Laying hen breeding technology

Laying hens are chickens raised specifically to lay eggs to supply eggs. Eggs are the main source of income for raising laying hens. Different from broiler chickens, the main task of raising laying hens is to improve egg quality and maintain or increase egg production, but not to improve chicken meat quality. Scientific breeding technology is the prerequisite for high yield of laying hens.

Feeding and management techniques of laying hens before laying

A few weeks before delivery is the transitional stage from the growing period to the laying period of the hen. At this stage, not only a series of work such as herding, selection and elimination, immunization, feed replacement and increasing light should be carried out, which will cause great stress to the chickens, but also during this period, the hens have drastic physiological changes, sensitivity, weak adaptability and poor disease resistance. if the feeding management is improper, it is very easy to affect the performance of egg production. The following aspects should be paid attention to in the feeding and management of laying hens before laying.

1. Pre-preparation for changing to the group and being caged.

The henhouse and equipment have a great influence on the health and production of laying hens. The chicken coop and its equipment should be overhauled before being transferred to the cage, and the feeding system, drinking water system, power supply and lighting system, ventilation and ventilation system, drainage system, cages, cage racks and other equipment should be carefully inspected. If there is any abnormality, the chicken coop and equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. The steps are to clean the feces, dust and dirt on the floor, roof and walls of the chicken coop, and then rinse the chicken coop and equipment with high-pressure water. Spray disinfectant solution to disinfect after drying, and disinfect the articles used at the same time. In addition, the necessary appliances, medicines, equipment, record forms and feed should be prepared, and the feeding personnel should be arranged.

2. The layers are transferred to the cage.

① cage age: modern high-yield crossbred laying hens usually see their eggs in about 17 weeks, so they must be caged before 16-17 weeks of age, so that new hens have a period of time to familiarize themselves with and adapt to the environment before laying, form a harmonious group sequence, and have sufficient time for vaccination and other work. If caged too late, the start of laying will be delayed and the laying rate will rise. Hens that have already started may stop production due to strong stress such as herding, and some chickens may even cause yolk peritonitis and increase the number of dead eggs.

② selection and elimination: modern high-yield hybrid chickens require good growth and development, uniform and tidy. If uneven, it will seriously affect the production performance. When entering the cage, the small, thin and weak chickens and the remnant chickens with no feeding value should be removed according to the breed requirements, and the high-quality chickens with lively spirit, strong physique and suitable weight should be selected.

③ classification into the cage: even if the breeding period is well managed, due to genetic and feeding management and other factors, there will still be some smaller chickens and larger chickens in the flock, if they are eliminated, it is bound to increase the cost, and the cage position in the laying hens can not be fully utilized, so leave the smaller and larger chickens in different cages and take special measures to strengthen management to make them uniform and tidy. If the chicken is installed in the middle cage on the south side with high temperature and plenty of sunshine, the nutrition should be increased appropriately to promote its growth and development, and the feeding of too big chicken should be restricted properly. According to the number of chickens contained in the chicken cage, there are enough chickens in each single cage at a time to avoid bullying chickens who enter the cage first and then enter the cage.

3. Immunization of laying hens

Vaccination should be carried out before the start of production, which is very important to prevent the occurrence of epidemic disease during the laying period. The immunization procedure is reasonable, in line with the actual situation of this field, the source of the vaccine is reliable, the preservation is good, the quality is guaranteed, the vaccination route is appropriate, the operation is correct, and the dose is accurate. The vaccination effect should be checked after vaccination and antibody testing should be carried out if necessary to ensure the vaccination effect so that the chicken flocks have sufficient antibody levels to prevent the occurrence of diseases.

4. Deworming treatment of laying hens

Do a good job of deworming before starting production. 110-130-day-old chickens were fed with levamisole 20 mg / kg body weight or Qushuanling 200 mg / kg body weight, once a day for 2 days to dispel Ascaris lumbricoides, and 100 mg / kg dichlorophenol / kg body weight, 200 mg / kg body weight, once a day for 2 days to ward off tapeworms. When coccidia oocysts are seriously contaminated, anti-coccidial drugs should be used continuously for 5 days after caging.

