Culling Poor Layers

CULLING POOR LAYERS

Consider the following pointers in culling poor layers:

Characteristics Description

Comb, wattle, earlobes Small pale, cold, shrunken and dry.

Pubic bones (2 small bones Close together, only one finger can

extending along the sides of be placed between them, thick and

the vent) hard.

Vent Small, dry puckered and round.

Abdomen Hard with thick skin, contracted.

Span (distance between end About 1-2 fingers in width.

of breast bone and ends of

pubic bones)

Pigmentation (yellow Remains yellow even after months

beak and shanks) in laying pen

FEEDING MANAGEMENT

BROLER/MEAT TYPE

♦ Broiler commercial rations are fed to the birds during the first 5 weeks

and from then on are replaced by the broiler-finisher ration.

♦ All purpose of straight broiler ration is fed from the start to the marketing

age of eight weeks.

♦ Commercial broiler feeds contain additives considered to be growth

promoting substances. Feed additives make the production of broiler

profitable and help broiler farmers control diseases. Purchase feeds from

feed dealers nearest your place.

LAYER/EGG TYPE

♦ Starter mash is given to chicks from day old to 8-10 weeks old.

♦ Growing mash is given to birds aged 8-10 weeks until they are 5 months

old or when the egg production reaches 10 percent. This mash promotes

pullet growth at a rate that is just right to allow the bird to develop its body

and internal organs so that it will start to lay at the right time.

♦ The bird should not be allowed to get fat during the growing period

because this causes poor egg production and high mortality among layers.

A good way of preventing fatness among the pullets is to restrict their feed

to 85 percent of normal consumption when they are 18-16 weeks old then

full fed them at 17-20 weeks of age.

♦ Laying mash is given to pullets when they are about to lay (10 percent or

until the layers are replaced) or when they reach 19 weeks of age.

♦ Wetting the mash or instituting wet mash-feeding at noon during hot days

will increase appetite of the birds.

Adopt a regular system of feeding because chickens resent abrupt

changes in feeding habits that gets reflected in their performance,

especially on egg production.

NUTRITION AND FEEDING

Table I. Daily feed requirements of layers (White Leghorn) according

to size of bird and number of eggs laid

Number of eggs Per 100hens/day	Body weight kg.				Water requirement
	1.4	1.8	2.3	2.7
	Feed required/100birds/day

0	5.9	7.2	8.4	9.6	Moderate
					Temperature = 5-7
10	6.3	7.6	8.9	10.0
20	6.7	8.0	9.3	10.4
30	7.1	8.4	9.7	10.9
40	7.5	8.8	10.1	11.2	High temperature
50	8.0	9.2	10.5	11.6	= 7.9
60	8.4	9.6	10.9	12.0
70	8.8	10.0	11.7	12.5
80	9.2	10.4	11.7	12.8
90	9.6	10.8	12.1	13.3
100	10.0	11.2	12.5	13.7

Table 2. : Minimum nutrient requirements of chicken under Philippine condition.

Feed Compositions

1. Find the nutritive value of the following rations(

Dahomey

) using granaria and check with requirements.

Inredients	Chicks	Layers	Broilers

Maize	26.80	29.5	31.50
Sorghum (=Milocorn)	35.0	35.0	35.0
Fishmeal(Peru)	6.0	3.5	4.0
Skimmilk powder	5.0	5.0	5.0
Groundnutcake	21.5	15.0	18.5
Lucernemeal(16-18%cp)	3.0	3.0	3.0
Shells (37% Ca	1.0	7.0	1.0
Dicalciumphosphate(23% Ca)	1.0	1.4	1.4
Salt	0.3	0.3	0.3
Vitaminconcentrate	0.3	0.3	0.3
	100	100	100