Key Points for Post-Illness Management of Laying Hens: Scientific Care to Promote Recovery
1. Timely supplementation of multivitamins and protein. Add multivitamins to the feed, especially vitamin A, D, C, E, B12, etc. This is because vitamin A can accelerate the repair of mucous membranes in the respiratory and digestive tracts, while vitamin E and vitamin C have the effect of reducing stress and strengthening the physique. Protein should also be increased, such as the clever use of phospholipids, like soybean phospholipid products, which are not only rich in easily absorbed protein and amino acids but also contain oils that release large amounts of energy. The oils can promote the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and the choline chloride in phospholipids is a component of egg yolk.
2. Increase lighting time. Appropriately increasing light intensity or extending lighting time after illness can also raise the egg production rate. The time should not be too long, generally around 15 days.
3. Timely culling of hens that have stopped laying. For diseases such as avian influenza and infectious bronchitis, because they cause great damage to the reproductive system, it is very difficult to restore the original egg production rate after illness, and false layers and weak, stunted hens often appear. These should be promptly identified and culled to reduce unnecessary economic losses.
4. Regulate the intestinal environment. Add probiotics to the feed to improve the intestinal environment, adjust the balance of intestinal flora, promote the digestion and absorption of nutrients, and strengthen metabolism. This is especially effective for flocks that have never used probiotics.
5. Correct diagnosis and rational medication. Frequently and carefully observe the condition of the flock so that diseases can be detected early, diagnosed early, and treated early. First, the diagnosis must be correct; second, the use of drugs must have accurate dosage and course of treatment. It is recommended to use traditional Chinese medicine treatment, or a combination of Chinese and Western therapies. Drugs that affect the egg production rate should be prohibited to avoid loss of egg-laying function. Some drugs are labeled "contraindicated for laying hens," which has two meanings: one is that they affect egg production, and the other is that they do not affect egg production (meaning the drug may remain in eggs and does not meet food safety standards).
6. The liver must be soothed and the kidneys unblocked. After illness, most chicken farmers add drugs to the feed that strengthen yang and tonify the kidneys and promote estrus and ovulation. At the same time, they should soothe the liver, unblock the kidneys, lower gallbladder pressure, and remove blood stasis, because the liver is a detoxifying organ and also participates in the maturation of ovarian follicles. (Under the action of estrogen, yolk protein and lipids are formed in the liver, then transported to the ovaries and deposited in developing follicles.) The kidneys are excretory organs, (the kidneys store essential qi and are the foundation of reproduction). During illness or treatment, the burden on these two organs is too heavy and their function is damaged, which will affect the egg production rate.
7. Reproductive system issues caused by disease. For example, a single infection of oophoritis or salpingitis, manifested as abnormal egg shape and egg color, can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs such as amoxicillin or ampicillin. After some respiratory diseases, chickens are prone to diarrhea, causing shedding of the intestinal mucosa and leading to nutrient deficiency, which causes a decrease in egg production rate. Intestinal antibacterial drugs such as colistin sulfate or amikacin can be used. Do not assume that because the flock looks energetic and feeds normally, it can be left untreated. This is a major misconception.