5. Light control of laying hens.

Light has a great effect on the reproductive function of chickens. Increasing light can stimulate sex hormone secretion and promote egg production, while shortening light will inhibit sex hormone secretion, thus inhibiting ovulation and egg laying. Through the light control of laying hens, to stimulate and maintain the balance of laying eggs. In addition, the light can regulate the sexual maturity of the reserve chicken and make the hen give birth neatly, so the light control before and after the birth is very important. The modern hybrid lines with high yield already have the ability to start production earlier, and the light stimulation in advance can appropriately advance the starting time of new hens, which is helpful to reduce the feeding cost.

Chickens whose body weight meets the requirements or is slightly larger than the standard weight can increase the light hours to 13 hours at the age of 16 to 17 weeks, and then increase by 20 minutes per week until the light hours reach 16 hours, while the chickens with low body weight should begin to light stimulation at the age of 18 to 20 weeks. Light hours should be gradually increased, if the sudden increase of light time is too long, easy to cause anus prolapse, light intensity should be appropriate, should not be too strong or too weak, too strong easy to produce pecking, too weak will not play a stimulating role. The light intensity of the new hen bred in the sealed house is too weak, and the light intensity before and after the opening of the hen should be 10: 15 lux. The new hen bred in the open house is affected by the natural light and the light is strong. The light intensity should be kept in the range of 15 lux before and after laying, otherwise the light effect is poor.

6. Feeding and management of laying hens

Feeding before the beginning of production affects not only the increase of egg laying rate and the duration of egg production peak, but also the death rate.

① changed feed at the right time: the calcium deposition ability of bone was the strongest 2 weeks before laying. In order to increase hen yield, reduce egg breakage rate and reduce the occurrence of fatigue in laying hens, the content of calcium in diet should be 0. 5% from 17 weeks old. 9% to 2. 5%. When the laying rate reaches 20% ~ 30%, replace it with a diet containing 3. 5% calcium. 5% laying hens diet.

② guarantee feed intake: free food intake should be restored before the opening of production, so that chickens are full, ensure balanced nutrition and promote the increase of egg production rate.

③ guarantee drinking water: at the beginning of production, the chicken body metabolism is exuberant, water demand is large, it is necessary to ensure adequate drinking water. Insufficient drinking water will affect the egg laying rate, and there will be more prolapse of the anus.

7. reduce the stress response of laying hens.

① reasonably arranges working time and reduces stress. The time of turning to the cage and vaccination should be arranged in the evening, and the action of catching, transporting and entering the cage should be light. Before entering the cage, add material to the laying hen trough, inject water into the tank, and maintain the appropriate light intensity, so that the chicken can drink water and food immediately after entering the cage, and familiarize itself with the environment as soon as possible. Keep the working procedure stable, and there should be a transition period when changing feed.

② uses anti-stress additives. There are many stress factors before parturition, anti-stress agents can be added to feed or drinking water to alleviate stress, such as vitamin C, instant multi-dimensional, fumaric acid and sedative chlorpromazine.

8. Hygiene of breeding environment for laying hens

After being caged, the chicken is not familiar with the environment, coupled with a series of management procedures, causing greater stress to the chicken, with the increase of the laying rate, the chicken body metabolism is exuberant, the resistance is poor, and is extremely vulnerable to pathogens, so it is necessary to strengthen epidemic prevention and health work. Prevent outsiders from entering the breeding area and chicken sheds. Breeders should be disinfected before entering, keep the environment, drinking water and feed of the henhouse sanitary, and carry out disinfection with chickens and disinfection inside and outside the chicken farm regularly to reduce the incidence of diseases. In addition, pay attention to the use of some antibiotics and Chinese herbal medicine to prevent the occurrence of colibacillosis and mycoplasmosis.

9. Strengthen the observation of the behavior of laying hens

Observe the increase of feed intake, respiration, feces and egg laying rate of chickens, and find that the problems are solved in time. Before and after the birth of the chicken, the physiological changes are drastic, sensitive and easy to hang the neck, tie wings and other phenomena, should be more inspection, early detection and treatment, in order to reduce death. Pay attention to observation, timely find prolapse chicken, anus-pecking chicken, bullied chicken and sick and disabled chicken, pick out and deal with it.

Feeding and management techniques of laying hens during production period

1. Stage feeding of laying hens

The laying period of commercial laying hens was divided into three stages, and each stage was fed with diets with different nutrition levels to meet their laying needs.

