Detailed Guide to Feeding and Management of Laying Hens During the Laying Period

Many people think raising chickens is simple, but raising chickens on a large scale is directly related to your profits. If you do not study poultry-raising techniques properly, it may cause economic losses. The laying rate of hens is closely related to feeding and management during the laying period. If feeding and management are incorrect, it can have a serious impact on the laying rate of hens. Below is a guide to the feeding and management plan for laying hens during the laying period.

Management Plan for Laying Hens During the Laying Period

1. The selection of laying hens is very important. You should purchase high-quality laying hen breeds, or select high-quality, healthy chickens from a certain breed. The body weight and uniformity of young hens are the most important factors determining future egg production. Heavier chickens start laying earlier. For chickens of the same breed, if uniformity remains consistent, they can start laying at the same time, and the laying rate rises very quickly, reaching a peak within 2-3 weeks. Lighter chickens start laying later. They have weak constitutions, poor disease resistance, lay fewer eggs, and their laying rate rises slowly, or they may even have no laying peak. Overly fat chickens carry a heavy physical burden, lay small eggs, and cannot sustain production for long. The body weight of chickens is roughly set by 7-14 weeks of age. If a thin chicken is still underweight at this time, it is too late even if you strengthen nutrition. Therefore, attention should be paid to the nutritional level and management work in the early stage of growing chickens.

2. Young hens have acquired the ability to regulate body temperature on their own, and their digestive capacity is becoming more complete day by day. They have a strong appetite, increased feed intake, and continuously improving ability to absorb calcium and phosphorus. From 7-12 weeks is the period of fastest growth of bones, muscles, and internal organs. After 13 weeks is an important period for abdominal fat increase. Too much fat will affect future egg production. Therefore, the nutrition during this period must both ensure the needs of rapid growth and prevent fat accumulation that makes them overly fat.

3. During the growing period, all kinds of immunization and vaccination work should be done as well as possible. Vaccination should be carried out when the chickens are in good health, to avoid losses caused by stress from re-vaccination during the laying period due to low or uneven antibody levels.

4. The reproductive system develops rapidly. The reproductive system begins to develop from 12 weeks of age and develops rapidly by 18 weeks of age. Therefore, at 18 weeks of age, feed should be gradually switched to pre-laying hen feed, supplementing a certain amount of protein and calcium to promote the smooth development of the ovaries and oviducts and accumulate a certain amount of bone calcium, preparing for smooth onset of laying. However, switching feed too late or too abruptly is not advisable.

Matters to Note at Each Stage of Laying Hens

1. Observe the flock. Establish a system of regular observation and scheduled inspection of the flock. Observe the flock's spirit, appetite, drinking water, and manure daily. If abnormalities are found, the cause should be identified promptly and treated accordingly. Culled non-laying chickens and disabled chickens can be removed regularly.

2. Maintain good and relatively stable environmental conditions: (1) Stable feed amount, sufficient feeding space and drinking space; (2) Constant lighting (16 hours), no artificial stress; (3) Collect eggs at fixed times and keep daily records.

3. Laying period (19—23 weeks of age, 24—42 weeks of age, 43 weeks of age and above)

(1) At 19—23 weeks of age, laying hens at 50% production are in a physiological stress period. The reproductive organs are rapidly expanding at this time, and estrogen levels surge, so the chickens' endocrine and gastrointestinal systems are in a state of stress. At this time, normal loose droppings occur, which is a physiological protection. At a laying rate of 5—50%, the amount of limestone powder added is 4%. If the amount is too much and causes stress, it will affect production performance for the next 2—4 months, and administering any medication will be ineffective.

(2) 24—42 weeks of age is the consumptive laying period. During this period, the laying rate should decline steadily to extend the peak laying period. Starting from 24 weeks of age, egg production gradually reaches its peak, and body weight increases until 30 weeks of age. After 30 weeks of age, body weight declines noticeably, and even more noticeably at 36 weeks of age. By 42 weeks of age, growth stops completely. Weight gain after 42 weeks of age is entirely fat deposition. If chickens are too thin, they will lose feathers and stop laying.

(3) Feed nutrition during the laying period must be complete. If chickens are switched to poor-quality feed, the laying rate will not change much within one month, but body weight will decline, and nutrients in the body will be converted into eggs, which is called consumptive laying. In the later stage, they will stop laying early.

