“From Chicks to eggs improving the layer cycle” PADRAIG MC KENNA – WHITAKER HATCHERIES

Presentation overview

Rearing period

Transfer from the rearing house to the production house

Start of Lay

What Do We Want To

Achieve In Rear ?

Good body weight by 5-6 weeks – vital for later health & productivity

A pullet which has met the breeds bodyweight

through rearing period Good uniformity at 16 weeks. A well Trained Pullet to suit its intended

production system A well vaccinated Pullet to stand against

disease Challenges it may meet

Criteria defining high quality pullets

A flock of pullets is measured by 5 criteria: Bodyweight profile during rearing (at 5 wks and at transfer) Uniformity of the flock Feed intake capacity Age at sexual maturity Health status

Influence of pullet quality on performance

5 Correlation Body

Weight 5 weeks

Body Weight

10 weeks

Body Weight

16 weeks

Uniformity 16 weeks

Early maturity (% HD prod. 20-24 weeks)

+++ 0.63

+++ 0.59

++ 0.39

0

Production persistency (% HD prod. 68-72 weeks)

+++ 0.82

0

0

++ 0.46

HH eggs up to 60 weeks

+++ 0.83

++ 0.30

0

+++ 0.54

HH eggs up to 72 weeks

+++ 0,93

0

0

+++ 0.72

Livability up to 72 weeks

+++ 0.71

0

0

+++ 0.61

Key anatomical and developmental stages

Increase in Calcium Pre lay

feed

Reproductive organ

development

Medulary bone

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Frame

Muscles

Organs

Age (weeks)

Growth

Fat

How to manage a good uniformity and what it means ?

00.050.1

0.150.2

0.250.3

0.350.4

10-10% +10%

Uniformity is the % of birds which have a bodyweight 10 % +/ - of the average bodyweight of the flock

Uniformity Evaluation

8

Uniformity (at 16 weeks)

Evaluation

> 80%

Good

75-80%

Acceptable

< 75%

Poor

Body weight profile

BW & UNIFORMITY (80 % min) AT END OF REARING

BW AT 5 WEEKS BODY FRAME

Monitoring BW weekly!

Typical Pullet Bodyweight targets

Body Weight Increase

0-4 wks 300 % bodyweight increase (4 wk period)

4-8 wks 150% bodyweight increase (4 wk period)

8-16 wks 120% bodyweight increase (8 wk period)

Feed specifications can help achieving good BW growth

Super Starter Feed

Starter Feed

Grower Feed

Pre Lay Feed

SUPER STARTER

STARTER GROWER

4 5 10 16

PRELAY

2950 Kcal/kg 19-20 % CP 2850 Kcal/kg 17-18 % CP 2750 Kcal/kg 15-16 % CP 2759 Kcal/kg 15-16 % CP

ME level (Kcal/kg)

BW at 5 weeks

Mash Crumble

3100 2790

375 345

412 405

Rearing house to match the production house

Colony laying

system

Flat deck laying system

Multi tier Laying system

Type of rearing house

Flat system (standard rearing house Feed and water on floor no perching)

Flat system with perching (as above but perching available under BB 1.75cm )

Platform Rearing ( pullets have platforms /tables to Jump up onto from 2-3 wks )

Aviary Rearing (Pullets are reared from young age up on system)

Matching drinking and feeding systems

Vaccination

Vaccinations are preventative measures against infectious diseases Which Keep your flock healthy and productive One of the most important weekly tasks a rearer will perform Can be tailored to suit specific areas/farms IB(infectious Bronchitis) provide most common field Challenges Good vaccination helps avoid secondary infection Optional extras include E.coli, Coccidiosis TRT Pasteurella

Autogenous vaccine Booster Vaccines

Vaccination Programmes

Day old Mareks Hatchery Injection Day old Cocci Rearer Spray 2 wks MA5 (IB) Rearer Spray 3 wks Gumboro Rearer Water 4 wks 4/91 (IB) Rearer Water

5 wks Clone 30 (NC) Rearer Water

8 wks MA5 (IB) Rearer Water

9wks Clone 30 (NC) Rearer Water

10 wks A.E Rearer Water 11 wks 12 wks TRT Rearer Water/spray 13 wks 4/91 (IB) Rearer Water

Transfer 4 in 1 Rearer/Haulier injection Dead Vaccine

Pullet Transfer

Most important period in the young pullets

life

Trying not lose all the good work of the

rearing period

The young pullet is only half

way there

Body weight typically 1380gs @ 16 wks in rear

By 30wks of age 2000gs Increase

of 620gs (44% increase)

Good Start = Good Flock =

Good Finish !!!!!

