm plan and quotation


Principles

1. Proper cleaning and disinfection of layer house

2. Provide proper floor space, feeding space and watering space both in deep-litter and cage system

3. In deep-litter system, floor space of 2 sq. Ft. Per bird and feeding space of 5” per bird are provided

4. In cage system 4 birds/box of 18” x 15” cage floor space is provided (0.46 sq. Ft. Per bird)

5. 6 feet linear feeder can be used for every 30 layers or 18” diameter circular feeder of 4-5 no for every 100 birds

6. Provide 18” diameter plastic water trough of 2 numbers for every 100 birds

7. Spread litter material, in case of deep-litter system up to 6” thickness

8. Arrange feeder and water trough in the poultry house to the height of birds’ back

9. Grill size may be changed according to the size of the birds head

10. Provide nest box for every 5 layers about a week before the first egg is laid

11. There are three types of nest which includes the following

Individual nest – one nest box is sufficient for 4-5 birds

Community nest – this will accommodate 50-60 birds

Trap nest – this will accommodate 1 bird at a time and is used for academic and breeding studies

12. The nest should be provided with litter material.  The litter material has to be replaced at least once in a week to prevent contamination of the eggs.  During night hours the nest should be closed to prevent sitting of birds in the nest

13. In deep-litter system, the litter material should be racked in the evening daily after egg collection is over.  The litter should be treated chemically at least once in a month or whenever necessary in case of wet litter problem to prevent ammonia emission in the house

14. Provide 16 hours light during laying period

15. Provide well-balanced layer mash.  Phase feeding may be followed for layers according to age, level of production and climatic factors.  The average feed consumption during laying period ranges from 100-110 gram

16. Feed consumption during winter increases and during summer, feed consumption decreases.  Summer and winter management should be followed for better flock percentages

17. Deworming should be done regularly at an interval of 6-8 weeks depending on the worm load, especially when reared under deep-litter system

18. Collect the eggs at least 5 times a day in deep-litter system and twice a day in cage system

19. Cull the unproductive layers regularly.

20. Broody hen may be separated and this broodiness may be eliminated by the followings

Providing diet containing more protein, vitamin and minerals

Light may be provided through out night

Birds may be placed in cages

Birds may be subjected to stress

Liver stimulant may be provided


Our services

1. We provide you with professional guidance and design in all of our poultry farm equipment 

2. We offer excellent services in all our equipment

3. We give customers detailed information on the product they want to buy

4. We give guideline to our first time customer’s on how to go about their poultry farm

5. After purchasing our poultry equipment, we do follow up on our customers about the equipment they purchased


Frequently ask questions

Q: How do you manage chicken layers?

A: You can manage your layers by properly cleaning and disinfecting the layer house

Q: How often do you deworm layers?

Q: Birds show some signs when the worm infestation is becoming severe, look out for this signs

Q: What is the feed consumption for layers?

A: A layer chicken needs to eat or consume 110 grams or 0.110 kg of feed

Message

Send

Products recommended