How to raise pullets for egg production successfully? Detailed explanation of key technical measures

When chicks are 7 weeks old, they are moved into the growing house and enter the growing stage. Whether this stage is successful or not largely determines the physique and laying performance of laying hens after sexual maturity. Therefore, to raise high-yielding replacement laying hens that meet breed requirements, the key link is to do a good job in the feeding and management of growing chickens.

1. Do a good job in disinfecting the environment inside and outside the chicken house to create a relatively safe living environment for the flock

Many diseases on laying hen farms are caused by horizontal transmission. Therefore, disinfecting the chicken house, the surrounding environment, and the chickens themselves to cut off the links of horizontal disease transmission is an effective way to control disease occurrence and reduce chicken deaths. The specific technical measures taken are: ① Two weeks before introducing the chickens, first thoroughly clean and wash the chicken house, then wash and disinfect it with disinfectants such as Baidusha or Aidifu. ② Use formalin plus potassium permanganate for fumigation disinfection at a ratio of 30 ml plus 15 g, keep it sealed for 1-2 days, and pay attention to increasing the temperature and humidity of the chicken house to improve the disinfection effect. ③ One day before introducing the chickens, spray disinfect once with Youlüjing or iodine preparation disinfectant, and disinfect the floor with a 1%-2% caustic soda solution. ④ After introducing the chickens, carry out disinfecting with chickens present 1-2 times per week, alternating disinfectants to avoid the emergence of drug resistance. In seasons with frequent disease, disinfect 2-3 times per week. In hot summer, disinfect once a day, which can also play a certain role in preventing heatstroke and cooling.

2. Provide different formula feeds according to the body weight and body condition of the flock, and cultivate a flock with the best body weight and body shape. In the process of raising growing chickens, to regulate a flock with the best body weight and body shape, you cannot simply change the feed formula according to changes in age. You must provide the feed formula according to the growth and development characteristics of growing chickens and the body weight and body condition of the flock. In @#@230@#@ production, we often encounter such flocks: due to frequent immunizations during the growing stage, high summer temperatures, diseases, poor environments, and other stress factors, the chickens' body weight at the end of brooding is insufficient. Therefore, we should adopt different nutritional strategies for flocks in different states to "correct" this. The specific measures taken are: after the flock is moved into the growing house, continue feeding chick feed, make full use of the potential for rapid body weight gain before 12 weeks of age, and make the chickens' body weight reach the standard provided by the breeding company as soon as possible. When the body weight reaches the upper limit of the standard, gradually replace the chick feed with feed of lower nutrient concentration, and continue feeding until the ideal body weight for sexual maturity is reached. The recommended dietary nutrient levels at this stage are: crude protein 18%-19%, metabolizable energy 11.50-12.13 megajoules/kg. Another type is flocks whose body weight at the end of brooding is close to or reaches the standard. For such flocks, the following measures can be taken: after the flock is moved into the growing house, after one week of recovery, when the body weight reaches the upper limit of the standard, gradually replace the chick feed with feed of lower nutrient concentration, and monitor body weight to prevent the chickens from becoming too fat or overweight. When overweight occurs, do not rush to reduce feed. The feeding amount of the previous week should be maintained so that body weight reaches the standard steadily, preventing body weight decline that affects future laying performance. The recommended dietary nutrient levels at this stage are: crude protein 15%-16%, metabolizable energy 11.75-12.13 megajoules/kg. In recent years, due to continuous breed improvement, chickens have shown new characteristics such as early maturation, smaller body size, and lower feed intake. In addition, with a series of stress factors and problems such as the contradiction between making full use of existing equipment and reducing stocking density, overweight is not commonly seen in large commercial laying hen flocks. The author's experience is: feed restriction is no longer as important for commercial laying hens as it is for breeding chickens. As long as we pay attention to the balance of energy and protein in the diet and ensure other nutrients are complete, we can ensure that growing chickens have a good state of growth and development and will not produce a flock that is small but fat.

3. Group management to improve flock uniformity

Uniformity is an important production indicator for measuring the quality of replacement flocks. Improving the uniformity of growing chickens not only reduces the number of overly fat chickens and thin small chickens, avoids feed waste, and lowers mortality, but also enables the flock to reach the laying peak on time, with a high and stable peak, a long duration, and more eggs laid. Research reports have shown that on the basis of 70% uniformity, for every 3% increase in uniformity, chickens lay 4 more eggs. Therefore, improving uniformity is one of the fundamental measures for raising growing chickens well. During the growing period, to improve flock uniformity, the most effective measure is group management. The specific measures are as follows: randomly sample and measure flock uniformity at a rate of 10%, and use the breed standard body weight as the indicator to divide the chickens into three groups: overweight, suitable, and insufficient. Cull diseased, disabled, and overly thin chickens. For chickens below standard and slow-growing but still healthy, and for chickens with low body weight, adopt methods that stimulate appetite and feed feed with a higher protein level, so that they achieve maximum nutrient intake and catch up to standard body weight as soon as possible. Appropriately restrict feeding for chickens that are too heavy to avoid excessive fatness. During the entire growing period, weigh once every two weeks, and promptly adjust the flock according to the measurement results; otherwise, when approaching sexual maturity, chickens with too low body weight will be difficult to remedy; for chickens that are considerably overweight, strictly restrict feeding to avoid affecting the development of the reproductive system.

4. Light management to control the flock reaching sexual maturity at the proper time

Controlling the duration and intensity of light for growing chickens is one of the main means of controlling their timely sexual maturity. The basic principle of lighting is: during the growing period, do not increase light duration or intensity. The specific measures are: control light intensity at 5 lux, which can save electricity and prevent the occurrence of feather pecking. Control of light duration: for enclosed chicken houses, it is relatively easy to establish a lighting system because light is not affected by natural seasonal changes, and light duration and intensity are completely controlled manually. Therefore, constant and gradually decreasing lighting systems can be used. For open or semi-open chicken houses, establishing a lighting system is more complicated. The specific lighting system should be determined according to the hatching time.

In short, if we want the genetic potential of laying hens to be fully exerted, reflect high-level production, and ensure good economic benefits, we must provide reasonable nutritional supply and feeding management procedures according to the growth, development, and physiological change characteristics of laying hens, and raise growing chickens well.