Laying Hen Premix Formulas

1. Chick formula (1-60 days): (1) Corn 62%, wheat bran 10%, soybean cake 17%, fish meal 9%, bone meal 2%. (2) Corn 60%, wheat bran 10%, soybean cake 22%, fish meal 6%, bone meal 2%.

2. Young chicken formula (61-120 days): (1) Corn 55%, wheat bran 20%, soybean cake 7%, cottonseed cake 5%, rapeseed cake 5%, fish meal 5%, bone meal 2%, shell powder 1%. (2) Corn 66%, soybean cake 18%, sunflower seed meal 11%, fish meal 3%, bone meal 1.5%, salt 0.5%.

3. Laying period feed formula: (1) Corn 56%, miscellaneous grains 10%, wheat bran 6%, soybean cake 17%, fish meal 5%, shell powder 3%, clean stone 3% (methionine 0.1%, salt 0.4%). (2) Corn 68%, wheat bran 6%, soybean cake 8%, fish meal 10%, bone meal 2%, shell powder 6%.

All raw material processing and finished products must comply with the green food feed and feed additive use guidelines, and can only be used after inspection and approval by the green food office at or above the county level.

Methods for Selecting Laying Hens

1. Identify by color. Before laying, laying hens have yellow legs and yellow beaks. For high-yielding hens, the more faded the color, the higher the laying rate. Hens still having yellow legs and yellow beaks at 250-300 days of age are low-yielding hens, or even non-laying hens. Hens laying white-shelled eggs have pure yellow legs and beaks; hens laying pink-shelled eggs have brown-yellow legs and beaks.

2. Identify by the comb. High-yielding hens have large, red combs that are soft, fine, warm, drooping to one side, and normally red. Low-yielding hens, or even non-laying hens, have combs that stand upright without drooping, have white spots or white frost, and are thin.

3. Identify by feathers. Hens with earthy-colored, messy, non-glossy, non-smooth feathers, with feathers shedding or falling out on the neck, back, and chest, are high-yielding hens. Hens that frequently preen their feathers are low-yielding hens.

4. Identify by the vent. High-yielding hens have loose vent sphincter muscles; when the area around the sphincter is pressed, it is elastic and moist, contracts immediately, and secretes viscous discharge. Hens with a tightly contracted vent, no elasticity when the surrounding muscles are pressed, and no moist feeling are low-yielding hens.

5. Identify by feeding behavior. When feeding, high-yielding hens pounce like hungry tigers, wolf down their food, have a strong appetite, do not raise their heads while eating, do not pick and choose, and quickly eat everything clean. Hens that are picky, do not like to eat, or even only peck at the feed without eating it are low-yielding hens, or even non-laying hens.

6. Identify by manure. High-yielding hens have formed manure, shaped with a small end and white color. In summer, they drink more water, but the manure is still basically formed and normal in color. Low-yielding hens and non-laying hens have thin, long manure, with more dry feces.

7. Identify by the pubic bones. High-yielding hens have pubic bones 3-4 fingers apart. Low-yielding hens have pubic bones 2 fingers apart, or even 1 finger apart.

8. Identify by the abdomen. High-yielding hens have a broad, large abdomen. Low-yielding hens have a narrow, small abdomen, are thin and weak, and have a breastbone as sharp as a knife edge.

9. Identifying egg thieves. Handling chickens that steal eggs: for chickens that peck eggs in the upper tier of cages, they can be moved to the upper tier; for chickens that stretch their necks and hook eggs with their beaks, they should be culled or placed in individual cages.

10. Identify by chicken calls. High-yielding hens have loud, neat, and even calls, indicating that the laying hens are healthy. Chickens that have not laid for a long time do not call and act as sentinels. If they detect abnormal animals or other small animals entering the chicken farm, they immediately call loudly, causing the whole flock to panic and lay soft-shelled eggs.

Feeding and management of laying hens during the laying period is very important, as it directly affects the laying rate of hens. Therefore, everyone should pay attention: unreasonable feed formulation, incomplete or unbalanced nutritional components, incorrect medication for laying hens, and interference from diseases will all affect the laying rate and egg quality. Only with good management can good profits be obtained.