The uniformity of the chicken flock is so important, what should the chicken farm do?

Uniformity is a key indicator to measure the success of chicken rearing period. A high degree of uniformity indicates that the growth and development of the flock is consistent, which indicates that the flock will start to lay neatly in the future, the peak egg production will be high, and the peak egg production period will last for a long time. It can be seen that it is of great significance to improve the uniformity of bred chickens. The following editor will tell you about the reasons for the poor uniformity of the laying hens and how to improve the uniformity of the laying hens.

Causes of Poor Uniformity of Laying Hens

1. Uneven feed distribution

For example, in a chain feeding system, the chain is too long to cause uneven distribution of feed. Or the feed is arched and blocked in the feeding pipeof the automatic feeding system, resulting in uneven feed distribution.

2. Too crowded

Improving uniformity through stratification and limited feeding can make up for chickens with poor uniformity, and achieve good uniformity by grouping and adjusting the feed amount. When chickens are put into cages, adjust to according to the individual size, and pick out weak and light-weight chickens and feed them separately. For chickens that are underweight, the feed shouldn’t be too much at one time, the amount of feed should be reduced, and the nutritional content should be appropriately increased. Heavier chickens should be fed with restrictions, so as not to reach the weight within a short period of time and form "little fat chickens", which will affect the development of reproductive organs. To implement the feeding restriction, the amount of feed should be appropriately adjusted according to the standard of body weight . The frequency of feeding should be less and no more, so as to prevent strong chicken from eating more and weak chickens from eating less.

3. Differences in feed form

Very fine feed residues can be seen at the end of the feed lineand coarse feed at the front of the feed line.

4. Uneven density

 Due to the different death rates in each layer of chicken cagesor positions in the chicken house, the distribution of chickens in the chicken house is uneven.

5. The stocking density is too high and the feed level is not enough. The stocking density is an important factor affecting the uniformity of the flock. The density is too high, the competition is fierce, the food grabbing is serious, the size and physique of the chickens both increased, the big chickens are fat, and the small chickens are thin. If the density is too small, the space occupied by chickens will be large, resulting in increased feeding costs. Suitable stocking density for different ages: 1-2 weeks old, 60 cages per square meter; 3-6 weeks old, 30-40 cages per square meter; 7 weeks-14 weeks old, cage 20-24 per square meter; after 15 weeks of age, cage 13-16 per square meter.

How to improve the uniformity of layers

1. Regular weighing. Weighing is the only effective way to know the weight of the flock, and the increase in flock weight can be clearly seen through periodic weighing. Two principles must be followed when weighing:

(1) Regular weighing, once a week. Regular weighing can understand the growth of the weight of the flock, and adjust the feeding amount more accurately, so as to achieve the weight and uniformity of the flock. When weighing, randomly select 2%-5% of the chickens in the chicken coop, and the chicken cages of the chickens to be weighed must be marked to ensure that the same chickens are weighed every time, and the weight and uniformity is checked by random inspection. And the uniformity comparison, to adjust the feed amount and feed nutrient content, so that the chickens are always in the appropriate range of weight and uniformity.

(2) Random sampling. Generally, 5% of the total number of chickens are selected for weighing, and then the feed amount is adjusted and the feeding time is determined according to the comparison between the sampling results and the breed standard weight, so that the average weight of the chickens is always within an appropriate range.

2. Adjust the stocking density. Stocking density is a very important aspect that determines the uniformity of the flock. If the stocking density is high, the chickens will be chaotic, the competition will be fierce, the air in the chicken house will be dirty, and the environment will deteriorate. If the feeding and drinking utensils are insufficient, some chickens will easily lose weight, and even cause anal pecking and feather pecking. If the stocking density is too small, the cost of feeding will increase. Generally, the stocking density of caged laying hens is 15 to 16 per square meter, and the stocking density of laying hens on the Internet is 10 to 12 per square meter.

3. Ensure the appropriate feed intake of the chickens. Feeds should be fed evenly during the growing period.

4. Adjust the flock in a timely and reasonable manner. No matter how high the feeding technology and management level are, there will always be some thin individuals in the flock. If they are not picked out in time for individual treatment, the growth and production performance of the flock will be affected, and the overall benefit will be damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to do the following:

(1) Pick out the weaker individuals in the flock for centralized feeding, and postpone the feeding time so that they can reach the standard weight as soon as possible. Picking chickens and cleaning chickens can improve the uniformity of chicken flocks and reduce the incidence of epidemic diseases in flocks. During the brooding process, picking out or eliminating sick and weak chickens and chickens that are not up to standard can not only improve the overall uniformity, but also reduce the probability of epidemics. Picking chickens and chickens need to be carried out at the same time as individual administration. When injecting drugs to chickens, weed out or eliminate sick chickens and those with large differences in the body condition, which not only saves manpower time, but also reduces adverse stress in chickens and reduces disease occurs.

(2) When a chicken dies or is eliminated, the vacancy should be filled in time to make the number of chickens in each cage consistent.

(3) For chickens whose beaks are not trimmed or broken, they should be trimmed in time.