LFM is all about egg-laying poultry birds to produce commercial eggs. Actually, layer chickens are a special breed of hens. These chickens must be raised from the day-1 of their age. As a result, you’ll start getting eggs from their 18-19 weeks of age on a commercial basis.
House Preparation
Prior to delivery of the chicks
• Clean and disinfect cages or floor brooding area and equipment, the building interior and attached service areas and equipment.
• Check to make sure equipment is working properly and is adjusted to the right height.
• Remove all old feed from bins, hoppers, and troughs. Disinfect and allow to dry before new feed is delivered.
• Place rodenticide where it will not be consumed by the chicks.
One day before delivery
• Place heating system to get the correct brooding temperature.
• Check water system and adjust to proper height for chicks.
• Clean and disinfect the water system.
• Place rodenticide where it will not be consumed by the chicks.
On delivery day
• Have waterers full or water system in operation.
• Add water-soluable vitamins and electrolytes to encourage drinking.
• Check brooder temperatures.
• As chicks are placed, trigger water cups or nipples to encourage drinking.
• When nipple drinkers are used, reduce the water pressure so birds can see the drop of water hanging on the drinker.
• Feed should be placed on paper in cage.
• Operate feeders at highest feed level.
Pullet Management
Check-list
• Grow pullets in strict isolation from older birds. Maintain good sanitation. Plan work routines so that disease-causing agents cannot be carried from older birds to the growing pullets.
• During the first 6 weeks, operate feeders to provide feed at least twice daily. Starting at 2 to 3 weeks of age, check feed consumption and body weights against the body weight standards for the specific Hy-Line variety.
• Weigh at least 100 pullets weekly during the growing period, beginning at 2 to 3 weeks of age.
• Check water availability in each cage row daily. Check for and repair bleaks. Raise waterers as the birds grow (nipples higher than the birds’ heads; cups or troughs level with their backs).
•Plan and follow a vaccination schedule to fit the location. Remove mortality daily and dispose of properly. Examine for causes of excessive mortality.
• Three days before moving pullets to the laying house, begin using water-soluble vitamins and electrolytes in the drinking water. Continue for 3 days after housing. This helps minimize the stress of moving. Handle birds gently during transfer to avoid injuries.
• Pullets should be housed at 17 weeks of age, before the onset of sexual maturity.
Monitoring Body Weight
• Start monitoring body weight at 2 weeks of age.
• Continue monitoring until at least after the peak.
• Weigh at least 100 birds weekly, and compare with the standard curve of the breed.
• Influences:
• Nutrition
• Beak treatment
• Vaccination schedule
• Disease
• Crowding
Beak Treatment
• In the hatchery with infra-red, or at the farm between 7-10 days.
• If necessary, retrim between 12 to 14 weeks.
• Only use well-trained crews for beak trimming.
• Do not hurry, and don’t trim sick birds.
• Use electrolytes and vitamins (containing vitamin K) in the water 2 days before and 2 days after beak trimming.
• Keep feed at the highest level for several days after beak trimming. If a coccidiostat is used in the feed, supplement it with water-soluble coccidiostats until feed consumption returns to normal.
• If a second beak trimming is performed, the starter feed can be re-introduced for 1 to 3 weeks afterwards to account for the lower feed intake and ensure body weight gains.
Nest Training
• To avoid as many floor eggs as possible.
• After the transfer, encourage the chicks to explore the nests. Open the nest curtains, add some extra lighting, …
• Try not to have shadows in the lay house, as dark areas outside the nest will encourage floor eggs.
• Collect the eggs twice a day, and keep the nests clean and private.
Biosecurity
• Workers and visitors
• All workers and visitors entering the farm, should do so at a central location. Visitors should use a logbook to document their visits.
• Anyone having been on another poultry facility within 96 hours should not be permitted access.
• Clean boots, clothing, and head cover should be provided for everyone working or visiting the farm. Ideally, workers should be limited to a single house, and have dedicated clothing. Per person and per house.
• Clean footbaths containing disinfectant should be placed outside the entries to all poultry houses.
• The removal of old hens from the farm is a time when disease can be introduced. The trucks and crews used to transport old hens have often been on other farms.
Rodents
• Rodents are known carriers of many poultry diseases and they are the most common reason for re-contamination of a cleaned and disinfected poultry facility.
• They are also responsible for house-to-house spread of disease on a farm.
• The farm should be free of debris and tall grass that might provide cover for rodents.
• Feed and eggs should be stored in rodent-proof areas.
• Bait stations should be placed throughout the house and maintained with fresh rodenticide. Check and rebait them regularly!
General rules of thumb
• Try to prevent exposure of the flock to wild birds.
• Quickly and properly dispose of dead chicks.
• Cleaning and disinfection of the house between flocks serves to reduce the infection pressure for a new incoming flock.
• Flush and sanitize the water lines/system. All feed and manure should be removed from the housing before cleaning.
Mycoplasmosis
• Vertically transmitted disease.
• All BHV² PS flocks are free of Mycoplasmosis. Incubel guarantees the delivery of Mycoplasmosis-free chicks.
• Biosecurity
• Vaccination
• Egg yolk & equipment
• Company veterinary
Looking at rabbits do you have any thing for me(rabbit framing)
Thanks, but as of now we don’t have any rabbit concentrate
Thanks for tips
It’s good to give such advise to farmers
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