Poultry Farming: Egg Production and Management

• The poultry industry has significantly evolved in the last 50 years, leading to specific breeds for meat and egg production.
• The main focus is on producing as many eggs as possible at the lowest cost in any layer farm.
• Management and access to information are crucial during a pullet's growth cycle, as they impact the hen's lifetime egg production.
• Successful egg producers must master daily layer farm management tasks and focus on effective feed application.
• Feed accounts for approximately 60-75% of the total operating cost, making a well-balanced, cost-effective feed ration essential.
• Feedmaster uses quality raw materials formulated by qualified poultry nutritionists, adhering to ISO22000.

Free-Range System

• Hens can roam freely outside but are fenced, not housed, or partially housed.
• Animal welfare and startup costs factor into choosing between free-range and battery systems .
• Free-range systems typically exhibit higher feed conversion ratios because hens utilize more energy.
• Extra production costs are associated with free-range systems, affecting economic viability.
• Factors include building nesting boxes in dark corners, caging hens at night, and daily egg removal.
• Water and feed should be consistently available and hens require daily check-ups to ensure they are healthy.
• Dirty eggs can increase the effort needed in free-range systems and therefore the hens need to be checked more frequently to ensure their health.

Battery/Caged System

• Layers are housed in cages within a controlled environment, typically elevated from the ground.
• It is a more intensive system, typically leading to higher yields because of control over feed intake, less motion, and controlled environmental factors.
• This system is very expensive to set up, but greatly reduces the risk of salmonella contamination and parasite infestation.
• Factors include always providing feed, cleaning cage floors weekly, monitoring chickens when placing, and supplementing with stress powder and vitamins.
• The system depends on market demand, personal preference, space availability, and finances.

Starting Up With Layers

• Farmers can start with point-of-lay hens or day-old layer chicks.

Day-Old Chicks - Advantages

• Purchasing day-old chickens is cheaper than point-of-lay hens.
• Farmers can directly raise and control the hens' quality.
• Hens tend to stay in production longer if raised correctly.
• Allows for vaccination control and development of strong immunity.

Day-Old Chicks - Disadvantages

• Increased risk of mortalities.
• Requires substantial cash flow, as they don't produce eggs within the first 18 weeks.
• Includes vaccination and feed costs without immediate benefits.
• Requires skills.

Point of Lay Hens - Advantages

• Hens begin production immediately or shortly after purchase.
• No feed costs for raising chicks.
• Lower vaccination costs are associated
• Mortalities are less than day-old chicks
• No roosters.

Point of Lay Hens - Disadvantages

• More expensive than day-old chicks at purchase.
• Potential to introduce diseases if purchased from untrusted sources.
• Signed-off rearing programs might not always be available for future production claims.
• Request the feeding, growth, and vaccination schedule when buying point-of-lay hens.

Housing

• Poultry houses should have their shortest closed sides facing east to west.
• Having side curtains that open from top to bottom improves ventilation and prevents direct airflow.
• Insulation helps prevent temperature fluctuations, conserving heat in the night and cooling during the day.
• Extended roof overhangs and gutters are needed to protect from rain and collect water.
• Concrete floors are most hygienic and ideal, but expensive, however all floors must be covered in bedding and ground floor rearing is not recommended.
• Using metal and plastic makes cleaning easy.

Lighting Program

• Layer hens are sensitive to changes in lighting and production can decrease in winter due to shorter days.
• Artificial lighting can control egg production and a period of darkness should be part of the lighting management.
• Management can be more difficult in open and free-range systems.

Lighting Program - Purpose

• Better egg production from conserved energy during resting.
• Reduced mortality rate and fewer skeletal defects.
• Melatonin, important in immune system development, is stimulated.
• It is crucial to not increase day length during the growth period. Establish the day length that is natural when the birds are at least 16 weeks old.
• The day length from 8–16 weeks should match the natural day length to stimulate maturity.

Temperature Management

• Temperature is crucial for good egg production.
• Low temperatures impact production during the first weeks of a hens egg lay cycle.
• Extremes should be avoided later in life.
• Free-range hens require shelter at night due to temperature drops.
• A chick's body temperature is ~40-41°C.
• Cage rearing: 18-20°C
• Free range rearing: 18-20°C

Ventilation

• Provides oxygen, removes waste, and impacts productivity.
• It is also needed for moisture removal, meeting the bird's metabolic demand, controlling humidity, and maintaining litter conditions.
• Ensure constant fresh air, avoid cold drafts, and maintain curtains if using a battery cage.
• Free-range chickens tend to not have any problems with ventilation.

