To avoid such a scenario, always buy your flocks from reputable breeder/hatchery. [Photo, Standard]

Dear Dr Messo

I am a new layer farmer; my birds are now in production and I am selling eggs. The problem is that some birds are laying small eggs while others are laying big ones. My clients have noticed this and are only demanding the large eggs. What determines the size of an egg?

Evans Kaduki

 

Dear Evans

Thanks for asking for help and understanding on egg production. Your eggs being produced are non-uniform. Whether they are small or big, they must be quantified through actual weighing.

In my advice to poultry farmers, be it meat or egg producers, a weighing scale is the most critical tool in the farm. When birds come into lay, the first eggs can weigh 45g and will peak at 67-70g towards end of production at 2 years of age. The target for a farmer is to have uniformly large eggs of 60-70grams.

The first five weeks in the life of a laying flock is the most critical period to watch. Why? This is the time for internal organ development and skeletal growth. It is important that 90 per cent of your birds achieve a weight of 300-360g at this age. It is a preparatory stage for future egg production and persistence in lay.

The onus is on the farmer to grow these birds uniformly by concentrating on the following key parameters: This will ensure your eggs are big and uniform throughout production.

Buy your flock from reputable breeder/hatchery.

This is because the traits like egg weights, body weight and early maturity are heritable traits that are passed from breeder to pullet.

Consult widely and settle for the best genetics. It’s now good practice to ask the experts.

Ensure your brooding is good and the stocking density is maintained at 2 bird per square feet.

Give adequate starter and grower diet of the right quantity and quality to ensure your birds follow the standard recommended growth curve up to point of lay.

This will also ensure the crop and the gizzard are well developed in early life in preparation for the egg production in future.

Watch the diet

Between week 18-31, the body weight of birds increases by 20 per cent, feed intake increases by 40 per cent and only birds with well developed crop and gizzards will be able to satisfy the demands of growth, production and maintenance at the same time.

Give a diet of uniform particle size to minimise selection during feeding— 80 per cent of your feed particle size should be between 0.5-3.2 mm.

You should also ensure that there is complete clearing of feed for a bout 2-3 hours during mid-day to ensure that the birds clear all the minerals and the premixes in the diet.

If you over feed, the birds will only select the big particles which are only rich in energy and devoid of minerals and amino acids.

Water is life

Give 60 per cent of the diet four hours before lights are off in the evening and 40 per cent in the morning. This will ensure that the crop and gizzards are full at night when the feed is required for egg production.

Provide adequate waterers, feeders, space. Ensure there is plenty of portable water all the time and your birds are well vaccinated and free of diseases and ectoparasites.

Avoid heat stress at all cost, give plenty of vitamin C during hot climate.

[For more information contact: Dr Watson Messo Odwako, Head Vet, Kenchic Limited. Email [email protected]]


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