Key Points of Daily Management of Replacement Pullets That Farmers Must Take Seriously
Feeding and Management Before the Start of Laying
Group the flock at the right time. At around 18 weeks of age, breeding roosters and breeding hens should be strictly selected and then grouped in a timely manner. For flocks using floor rearing with natural mating in mixed male-female groups, transfer the roosters into the laying hen house 4 days to 5 days in advance according to the normal male-to-female ratio. The purpose is to let the roosters adapt to the new environment first, facilitate the establishment of the pecking order hierarchy, and prevent mutual pecking and fighting after grouping from affecting mating. Then transfer in the hens, and grouping should be completed by 20 weeks of age.
Increase lighting during the growing period. To control the sexual maturity of breeding chickens, restricted lighting measures are often adopted, but starting at around 18 weeks of age, light stimulation should be increased so that the flock begins laying in a timely manner. When implementing increased light stimulation, care should be taken to keep it consistent with mature body weight, and if the flock shows delayed body maturity or advanced sexual maturity, the increased light stimulation should be postponed by 1 week to 2 weeks; if sexual maturity and body maturity are both advanced in sync, light stimulation should be increased earlier.
Change the feed. After entering the pre-laying period, the growing chicken feed should be replaced with pre-laying chicken feed. The pre-laying chicken feed should be formulated according to the physiological characteristics of breeding chickens in the pre-laying period and subsequent production requirements. Its nutrient level is much higher than that of growing chicken feed and close to that of laying hen feed (with slightly lower calcium content), which can improve the nutritional status of breeding hens and increase necessary nutrient reserves. Under the condition that the chickens' body weight remains within the recommended range, gradually increase the feeding amount, and change every-other-day feeding to a five-two feeding pattern or daily feeding, but the intake should still be controlled to prevent too rapid weight gain.
Separate feeding of males and females in the same pen. During the breeding period, roosters and hens differ somewhat in nutritional needs and feed intake, and their rates of weight gain are also inconsistent. After roosters and hens are mixed in a flock, the chickens eat faster, and roosters can easily eat more feed than hens, leading to overweight and affecting reproductive body condition. Therefore, after grouping at 20 weeks of age, separate feeding of males and females in the same pen should be implemented. The method is to feed the hens using troughs fitted with grids 4.2 cm to 4.5 cm wide so that the roosters' heads cannot get in, while the hens' heads can reach in to eat; the roosters use feed buckets, and the buckets are hung at 41 cm to 46 cm, so that the hens cannot reach them to eat, while the roosters can eat when standing on their toes.
Reasonable Feeding During the Laying Period
Broiler breeders will begin laying successively from 24 weeks to 26 weeks of age, that is, they enter the laying stage. During the laying period, reasonable feeding should be carried out according to the laying rate and body weight changes of the breeders, so as to produce as many qualified hatching eggs as possible. In terms of feeding methods, note that the feed in the trough should be evenly distributed when feeding, and the trough should be cleaned frequently, especially during the plum rain season and summer. When feeding, wet or dirty old feed in the trough must be removed; there must be no mold in the trough, and moldy feed must certainly not be fed. Feed should not be added too full in the trough, otherwise it will be scattered by the chickens and wasted. Drinking water must be clean and fresh, and drinkers or water troughs should be cleaned every day. Nipple drinkers should be frequently checked one by one, otherwise chickens may fail to drink water because some drinkers do not release water, affecting egg production and even causing chicken death. The feeding amount should be flexibly controlled according to changes in egg production.
Increasing feed amount during the rising egg production period. The rising egg production period of broiler breeders refers to the period from a laying rate of 5% to before the peak of laying. As the flock's laying rate gradually rises, together with continued body weight gain, the demand for nutrients continuously increases. Adjusting the flock's feed supply according to changes in the laying rate is the main measure of feeding work during this period. Generally, from 24 weeks to 27 weeks of age, the feed amount for breeding hens is increased by 10 g to 11 g per week, and for breeding roosters by 8 g to 9 g. The increase in feed amount should come earlier than the rise in laying rate. Under normal conditions, if the feed increase is appropriate, the laying rate will rise at a rate of 3% to 5% per day.
Daily Management During the Laying Period
Environmental control. To provide laying hens with the most suitable laying environment, first of all there must be a good chicken house. The chicken house must protect laying hens from the effects of daily temperature changes. Because when the temperature deviates from the optimum range, egg production will be affected. The optimum temperature during the laying stage is 15°C to 20°C, and large temperature fluctuations within a day should be avoided. The ideal relative humidity inside the chicken house is 60% to 70%. Ventilation keeps the air environment in the chicken house good. Generally, exhaust fans are used for ventilation. In hot seasons, installing a ventilated wet curtain cooling system in the chicken house can increase egg production and reduce chicken mortality.
Observe the flock. After the lights are turned on in the chicken house in the early morning, observe the flock's mental state and droppings. If sick, weak, or abnormal chickens are found, they should be picked out in a timely manner for isolation or culling; after the lights are turned off at night, listen for abnormal respiratory sounds in the chickens. If wheezing, coughing, and the like are found, isolate and cull them promptly to prevent spread; observe the range of house temperature changes. In summer, check the temperature frequently and keep records, and also check the ventilation, drinking water system, lighting, etc., and solve problems promptly when found; when feeding and supplying water, observe whether the feed and water troughs are suitable for the chickens' eating and drinking; observe whether there are chickens with feather-pecking vice. If found, they should be picked out promptly, and the blood color should be covered with gentian violet or they should be culled promptly.
Keep good production records. To manage the flock well, production records of the flock must be kept well, because production records reflect the actual production dynamics of the flock and various situations in daily activities. Through them, production can be understood and guided in a timely manner.