Bird Health: Bio-security

• A good bio-security program with vaccination is best for disease control.
• It is designed to minimize biological organisms entering and is the cheapest disease control.
• Farms should be fenced, all-in/all-out principle is best to prevent disease transmission. Limit visits to the farm.
• Farm supervisors work by age, starting with youngest flocks.
• The farms entrance should have pressure washing equipment.
• Sanitize shoes and dispose of dead birds immediately.
• Grower/layer personnel should not own birds or work on other poultry farms.
• Provide clean clothing for everyone entering premises.

Vaccination

• Controlled exposure to disease-causing agents (antigen) and is disease-specific: A virus, mycoplasma, or bacteria.
• The lab manipulates antigens so that it cannot harm the bird, preparing the body to combat disease.
• Day-old chicks should receive vaccines at the hatchery for sufficient protection against various diseases.
• IBD
• ND
• IB
• Discuss vaccinations with a veterinarian before purchase. Have basic monitoring and regular veterinary visits to tailor the vaccination program to the specific needs.
• Before entering the farm/house, clothes/shoes must be changed.

Flock Uniformity

• Indicates future production ability and uniform maturity, saving money on feed.
• Uniform hens also stay in production longer, yielding more eggs and profits.
• Stocking density, feed structure, and access to feeders and water affects flock uniformity.

Eggs

• Most breeds economically produce eggs until ~72 weeks of age.
• Under optimal conditions, hens lay 300-326 eggs during this period and can lay one egg a day.
• The number of eggs and size increase as the hen matures.
• Hens with brown earlobes lay brown eggs, while those with white earlobes lay white eggs. 80–100% peak egg production indicates a healthy flock.

Points to Remember

• Handle eggs with care, packaging them in trays for protection
• Sell older eggs first, avoid storing longer than two weeks.
• Store eggs at room temperature (18–25°C), do not refrigerate because this will cause condensation on shells when removed. This can then lead to bacteria such as salmonella to grow on the surface.
• Remove eggs daily.
• Egg color/shape may indicate disease, therefore contact veterinarian if there are any changes.
• If blood is found on eggs, check hen to avoid cannibalism.
• Count eggs daily to determine laying percentage.
• Eggs should not be washed

Nutrition

• Layer diets should provide essential energy and nutrients for health and egg production.
• Key components are water, amino acids, energy, vitamins, and minerals, with sufficient calcium for shell creation.
• They source natural products, exclude animal proteins, and comply with ISO 22000.
• Feedmaster adheres to strict bio-security and quality control.

Water Management

• The hens should have good standard water supplied.
• Insufficient water intake results in poor feed intake and growth, negatively impacting future production.
• Regularly check the drinkers and ensure they are full.
• Adjust drinkers to crop level and ensure the water pressure is correct.
• In high temperatures and health problems, birds drink more to regulate their body temperature.
• Add chlorine tablets (excluding vaccination days) to sanitize and check pH levels.
• Hens drink 250–500 ml of water daily under normal conditions.
• Do not feed water directly from a borehole or big tank.
• A 500-liter tank can support 100 hens through medicating and vaccination.

Important Notes

• Adhere to the recommended feed amounts per bird and feeding schedule.
• For the first 10 days, offer feed on pan feeders or paper. From day two, supply feed in troughs for chicks to learn from.
• Do not place feed/water under heat sources to encourage intake.

Record Keeping

• The information will then be used in future decision making.
• Record-keeping is essential for monitoring flock profitability.

Record Keeping - Daily Records

• Eggs collected
• Misshapen eggs
• Feed consumption
• Water consumption
• Egg sizes
• Water treatments
• Minimum and maximum daily temperatures
• Mortalities amongst hens
• Management changes

Record Keeping - Flock Records

• Feed deliveries (supplier/amount/type/date)
• Feed sample
• Weight (daily/weekly)
• Medication (type/batch/amount/dates)
• Lighting program
• Chick delivery (number/date/time/temperature/humidity)
• Stocking density for battery cages
• Hens consume 110g of Feedmaster layer mash daily.
• Hens need 270ml of water daily, of which eggs are 86%.
• A healthy flock is more more productive than an unhealthy.

This lesson explores key aspects of egg production in poultry farms, including cost management, effective feeding strategies, and quality assurance. It covers various farming systems, such as free-range and battery-caged, and their impact on feed conversion and egg yield. Also it highlights practices that maintain hen safety.