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Dear layer farmers, as most of you are aware, the table egg industry is thriving even in this tough Covid-19 season. Orders for more pullets are increasing daily. What is driving this demand? People are consuming more eggs than before, and rightly so. Eggs are versatile, nutritious and easy to prepare. Unlike other sources of protein, they are easy to digest. If you were to drink raw eggs, the entire swallow will be absorbed directly into your system without any digestion. The egg yolk provides essential amino acids, vitamins B1, B2, B12, A, D and minerals like zinc and magnesium. The demand has pushed prices up and farmers are demanding a lot from the hens. The trick to high egg production lies on the rearing of the pullets to an early point of lay, high peak production, longer peak duration, high feed efficiency and large egg size. Here is your winning strategy to achieve this goal.
Phase 1 (1- 6 weeks of age)
This period is critical in the life of a pullet. It's the period of extensive development of the immune system and the gastrointestinal tract. Feed the birds on high protein chick and duck mash to gain weight of 380-400 grammes. At 5 weeks of age, consider using broiler starter to boost weights. Follow the weight profile supplied by your hatchery and adjust accordingly. To achieve this, brooding must be precise starting in week 1 at 33-35 degrees Celsius and dropping gradually by 2 degrees per week to 21 degrees by week 6. Ensure the birds have 24 hours of light to allow the chicks locate feed and water all the time, thereafter, introduce darkness by two hours a week until the birds have 13 hours of light at week 6. If your weights are below the standard, delay introduction of darkness. If your chicks are not beak trimmed at hatchery, have a professional do it at 10 days of age.
Phase 2(7-12 weeks of age)
This is the period of skeletal growth and development; the bird gradually increases in frame and bone strength. It is also the time that more muscles are deposited on the bones. It's the period that farmers must routinely pick birds in the flock units and feel the deposition of muscles. At 10 weeks the birds need to weigh between 830-870 grammes. Many farmers at this stage are only interested in checking for mortality and rarely think about feed quality. Weigh a sample of birds (5 per cent) weekly and monitor the growth.
Phase 3(13-17 weeks of age)
During this period, all resources are diverted into developing the entire reproductive system of the young pullet. The muscles and bones also complete their development during this time, and abdominal fat pad is established. At 16 weeks, majority of the birds should weigh from 1,355-1,410 grammes and should never be below 1,280g at 18 weeks of age. Train the birds to eat more feed at week 10-16 by practicing what we call 'empty feed technique'. This allows the birds to completely clear all the fine particles in the trough by mid-day. This will enable them to eat all the fine feed which is rich in minerals and amino acids (premix) for development. Keep birds without feed for 1-1.5 hours before giving the afternoon ratio.
Phase 4 (18-30 weeks of age)
Contrary to public thinking, birds still grow until they are 30 weeks. Do not withdraw the grower feed immediately you see an egg, rather be patient and continue grower diet until production is at least 10 per cent. Feed 60 per cent of the allocation in the afternoon and 40 per cent in the morning. The ovaries, oviduct and the follicles are developed, and hormones are produced during this period. To stimulate egg production, increase day length hours from 13 hours to 16 hours gradually over a period of two weeks. This is called photo stimulation.