In the early stage of ① laying, that is, from the beginning of laying to the peak of egg production (40 weeks old), the laying rate is more than 80%. (if the breeding period is good, it usually starts at about 20 weeks of age, reaches the peak of egg production at 26-28 weeks, and is still above 80% at 40 weeks of age.) during this period, the contents of protein, calcium and other nutrients in the diet should increase with the increase of the laying rate of chickens. The crude protein content of the diet of light laying hens should be 18% Magi ME 2860 kcal / kg (29035 degrees in hot days should be reduced to 2640 mins, 10degrees 13 degrees should be increased to 3080 kcal / kg), calcium 3.2%, 3.4% in hot days. Each animal consumes 105g per day. Make sure to eat 18.9g protein (more important than the content index in the diet).

In the middle stage of ② laying, that is, the period after the peak of egg production, the laying rate is 70% to 80%. During this period, the dietary protein and calcium content in this period should vary with the laying rate of the flock. The crude protein content in the diet of light laying hens should be 16.5% ME 2860 kcal / kg, (same as the previous period), 10% 13 degrees calcium 3.0% 18 degrees 21 degrees calcium 3.2% 29 degrees 35 degrees calcium 3.2% 29 degrees 35 degrees calcium 3.4%. Each animal consumes 104g of food per day and is guaranteed to eat 17.2 g of protein.

In the later stage of egg production, the laying rate of ③ was less than 70%. (after 60 weeks of age) During this period, the nutritional content of protein, calcium and other nutrients in the diet should change with the increase or decrease of the laying rate of chickens. Light laying hens diet: when the temperature is 10: 13 degrees containing 14% protein, ME3080 kcal / kg, calcium 3.2%, temperature 18: 21 degrees, crude protein content should be 15% ME 2860 kcal / kg, calcium 3.4%, temperature 29: 35 degrees containing protein 16%, ME2640 kcal / kg calcium 3.7%. Each animal consumes 99g per day. Make sure to eat 14.9g of protein.

There are also two stages of feeding: the early stage of laying (to 42 weeks of age) and the later stage (after 42 weeks of age).

2. Do a good job in controlling the age of first birth.

The adoption of sexual maturity fasting method has a good effect on delaying the first birth age of breeding chickens, improving egg laying performance, and making the flock high and stable yield. The specific approach is: from the chicken laying rate reached 5%, fasting for 8 days for 10 days.

3. Scientific feeding time and times

In order to maintain the exuberant appetite of the flock, there must be a certain amount of time to fix the trough every day, so that the feed will not be stored in the trough for a long time, so that the chickens will have the bad habit of anorexia and picky eating.

4. Drinking water should be timely

If the water is cut off for 24 hours, the egg production will be reduced by 30%, and it will take 25 to 30 days to return to normal. If the water is cut off for 36 hours, the egg production will not return to the original level. If the water is cut off for more than 36 hours, some chickens will stop laying eggs, resulting in molting. Therefore, adequate drinking water must be supplied in a timely manner.

5. Feed some health sand in the right amount

Whether it is breeder chickens or commercial laying hens, gravel should be replenished frequently, especially for caged chickens. The size of the gravel should be moderate, with a diameter of 4mm to 5mm. The feeding method is as follows: flat-raised chickens can be placed in sand troughs, and caged chickens can be mixed in feed at a proportion of 0.5%.

6. Laying hens should be taken good care of before and after laying, and do a good job of deworming and epidemic prevention.

All kinds of epidemic prevention should be done before laying eggs, otherwise it will not only cause great stress to the chickens, but also affect the effect of the vaccine. Deworming should be arranged around 110 days of age.

7. It is important to rectify the flock of chickens

The weak laying hens should be raised separately before the opening of the laying hens, so as to make the laying hens uniform and tidy, and take special care of the weak laying hens. At this time, the beak should be cut off 1 time according to the situation.

8. It is necessary to inspect the chicken cage.

If the laying hens are caged before laying, the cages should be carefully inspected and repaired in time to prevent the eggs from being damaged. According to the actual production, the breakage rate of eggs has been very high because the chicken cages are not in good condition.