Pullet Transfer

Transfer is a massive event

Therefor it cause major Stress

Changes in environment, Temperature, Humidity and Equipment

Best done between 16 and 17 wks

Pullet Transfer

What happens on

the Day

Feeders and Drinkers raised night before Birds are woken up in the middle of their

night Chased into a pen Caught and injected Loaded into a module Hauled for hours Loaded off the lorry

Pullet Transfer

Tipped into the new production system Standing on wire or plastic slatted (rearing

in litter) Doors open low temperature Search for Feeders/Drinkers New Feed type/Texture Water temperature Finally get some sleep !!!!!

Pullet Transfer

Important to make transfer as smooth as possible

Preheat house to warm up structures (Winter period) Light intensity increased so birds can quickly discover their new environment Feed in feeders Prelay as a transition feed

Water temperature Light duration same plateau as rearing house Walk birds get them used to you

Check crop fill in evening Once birds are full up let them rest

Pullet Transfer

Start of Lay Build our Pullet back up After the Stress of Transfer

Bodyweight loss of between 10 and 15 % Can take 3 to 4 wks to get BW back to

breed standard Easier to achieve in colony system Vital to monitor bodyweight and

Feed/water consumption Success here leads to a high persistent

peak and a long laying life for the flock This phase has a big effect on egg size

Start of lay

Target BW at standard at 5% of lay From 17 weeks of age to peak of lay

+ 25/30 % increase of body weight + 50% increase of feed intake

Low body weight at start of lay will lead to: Poor peak of lay Small eggs Poor laying persistency Increased mortality Poor eggshell quality at the end of laying period

Remember: birds continue to develop till 35 weeks of

age! Growth does not stop at

transfer at 17 weeks

31 Growth at onset of lay

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% o

f lay

and

egg

siz

e (g

)

1500

1600

1700

1800

1900

2000

2100

2200

2300

2400

2500

2600

2700

2800

2900

3000

Standard Bad example

Start of Lay

Egg weight profile is determine at start of lay Bodyweight at first egg is linked average egg weight Lighting programme must be adopted according to your egg

weight target Therefor light stimulation must be done according to bodyweight

instead of age

The Main Factor : Body Weight at First Egg

Lewis et al, 1995

Pullet bodyweight at first egg (g)

Period week 1300 to 1500 1500 to 1700 1700 to 1900 > 1900

18 - 28 49.8 53.3 56.1 57.6

28 - 40 57.6 59.2 61.0 62.4

40 - 60 61.7 62.6 64.6 65.8

Effect of actual body weight on egg size On egg size in brown layers

34

Hendrix Genetics, 2020

45

47

49

51

53

55

57

59

61

63

65

67

18-28 28-40 40-60

aver

age

egg

size

(gra

ms)

age span (weeks)

Egg size in relation to Bodyweight

1350-1450

1550-1650

1750-1850

1950-2000

Adaption of Egg Weight Distribution

45

50

55

60

65

70

16 20 24 28 32

36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72

Egg

wei

ght (

g )

Standard - 1g Standard Standard + 1g

50 % lay - 21 weeks

50 % lay - 19 weeks

50 % lay - 20 weeks

1 week earlier in sexual maturity: - 4,5 eggs more - 1 g of AEW less - Egg mass similar

1 week later in sexual maturity: - 4,5 eggs less - 1 g of AEW more -Egg mass similar

Egg size development Weekly egg size increase in brown layers

36

00

01

01

02

02

03

03

04

04

00

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100

Wee

kly

vera

ge e

gg si

ze (g

)

Age (weeks)

Weekly egg size and egg size increase

Weekly Average egg weightSTD

Weekly Increase egg weight

Hendrix Genetics, 2020

Start of lay = egg weight management period 37

40

45

50

55

60

65

17 20 23 26 29 32 35 38 41 44 47 50 53 56 59 62 65 68 71 74 77 80

Age (en semaine)

PMO

(g)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

g/se

mai

ne

Poids d'œufEvolution hebdomadaire

Optimal period to control the egg weight through nutrition : after it is too late or nutritionnal response is lower

Egg weight

Weekly evolution eggweight increase

Egg

wei

gh

t (g

) g

/week

Eggweight evolution

To Conclude

Rearing is investment phase of the laying cycle Good pullets will lead to a high peak of production with good

persistency Transfer is a stressful period where the bird has to adopt to a lot of

changes we need to make this as smooth as possible Start of lay second phase of the rearing period bodyweight and

feed consumption increase Start of lay has a big influence on your egg weight profile

All Questions Welcome WITH AID AND CONSTRUCTION OF SLIDES, MANY THANKS TO

• HENDRIX GENETICS FOR SOME OF THE DATA PROVIDED