Feed Production For Ideal Layers Hen Productivity
The advent of self-milling in layers poultry production is one of utmost importance and great potential for maximizing profit for egg farmers. Feed production beyond reasonable doubt is one of the most profitable venture one can engage in, to multiply cash and reap benefits on monetary investment, but this should not just spur you into making a speedy investment in the poultry egg business without being abreast of the fact and knowledgeable of the secret know-how in the business.
Among many secrets in this egg business, is the knowledge of feed formulation. A sound knowledge of feed formulation can either yield you great profit or cost you huge loss when you invest in the layers business, for the simple reason that feed cost constitutes 70-75% on the average of total running (maintenance) cost of a layers farm after the initial cost of setting up the farm with the initial Capital cost.
Layers hen feed production method in terms of energy requirement, protein intake, minerals, and vitamins requirements varies from bird to bird, and at different life cycle (stages) of the laying bird too.
Feed group-type required for the layers pullet ideal growth and efficiency in egg production include; chick mash (popularly called starter), growers feed, and the final layers mash. When layers feed is ideally formulated and fed to birds at the right stage, and continued over their life time, production has ALWAYS gotten to as high as 93% and a minimum of 75% less than two months after the first egg drop is observed.
The candid fact is that when ideally fed and management practices are rightly carried out over a particular stock of laying hen, and the breed is also rightly sourced and well vaccinated from day old to the point of lay stage, they are bound to lay actively with a progressive increase in egg size for 18 months. This may sound too good to be true, but hold your chills, and let me do a run down on the expected performance right from the first egg you would ever pick from your bird flock. Early “droppers” start around 17th weeks of age, and late starters between 21-22 weeks of age. On the average, 18th weeks old layers that commence lay is still perfectly inline, and should be a bench mark or basis for our analysis. Get nothing twisted here, layers don’t just commence lay because they are of age, they actually commence lay of eggs as a result of their body weight.
Only one thing is ideally responsible for this NECESSARY weight gain, which is simply, digested and utilized feed consumed by the laying hen. For this same reason, even laying hens at peak can go into a process of moulting if feed is withdrawn from them over a period of time and this is ALWAYS seen in their stoppage of lay, even though they are at their prime as at the time the feed was withdrawn. You may ask why? The simple reason is that stored energy is being used up for other body metabolic activities, hence the energy required to raise or maintain an adequate body weight for efficient laying, is utilized to keep body operations running.
It is also worthy to note that, body weight gain requirement for laying efficiently varies from one breed of bird to another, and is also temperature dependent at certain time of the year, and region that birds find themselves per time. For instance, laying birds require a little more energy during lower temperature days/seasons than they do on warmer days, for the fact that more energy is required to buffer for the cold to provide warmth for the laying flocks for a smooth continuous metabolic system operation.
Now back to our discussion on period/duration of lay to be expected from a well raised, vaccinated, and well-fed pullet, in other to benefit the farmer profitably.
When the first egg is seen, a record should be taken of the date, as this is crucial to the entire stock/flock assessment of lay, as the record become their new bench mark. After the first egg is seen, they are still advised to be fed with the same growers feed, as is being used until the EGG-PRODUCTION level of the flock hits/reaches 5% of the total stock. For example, if your flock capacity is 2,000 laying hen, keep at your growers feed until your daily collection of eggs reaches two crates and ten pieces; 100 pieces of egg. At this point, you can completely switch to the layers mash. However, immediately the first egg is picked from your flock, your growers mash, should be mixed with a layers mash in the ratio of 75% growers and 25% layers, and then administered to the flock; the reason being that layers are susceptible to feed change, and if a change is absolutely necessary, its introduction should be done gradually, in other not to distort the progression of the laying hens digestive body system.
Once the layers feed has been introduced, it is then gradually increased to 50% and then 100% as the days go by; a time period of about a 3-4 days on each mixed new percentage is tolerant enough, before a new mixture is done until the 100% layers is achieved, for continuous administration.
After the complete layers feed administration has commenced, they are expected to stay on it up to what is called the end period, and then another adjustment is made in the used feed formula; this new adjusted layers mash would take them through that end period, which usually is between the last 3-4 months of their active 18months laying period. At this period, production can get as low as between 60-72% and in some rear positive cases even 75% for a well-managed laying flock.
Like I would always say, management is EVERYTHING as to the performance of an ideal stock, as your layers hen egg productivity is only as good as the management they get from WHOEVER has them in his/her care; be it an experienced professional or a quack manager as many wrongly use, thinking that the cheap services of inexperience is worth the pay of an experienced touch.
The right feed coupled with sound management would help boost and sustain production at a profitable percentage. Poultry feed formulation ingredients abound locally and when rightly sourced, stored and properly used would produce great result when ideally combined in the right proportions. If you can formulate your feed yourself with an ideal formula, you can increase your profit margin by as high as an extra 20-25%, depending on your farms/feed mill location, in proximity to your source of raw materials, and their prices in your very location.
What makes one feed different from another feed brand is their application and proportional feed inclusion level of the feeding materials being used in making the feed.
Should you need our farm management services/ strategic partnership, or interested in our comprehensively drafted out feed formulas for your day old layers pullet (chick mash), Growers Mash and the Layers mash, it would be sent to you on demand. Your are just ONE PHONE CALL AWAY.
Contact:- Kelchez
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