9. Adjusting the diet is indispensable.

Before and after 110 days of age, if the growth and development of laying hens meet the standard, the feed can be adjusted timely, and the feed can be changed directly to the laying feed (not mixed with shell powder first). Up to 5% of the laying hens are fed with full-price egg-laying feed to meet the nutritional needs of laying hens.

10. Increase the light as soon as possible

With the beginning of laying hens, it is necessary to gradually increase the light, and it is appropriate to shine for 17 hours during the peak time of laying hens. It is better to replenish light in the morning and evening, and the light should not be reduced at will after the opening of production.

In addition, the laying hens are energetic and highly neurotic, so they should avoid disturbing the laying hens and produce stress as far as possible.

Management techniques of laying in the second stage of laying hens

The laying rate and the number of eggs in the second stage of laying hens were slightly lower than those in the early stage. However, it can save a lot of expenses and trouble of buying chicks and raising chicks, and the second stage laying hens have stronger disease resistance, lower mortality and little difference in feed and egg ratio. According to the comprehensive calculation, the economic benefit is still considerable. The utilization techniques of the second laying period of laying hens are introduced as follows:

1. Forced molting to lay eggs early

Forced molting can lay eggs 3-4 weeks earlier than natural molting. There are two ways:

① starvation method: when the laying rate of chickens drops to about 30%, stop replenishing artificial light, stop feeding for about 7 days, but do not stop water, and then give each chicken 30MH 40g per day for 10 days, and then freely feed laying hens. This method of molting is suitable for 20% of chicken body weightlessness and 30% of chicken body weight loss.

② chemical method: when 20% of the chickens in the flock are depilated, 2% of the zinc oxide (4.5g of each chicken) is added to the chicken feed and fed continuously for 10 days without stopping the feed and water, and the light is normal. The molting effect of the above two methods is better.

2. Increase the weight of eggs and sell more money

The bigger the weight of the chicken in the second laying period, the bigger the eggs will be. Therefore, from the later stage of molting, it is necessary to conscientiously strengthen feeding and management, feed nutritious and comprehensive formula feed, appropriately restrict activities, promote repetition and strength, and approach or exceed the body weight before resuming egg laying. Lay the foundation for laying more large eggs in this period.

The feed level of the hens in the second laying period was slightly higher than that in the first laying period. When egg production rises, metabolic energy should not be less than 12.12-12.55 megajoules / kg, crude protein 18% MJ 19%. Please refer to the following feed formula: corn 62%, soybean meal 18%, wheat bran 5%, imported fish meal 7%, bone meal 1%, shell powder 7%, salt 0.4%, trace elements 0.1%, multivitamin 2/10000. The egg laying period was delayed for 2-3 days to be replaced to be eliminated.

3. The method of feeding management should be changed.

The focus of feeding and management in the second laying period is to create more laying conditions for hens and to promote hens to lay more eggs and lay big eggs. The feed should be fed regularly and rationally, three times a day, and once in the evening (such as corn, rice, sorghum, etc.). Each chicken should be fed not less than 120g per day, and about 25g of green feed should be fed every day. To adjust the temperature of the chicken house, it is best to keep 10 ℃, warm in winter and cool in summer, the environment is comfortable, and the light is kept for 16 hours every day and night. When replenishing the light artificially, install a white flag bulb of 25ml and 40 watts according to 812 square meters. The density requirement is suitable, it is appropriate to raise 8 birds per square meter on the ground (ground grid) and 3 animals in each group. Strangers, dogs, cats and rats are not allowed to enter the henhouse, thunderstorm weather is guarded, strictly guard against alarm, prevent feed mutation, generally do not easily change groups, and groups, will affect egg production, resulting in losses. When it is used as a breeder chicken, the improved young rooster of this breed should be put in 2 Murray 3 weeks before hatching, which can increase the hatching rate by about 10%.

4. do a good job in the prevention and control of epidemic diseases.

Low-yield, weak and sickly hens should be removed and eliminated before molting. According to the epidemic situation and immunization procedure, the hens were vaccinated and dewormed. Feed and drinking water regularly, alternately add antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and other disease prevention drugs. Timely sweep chicken house feces, often use 2% caustic soda water, 20% quicklime water supernatant, 30% hot plant ash water or other chemical disinfectants spray disinfection. Frequently padding dry soil or fine sand, keeping fresh air in the chicken house, clean and sanitary, and deep burial treatment of sick and dead chickens can effectively control the occurrence of epidemic disease.

