For laying hens, body weight is a very critical and very important indicator, which is related to the egg production rate of the flock and the length of the peak egg production period.
If the weight is not enough, the forced egg increase will not last long.
If the light control of young chickens is not good, it will directly lead to unsatisfactory weight control of the flock. If the chickens are overweight at the beginning of production, it will cause the chickens to prolapse more seriously. If the weight is too low, it will delay the start of production, and the eggs produced after the start of production are too small, and the peak period is not long.
In addition, many farmers and friends feel that the control of the weight of the chicken group is mainly determined by restricting feeding. If the chicken is fat, feed less, and if the chicken is thin, feed more. This is very wrong. Today, I will learn with you about the standard problems of weight and body shape of laying hens, and then learn how to control the weight of laying hens scientifically and reasonably.
How important is it for laying hens to achieve weight and body shape?
The egg production rate of laying hens is directly related to its body size development and body weight. The body size standard is the first limiting factor, the body weight is the second limiting factor, and the shin length and body weight are used as specific indicators in production.
Chickens with long shin and underweight chickens have low egg weight in the early stage of laying, and the egg production rate rises slowly;
Chickens whose shin length is not up to the standard and overweight will have premature egg laying or severe prolapse of the anus and a high death rate;
The length and weight of the shin are not up to the standard, which means that the brooding fails, and the start of production is prolonged. The start of production is delayed by 1 to 2 weeks, and the peak of egg production is not up to the standard.
How are laying hens weighed?
①. After the first weighing at the weekend of the 4th week, randomly sample and weigh 10% of the flock every two weeks or every week.
②. Laying hens must be weighed on an empty stomach in the morning.
③. The body weight and uniformity of laying hens at the 4th, 6th, 12th and 18th weeks are of great significance to the laying performance.
④. The number of sampling chickens is 10% of the total number of chickens in the whole group. That is: the number of chickens drawn = total number × 10%
⑤. Find the average weight of the chickens (W)
⑥. Find the standard weight (W0) corresponding to the corresponding age of the week according to the weight standard.
⑦. Calculate the percentage of average body weight and standard body weight P%=W/W0%
What kind of laying hen’s weight and shank length is the standard?
①. The pros and cons of measuring body weight and shin length are expressed by body weight uniformity and shin length uniformity, respectively.
②. general requirements, the uniformity of body weight should be greater than 80%, and the uniformity of shin length should be greater than 90%.
③. Body weight uniformity: the percentage of the chicken’s measured body weight within the range of ±10% of the average body weight.
④. Uniformity of shin length: the percentage of the measured value of shin length within ±5% of the average.
How to scientifically and reasonably control the weight of laying hens?
In fact, net trough feeding has many advantages: it can improve digestion and absorption function, save feed, and can keep laying hens in good egg-laying body shape and prolong the peak time of egg-laying (generally, the control material is about 5%). But what I want to say is that restricting feeding is only one aspect of controlling the weight of laying hens. The chicken farm can also control from many aspects such as formula adjustment during the laying period, regular weighing, and drinking water!
Let’s first take a look at the adjustment of the feed formula during the laying period. In order to increase the egg production rate and prolong the peak period of egg production, many farmers add methionine or protein concentrate to the feed. In fact, this is unscientific, because with the increase of the age of the laying hens, the weight of the laying hens remains basically unchanged in the later period. But laying hens have an ever-increasing demand for energy and a decreasing demand for protein. Therefore, the formula should be adjusted according to the situation, because egg yolk protein is produced by the liver. If the protein in the formula is too high in the later stage, it will damage the health of the liver, thereby affecting the number of eggs produced, and at the same time increasing the burden on the kidneys, shortening the peak of egg production, and the chickens will also experience hair loss.
Secondly, it is necessary to weigh regularly, to ensure that the uniformity of the flock is not less than 80%, and to control the weight within the range of ±100g of the standard weight (scientific and practical egg shape index software is more conducive to grasping the dynamics of the flock;
Another very important link is: drinking water management. Insufficient drinking water will seriously affect the feeding of laying hens, thereby affecting the body weight. The water line should be checked frequently. The drinking nipple requires 70ML of water per minute.
Having said so much, the facts tell us that controlling the weight of chickens is not only limited to feeding, but also pays attention to the usual feeding and management. To achieve scientific breeding, we must start from every small detail.
