Data for broiler hatchery estimates are collected.Culling hens refers to the identification and removal of the non-laying or low producing hens from a laying flock. On an average rate, a hen requires nearly 12 hours of sufficient day light for the stimulation of the ovaries.Approximately 500 contractors, independent egg producers, and pullet only operations are contacted each month. Lighting Conditions and Shorter Days: One reason for which the egg production might be slowed down is due to the shorter days. Here are the 16 reasons that might initiate a decrease in the rate of chicken egg production.
Some breeds begin when they are older.Two types of culling are usually used to remove the inferior birds: (1) sight culling at the time of housing and (2) culling by individual inspection, which evaluates the bird's ability to lay or her past productive performance. Removing the cull birds will make more feed and space for more productive birds.A chicken (called a pullet until she is a year old), begins laying eggs when she is about 18 to 20 weeks old or so. Hens eat feed whether or not they are laying. There are a few ways to naturally boost egg production and encourage your hens to lay in winter.Removing the inferior birds reduces the cost of producing eggs, reduces the incidence of disease, and increases the available space for more productive hens. The following topics will address the molting process:Ways to naturally increase winter egg production in chickens: It is natural for chickens to take a break from laying eggs, it is a time for renewing the feathers and restocking the resources ready for the next years laying season.
It is most economical to remove these birds from the flock as soon as you notice them. Give the birds a chance to mature if they show characteristics that they may develop into good layers.Remove any bird which has a permanent genetic or injury-produced deformity such as crossed beak, slipped wing, one or both eyes blind, or any leg deformity that can interfere with the bird's ability to mate or to reach feed, water, or the laying nest. Allow two and one-half to three square feet of floor space for each hen from light breeds and three to four square feet for each hen from heavy breeds of chickens.Do not be too critical when evaluating the pullet's size and development, since some good laying hens mature late. The number of birds culled partly depends on space available in the laying house.
In the small laying flock the hens should be culled about eight to ten weeks after being placed in the laying house. In commercial egg laying operations the birds are not usually culled after being placed in the laying house unless the birds become diseased or crippled. Remove these birds from the flock as soon as possible to avoid disease problems that may spread to the flock.The modern egg producing strains of chickens usually have fewer poor producing hens if you manage the birds properly as pullets. Small, pale combs and wattles generally indicate chronic poor health.
Handle the birds as little as possible so that production will not be greatly reduced. A flashlight with the lens covered with blue cellophane will make it easier to detect poor layers without disturbing the flock. CharacterCulling at night is recommended, since the birds are less likely to be frightened and reduce egg production. Body characteristics will indicate if the bird is capable of being a good layer. Often you can detect the non-laying or poor producing birds by observing the condition of the comb and head characteristics. It also provides extra time for the development of the slower maturing pullets.
The beak may either be fully bleached or becoming bleached.In contrast to the good layer, the poor layer usually has smaller, poorly colored wattles and comb as well as dull, sunken dyes which reflect low vitality. The eye rings will be bleached, indicating an onset of lay. The head will be trim and refined with large, bright eyes that reflect proper health. The comb and wattles will be large, bright red, and glossy. Culling a diseased or molting flock often removes some of the better laying birds.The general condition of a good layer will reflect health and vitality.
The depth of the abdomen is measured between the tip of the keel or breast bone and the pubic bones. The abdomen should be deep, soft, and pliable without an accumulation of body fat. They should be flexible and wide apart, with at least two finger widths between them. The two small bones at the sides of the vent are called the pubic bones.
The distance between the pubic bones is one finger width or less. The pubic bones are usually stiff and close together when the hen is not laying. Pullets and non- laying hens have a depth of about two finger widths between the pubic bones and keel.
The beak will often have a striped appearance then. It takes from four to eight weeks for the beak to bleach after the hen begins laying eggs. The beak will lose its color, progressing from the base to the tip. In leghorn strains the eye ring bleaching is closely followed by bleaching of the ear lobes.The beak is the first significant portion of the body generally used to judge the bleaching effect of egg production. A good producing hen will have a white, pink, or bluish-white vent.The eye rings start to bleach soon after the vent and are usually completely bleached within the first two weeks of lay.
The speed at which the color returns depends on the type of feed and the state of the bird's health, but it usually returns in about half the time required to bleach.Each year chickens molt, or lose the older feathers, and grow new ones. The shanks have no coloring between two and six months after the onset of continuous lay.When the hen ceases to lay, the body parts are recolored in the same order as they were bleached, with the vent first and the shanks last. The pigment bleaches from the shanks in this order: bottom of feet, front of shank, back of shank, and hock joint. A hen whose beak is fully pigmented has not laid for at least four weeks.Bleaching of pigment from the shanks is a good indicator of a long production time. If is often used as a bleaching indicator when the upper beak has a heavy brown or black pigment.
Usually 10 primary feathers on each wing are separated from the smaller secondary feathers by a short axial feather.
0 kommentar(er)
