Six Tips to Turn First Laying Hens into High Yield

During the brooding stage, it is always not wise choice to increase thestocking density for the sake of one-sided pursuit of scale, especially to keepwarm but not pay attention to ventilation. As a result, the growth of chicks ina polluted air environment is prone to respiratory diseases and arthritis,which seriously affects the growth and development of chickens. So that theweight of 5-6 weeks old chicks is not up to the standard, and the weight of thechicks at 5-6 weeks is positively correlated with the final egg performance.

It is important to improve the uniformityof reserve chickensand control the age of sexual maturity. Young chickens should be raised in twostages. The protein of the feed for 7 to 14 weeks should be higher than 16%,and the growth and development of bones, muscles and internal organs shall bepromoted. At 15-18 weeks, the protein should be less than 14%. High-energy andhigh-protein feeds are forbidden to prevent excessive accumulation of abdominalfat, which will increase anal pecking and rate of death during the start oflabor. Some use protein to keep 15% unchanged, resulting in insufficientpre-nutrition, skeletal dysplasia, lower than the standard weight, see the eggage is too early, the rise time is longer, the peak does not go up and the eggweight is light, and the death rate is high, also with overnutrition andobesity in the later period.

The reproductive system of 10-20 weeks of broodingchickens is very sensitive to light intensity and light time. From mid-to-lateApril to early September each year, Chickens brooding are in the time when thesunshine time is getting shorter before the start of labor, so it needs to beadded before the start of labor. While from mid-to-late September to early April of the following year, the chickens brooding are in the sun graduallyincreasing before the start of labor, it is workable to use natural light beforethe start of labor. It should be noted that the method of adding light can be gradual.Add 0.5 hours a week until the light reaches 16 hours and avoid excessiveincrease and decrease.

Most of the current feeds have low metabolicenergy. Although the crude protein level is relatively low, the proportion ofmiscellaneous meal is relatively high, the available protein content is low,and the feed utilization rate is low, so that the nutrition of chickens cannotbe reached. Chicks should adopt extruded feeds that are easy to digest andabsorb and be nutrient-riched, so that the chicks grow rapidly and have goodphysical fitness. They can reach the standard weight by 5-6 weeks. In thebreeding stage, the reproductive system of chickens develops rapidly from 18weeks. So it shall pay attention to supplying nutritionally balanced proteinfeed after 16 weeks, so that the ovaries of the young hens can develop smoothlyand start production at the right time.

When brooding chicks in autumn and winter, theclimate is suitable and the feed intake of the chickens is too large.Therefore, the replacement chickens should be appropriately restricted at theage of 8 to 17 weeks to facilitate the maturity of mature chickens and thesynchronization of sexual maturity to increase the uniformity; Due to the hotweather, the chicken's feed intake is low and the nutrition is insufficient.The energy level of the feed should be increased to meet the needs of thechicken body. 

In addition, for the peak laying chickens, it should usehigh-energy and high-protein feed in the summer. When the outside temperatureis greater than 30℃, adding 1% to 2% of fat can meet the energy shortage causedby low feed intake due to the hot weather. On the other hand, the fat can beeasily absorbed and can reduce the dust in the feed and improve thepalatability. In addition, the hot and humid weather in summer causes mildewin the feed, and the development of the chicken's reproductive system isdisturbed and inhibited, and even causes ovarian degeneration, thus causing thehen to not lay eggs. Therefore, a mold binder should be added to the feed insummer.

6. Reduce stress factors

It is wise to create a safe, stable and quietliving environment for the chickens, and prevent interference from the noise,strong light and other factors, which may reduce the stress during vaccination.

In short, there are many factors that affect thelaying rate of laying hens. We should take different measures according todifferent situations to ensure that the first laying hens have a higher layingpeak, improve our economic efficiency, and smoothly pass the trough period.