Breeding and management techniques of laying hens in high temperature season

The arrival of the high temperature season is a serious threat to the poultry industry. When the ambient temperature exceeds 30 degrees, how to prevent the death of chickens caused by heat stress, increase feed intake, improve feed returns, and increase the laying rate of laying hens.

1. Strengthen the heat insulation and cool down the chicken house. After investigation, the chicken sheds built by the majority of farmers are relatively simple, small span, low height, poor thermal insulation and cooling ability. To this end, the roof can be covered with a layer of low-cost asbestos tiles, the distance between asbestos tiles and the roof is about 20mur25cm, which has a good thermal insulation effect and can prevent rain. The walls around the chicken house are coated with lime water, which can not only disinfect but also reflect light to cool down. Taking the above measures can generally lower the temperature by about 6 degrees. If there is no thermal insulation setting, the roof sprinkler can be used to reduce the temperature.

2. Do a good job in greening and create a good small ecological environment. Planting turf can effectively absorb solar thermal radiation around the chicken house and without affecting the ventilation of the chicken house. Good greening can give full play to its role of humidification and cooling and regulating the environment and microclimate.

3. Strengthen ventilation to prevent high temperature and humidity. In hot and windless weather, when the temperature in the house exceeds 35 degrees, the chicken will get heatstroke. At this time, it is necessary to strengthen ventilation and cool down to facilitate the heat dissipation of the chicken, improve the gas quality in the house, prevent heatstroke and reduce death. Conditional use of longitudinal ventilation, that is, along the longitudinal axis of the chicken house for ventilation, the wind speed is generally 76 meters / min, the cooling effect can reach 5 Murray 8 degrees. Secondly, it is necessary to maintain appropriate humidity. The most suitable humidity for laying hens is 60 Murray 55%. When using water curtain to cool down, it should be noted that if the relative humidity is more than 72%, it is not conducive to chicken heat dissipation, too high or too low can easily lead to disease.

4. Reduce the feeding density as much as possible. Reducing the feeding density can reduce the heat production of the chicken body, avoid the stress when the chickens squeeze each other, help the chickens dissipate heat, keep the chicken house quiet, and obviously increase the feed reward. It is better for caged chickens to have no more than 15 medium layers per square meter. (under good conditions, the full cushion floor is 5.3 / sq m, the net level mixed floor (40% cushion floor, 60% mesh surface or lath) 6.2 / sq m, 8.3 / sq m on the net lath and 20.8 / sq m in cage)

5. Changing the feeding time and reducing the disturbance to the flock can reduce the amount of exercise and reduce the production of body heat. If chickens encounter great stimulation, they will be in a high state of tension, resulting in a large demand for vitamins in the body, thus affecting their production performance and increasing mortality. At the same time, ensure an adequate supply of fresh cold water throughout the day. It can avoid dieting and help the chickens cool down.

6. Adjust the feed formula and grain shape, and properly supplement the anti-heat stress additive.

① adjust feed: the experiment shows that when the summer house temperature reaches 30 degrees, the feed intake decreases by 1.5% for every increase of 1 degree, and the temperature exceeds 38 degrees, and the chicken's appetite is eliminated. Therefore, while lowering the temperature, feed with good palatability, such as pellets, should be fed. For example, chicken farmers with self-made ingredients can reduce energy feed such as corn and oil by 5%, and use part of cooked soybean powder to increase feed protein by 1%, 2%, so as to ensure that laying hens still have enough protein for production needs in the event of a reduction in food intake. Proper increase of calcium, such as gravel and shell powder, can increase digestive function and eggshell thickness and reduce egg breakage. Supplementing vitamin C in the diet can significantly alleviate heat stress and increase the laying rate of laying hens by 9%, or 0.1-0.25% sodium bicarbonate is added to the feed to adjust the pH of chickens, reduce the stress of chickens to high temperature, and achieve normal production.

7. Remove feces regularly. Practice has proved that if the feces are not removed for a long time, a large amount of ammonia is bound to be produced in the henhouse, and the removal of feces is particularly important in the high temperature season. When the concentration of ammonia in the house exceeds 30 × 10-6, it will affect egg laying. In order to provide a good production environment for chickens, it is necessary to regularly remove feces, improve the environment in the house and improve their production level.

