BREEDER PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT

Muhammad Arslancsarslan@yahoo.com

BREEDER CHICK AT HATCHERY

• Single Stage Incubation• Male and female lines incubate separately• Beak Trimming• Comb Trimming in males• Toe Trimming in males• Number of males provided by hatchery, Layer Breeder 10-12% ,

Broiler Breeder 12-15%

TRANSPORTATION FROM HATCHERY TO FARM

• Mostly longer distances• Reduce number of chicks per box• Inject electrolytes• Picking material in chick boxes• Proper stacking• Proper ventilation

RECEIVING AND UNLOADING

• Unload the chicks in minimum possible time

• Don’t stack chick boxes upon one another

• Carefully expose the chicks to brooding area by causing minimum

injuries

• Expose the chicks to fresh water firstly

BROODING AND REARING

• When chicks are hatched, the systems are not activated are,- Immune System- Digestive system- Thermoregulatory system

• Males are provided with2-5 ºF More Temperature• 20-25 chicks/ m2 for first 14 days (0.43-0.53 ft2/chick)• Ad lib feed for first 3 weeks • Debeaking at age of 7-10 days of male and female• Mortality should not be more than 1% during first week

REARING METHODSGrowing males separate from females for the 1. first 4 to 6 weeks2. First 10 weeks3. The complete rearing periodRearing houses• All-litter floor• Combination of slat (plastic, wood or wire) and litter floor• All slat

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT• Temperature 20-24 ºC

• RH 60-70 %

• Light 16-17 hours (8 or 11 hours during Growing)

GENERAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

• Space Requirements• Debeaking, Dubbing, Toe Clipping• Water management• Litter Management• Vaccination and Medication• Nest Management• Egg Storage• Record Keeping

SPACE REQUIREMENTSLayer Breeder Broiler Breeder

(ft2)Floor space

Rearing 1-1.25 1.5-2Pre-Laing 1.5 2-2.5Production

1.75 3

Water space 0.75-1 1-1.25 inchesFeeding space 2.5-3 5-6 inchesNipple Drinker 1 nipple/ 8-10

birds

BEAK TRIMMING• Hatchery• 7-10 days• Before 18 weeks• Vit. K 1.5-2 g/kg feed• 750-800 chicks/hour• Cannibalism• Feed wastage• 750 ºC or 1500 ºF

SEXING ERRORS, TOE CLIPPING AND COMB DUBBING

Condition Male Line Chicks Female Line Chicks

Comb trimmed Keep Sexing Error

Toes Trimmed Keep Sexing Error

Combs Untrimmed Sexing Error Keep

Toes Untrimmed Sexing Error Keep

LIGHTING• Follow the standards of company• 24 hours for first 3 days and decreased up to 8 hours at day 21• from 3rd week to pre-lay period , 8 hours light provided with low

intensity• 16 hours light during production

Max. alteration in sexual maturityFeed 3 weeksLight 3 weeksFeed + Light 4 weeks

NUTRITION AND FEEDING• Feed costs 60-70% of total cost• Feed should be balanced w.r.t. to all nutrients• Deficiency of any nutrient can lead to severe loss i.e. Riboflavin,

Folic acid• Controlled feeding in broiler breeder

FEED DISTRIBUTION

• Time

• Duration

• Feeder Height

• Feeding Space

• Care during Feeding

FEED RESTRICTIONTypes• Qualitative Feed Restriction• Quantitative Feed RestrictionMethods• Daily Feeding• Skip a Day• Five day feeding two day skip• Six days feeding and one day skip

REASONS FOR FEED RESTRICTION

• Control body weight• Reduce feed cost• More production• Delay sexual maturity

FEED ALLOCATION• Broiler Breeder

- Female 170 g/bird/day- Male 120-130 g/bird/day

• Layer Breeder 110 g/bird/day

NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Ration specifications depends upon• Species • Bird Type• Production stage• Environment• Rearing System • Sex• Body weight

BROILER BREEDER• Production cycle 24-64 weeks• 24 weeks of age 5% production• 29 weeks of age peak (85%)

- 183 Total Eggs- 175 Hatching Eggs- 150 chicks - 85 % standard hatchability

• Pakistan- 164 (Max. Recorded 173 by Olympia)- 140 chicks

• Feed Consumption 55 Kg/bird

BODY WEIGHT CONTROL• Ad libitum feed for 1st 3 weeks• Then Restricted feeing is adopted• Weighing and grading from 3rd week of age• Weighing of 2-3% or mostly 60-100 birds from flock

