PRE PEAK, PEAK AND POST PEAK LAYING PERIOD AND MANAGEMENT

PRE PEAK MANAGEMENT:

OBJECTIVE:

* To promote and support the female reproductive performance as measured by early egg size, egg quantity level of peak production and persistency of lay.

* To bring the female in to lay by stimulating and supporting egg production using feed and light.

PRINCIPLES:

* Achievement of correct body weight during early lay leads to maximizing egg production and hatchability.

* More feed will develop abnormal ovarian structure and gain excess weight, resulting in poor egg quality eggs with low hatchability.

* Following details to be monitored regularly to adjust the feed.

* Body weight

* Health of the birds

* Feed quantity

* Eating up time

* Egg production and egg weight

* Poor production, egg weight and low body weight indicate poor nutrient

IMPORTANT PRODUCTION PARAMETERS, WHICH ARE TO BE MONITORED DURING PRE PEAK MANAGEMENT ARE,

PARAMETERS FREQUENCY

Body weight Weekly onceBody weight increment Weekly onceUniformity Weekly onceEgg production DailyEgg weight DailyEgg mass DailyEating up time DailyHealth DailyTemperature of the farm Daily

Suggested pre peak feeding program is given below:

1) For example suggested peak feed is 168 gm and 5% hen day feed is 125 gm

So Suggested peak feed minus feed at 5% HD

= 168 gm – 125 gm

= 43 gm

As peak feed should be given at 65% hen day production onwards

So Hen Day (HD %) production at which peak feed should be given minus 5% hen day production

= 65 % - 5%

= 60%

Then, 43 gm / 60% X 10%

= 7.1 gm

So for every 10% increase in hen day production, 7 grams (approximate) of feed increment is recommended. Conveniently for every increase of 5% hen day production, 3.5 to 4 grams of feed increment can be given.

PEAK MANAGEMENT:* Peak feed of 165 – 170 grams per bird per day is recommended depending upon the climate.

* Peak feed should provide 445 – 460 K. Cal of metabolic energy and 25 – 26 grans of crude protein per bird.

* Peak feed should be given at 65% hen day production onwards. It should be 165 – 170 grams at 65% hen day production.

* Factors like body weight, gain in body weight, egg weight, feed clean up time etc. should be considered while giving feed increment from 5% hen day to peak production

EGG WEIGHT MONITORING DURING PEAK PERIOD:

* Daily egg weight monitoring is important as its reflects production progress. Eggs weight should gradually increase till culling. Daily egg weight monitoring should be practiced from 5% HD production to peak production, thereafter in weekly basis.

* Generally, there is a rapid increase in egg weight from onset of lay till peak production. Stagnation or decline in egg weight for more than 3 days should be analyzed immediately and reasons should be rectified. Insufficient feed is the major reason for hold or decline in egg weight.

BODY WEIGHT MONITORING IN FEMALES DURING PEAK:

*During peak production, weight gain slow down i.e. 20 – 40 grams per week

FEED CLEAN-UP TIME DURING PEAK:

* Feed clean up time depends on type of feed, quantity of feed, season, production status, health and age of the bird. Generally feed is consumed within 4-5 hours in peak production.

* However pellet feed clean up time is substantially reduced.

* During hot season feed clean up time is delayed.

POST PEAK MANAGEMENT:

OBJECTIVE:

To ensure persistency of high level of egg production to get maximum number of fertile hatching eggs.

Feed withdrawal:

Birds reach physical maturity at around 32 weeks of age. That is muscle and skeletal growth stops at 32 weeks. Beyond this age, gain in body weight is mainly due to fat deposition. Abnormal weight gain during this period adversely affects persistency of production and causes rapid rise in egg weight and reduction in fertility. Ideally birds should put on 15 -20 grams of weight per week beyond 32 weeks of age.

*When production drops by 2% hen day (HD %) from peak for consecutive 5 – 7 days, withdrawal of feed should be started.

*For e.g. in a flock, peak production is achieved at 31 weeks and maintained till 33 weeks; production started declined 2% HD during 34th week and it remained like that for 5 days. In such case correct time to withdraw the feed is 6th days of the 34th week.

*One more method to decide the correct time of feed withdrawal is based on egg mass. When egg mass starts decline, initiate the withdrawal program.

*Maximum quantity of feed withdrawn at a time is 2 grams per bird.

*Post peak feed withdrawal helps to maintain production, to regulate body weight gain and to control egg weight.

MALE MANAGEMENT DURING LAYING PERIOD:

* The nose clips to be cut after 32 weeks and once after the development of comb.

* Proper Male – Female ratio has to be maintained as per specification

Age (Weeks) Males %22 - 29 1130 - 39 1040 - 49 9.550 - 59 860 - 68 8.5

* Evaluate the male breast shape by hand. Keep U –shaped breast for as long as possible. The breast muscle should be tight in consistency.

* Rejection of defected males. Criteria are such as

: Physically damaged

: Leg problems (Bumble foot)

: Vent colour (Pale and Dry vent)

: Hunch back

: V-shape breast (Under flesh)

: Curled & Crooked toes

: Shy males.

: Intra Spiking:

* After 40 weeks intra-spiking is to done i.e. 50% of the males in between the pens. It should be done during evening time. The intra spiking to be dome during 40th, 50th and 60th weeks.

Note: Ensure the intra spiking males to be free from weak, overweight, bumble foot, V shaped, vent dryness, deformity, egg eating males, shy males.