② light management: according to the age of the chicken, the light hours are constant, the light time is set in the early morning, and the light time is set in the morning, so that 80% of the daily egg production is laid within 4-5 hours after the light is turned on, while at noon high temperature time chickens can drink water freely, have a full rest, reduce the exercise of chickens, do not turn on the lights at night, and make the house temperature drop gradually, and the chickens are not active, which can improve their ability to resist high temperature.

Feeding and management of laying hens in autumn

After the influence of continuous high temperature in the early stage, the chicken had decreased appetite, poor digestion, weak physique, slow growth and development, low body weight, and the laying rate of laying hens decreased. After the cool weather in autumn, attention should be paid to the following aspects.

1. Daily management. Observe the spirit, appetite and feces of the chickens when feeding every morning and evening. Those with mental malaise, loss of appetite and abnormal stool should be further isolated and examined.

2. Strengthen nutrition. After entering the autumn, the cold and warm air alternates, for the hen that lays eggs for a long time, the body is tired, if careless management, it is very easy to stop production and molt, at this time, it is necessary to increase the nutritional level of the diet, properly supplement animal protein feed and multi-vitamins, and configure enough troughs and sinks to ensure that each chicken has a suitable place to eat and drink.

3. Reduce the impact of climate change, so that the range of small climate change in the chicken house is not too large, and reduce the temperature difference between day and night. For broilers raised outside the house, when the temperature is too high during the day, drive the chickens to the shade of the trees or in the Arbor, and drive the chickens into the house when the temperature is low at night.

4. Supplement artificial light. Laying hens need to increase artificial light for 1 to 14 hours in natural light less than 12 hours, especially after late September, and it is more convenient to supplement it twice in the morning and evening. For broilers, light only needs to provide lighting that is convenient for eating and drinking, and the natural light is generally 8-14 hours a day.

5. Control the density and divide the groups reasonably. According to the conditions of day age, feeding and ventilation, the suitable density of ground free feeding is 30-25 animals per square meter at the age of 1-20 days, and 20-15 birds per square meter at the age of 21-40 days. Timely and reasonable grouping according to the age and the size of the chicken coop.

6. The henhouse is required to be dry and well ventilated. Make the air in the henhouse fresh and free of odor.

7. The system of "all in and all out". Generally speaking, according to the capacity of the henhouse, the chickens in each house should be sold in turn, and then the farm will be cleared for three or five days. During this period, the whole chicken house and its equipment and appliances will be thoroughly disinfected, including the environment around the chicken house.

Factors affecting the decline of egg production in laying hens

1. Environmental factors

The change of ① light program or light intensity: such as changing the light color at any time, stopping the light suddenly, shortening the light time, weakening the light intensity, irregular light time, growing and shortening, early and late, shining and stopping, forgetting to turn off the light at night, etc.

② is seriously insufficient ventilation, no ventilation for a long time and so on.

③ natural severe weather attack: without preparation or prevention, suddenly hit by a heat wave, typhoon or cold snap.

④ water cut-off for a long time: the water supply is insufficient or cut off for a long time due to the failure of the water supply system or forgetting to turn on the switch.

2. Feed factor. Significant changes in feed composition or problems in quality can lead to changes in egg production. Such as the sudden change of the kinds of raw materials in the diet, uneven mixing of feed, mildew deterioration of feed, replacement of fish meal and yeast powder, high salt content, high addition of stone powder, replacing cooked bean cake with raw bean cake, forgetting to add salt in feed, etc. reduce the feed intake of chickens and cause indigestion. The laying rate is normal and the weight of the chicken does not lose, indicating that the feed quantity and nutrition standard are in line with the physiological needs of the chicken, and there is no need to change the feed formula.

3. Chickens get sick. Acute and chronic infectious diseases can cause a sudden decline in the egg production of chickens. If chickens are attacked by virulent Newcastle disease, the egg production is often reduced by more than 50%. Infection with egg drop syndrome can reduce the egg laying rate by 20% to 40%. If mixed infection with other diseases, the egg production rate is reduced by more than 20%. In addition, chickens infected with infectious bronchitis, infectious laryngotracheitis, cholera, coccidiosis, colibacillosis, avian influenza and so on, will greatly reduce the laying rate.