• Weigh the birds on the same day of week• Weigh on non-feed day• Uniformity should be at least 80%• Factors affecting uniformity are1. Baby Chicks2. Feed restriction3. Weighing of feed4. Feed and water space5. Feed distribution

IMPORTANCE OF BODY WEIGHT CONTROL

• High uniformity• Delay in sexual maturity• larger first eggs• increased egg production• increased number of hatching eggs• reduced mortality in the laying house• reduced feed costs per hatching egg• Improve Fertility and Hatchability

Hubbard Breeder Standards

Age (weeks) Body Weight (g) Feed Consumption (g)

Female Male Female Male

1 125 133 23 23

2 225 273 25-28 25-30

3 325 432 28-30 30-35

4 425 591 30-35 35-40

5 525 705 35-40 40-45

8 825 1091 45-53 50-60

24 2850 3200-3300 170 130

64 3500 4500-5000 140 120-130

FLOOR FEEDING/ SPIN FEEDING

• With the help of spin feeders (Collinson) or Manually• Only in broiler breeders• Only during rearing period • Hard pellets or crumbs are used• Fast feed distribution and minimum stress• More uniform flock• Good litter condition

SWITCH TO PRE- LAYING• Feed amount increased• Only daily feeding practiced onward• Mainly Ca in feed is increased (3-3.5 in Breeder diet)• Light duration increased • Nest Installed• Males are mixed

LAYING• Grading on Bases of Chest Fleshing• Floor Space Requirements• Egg Collection and Nest Management• Daily Feed Allowance • Challenge Feed• Challenge Feed Withdrawal• Decrease in Feed Allowance

GRADING ON THE BASIS OF CHEST FLESHING

• Breast fleshing should be proper at end of rearing period and during production

• No feed restriction during production

SEX-SEPARATE FEEDING

SPIKING

• At 40-45 weeks of age, 20-25% new males are introduced

• it helps to improve hatchability about 3%.

• Spike males must be 25-28 weeks old and should weigh 20-25%

more than the average body weight of the hen flock.

CHALLENGE FEEDING• At peak, 10 g/week/bird feed is increased

- 3 g – 0 – 3 – 0 – 4 – 0 – 0 - 2 g daily and remain off for last 2 days- 10÷7=1.42 g/day

FEEDING AFTER PEAK• As peak over challenge feed is withdrawal• After peak, feed reduced 1-3 g/week• Finally reached 140-150 g/bird• If feed is not reduced, then 2.3 kg feed will be consumed more

with additional weight gain of 0.3-0.4 kg. So feed should be reduced steadily.

LAYER BREEDER

- 260 Total Eggs- 250 Hatching eggs- 70-90 female chicks

• Body weight- female 1600-1800 g- male 2250 g

• Mostly, males are mixed after 2 weeks

MALE MANAGEMENT• Broiler Breeder

- 10 % males (11% during peak)• Layer Breeder

- 7-8 % males

• Male has 10 time more importance than female• Mate 10-30 times a day• 0.1-1 ml semen per ejaculation• Cull males• Exercise males (feeder height, grains in litter afternoon)

EGG COLLECTION AND NEST MANAGEMENT

• Avoid floor eggs• 1 nest for 4-5 hens (community nest for 35-40 birds)• Suitable nesting material with proper condition• Nest may be

- Roll-a-way type- Litter type

• Nest should closed at night• Frequent egg collection and separation of crack eggs (2not more

than 2-3%)

EGG STORAGE• Egg takes 6-8 hours to attain room temperature• Market eggs are sold• Sanitation and disinfection of egg should be done• Stored at 16-180C for 3 days• 75-80 % RH

EGG CLEANING AND DISINFECTION

• Egg can be cleaned with luke-warm water & cloth or with sand paper. Disinfectants are used to clean fertile eggs. Sanitizers can be used for egg cleaning i.e Chlorine, QAC

• Water temperature should be at least 900F• Egg should not be soaked in water• Washing water should not contain iron (max. 2ppm), b/c it can

facilitate microbial growth on membranes• Wash water pH should be 10-11. This pH is unfavorable for

most bacteria. Salmonella can also be destroyed if pH is high.

METHODS TO DETERMINE FERTILITY IN EGGS

1. Breaking of fresh eggs2. Candling of incubated eggs (7-12 days)3. Break of unhatched eggs at day of hatch (hatch day breakout

method)

RECORD KEEPING• Live Body Weight• Daily feed intake• Egg production• Bird counting• Mortality• Vaccination and medication• Weather conditions

Thanks