How to increase egg production

 

From the day it hatches, a chicken takes about five months before it starts laying eggs. 

The farmer must be prepared to meet the expense of rearing these young birds (pullets) through this period. Feeding the young pullets is a major challenge. 

 

In an effort to cut down costs, many farmers tend to underfeed the birds during the pre-lay period. When hens are laying eggs, the farmer does not feel the burden of purchasing feeds since they are generating some income from the sale of eggs.

 

Performance of commercial layers is greatly influenced by management of pullets during the brooding and growing phases. 

 

There must be clear performance indicators which have to be monitored during the brooding, growing and laying phases of egg-type chickens (layers). 

 

Body weight is a major performance indicator

Under-feeding pullets produces underweight birds which mature late, produce small eggs and decline more sharply after peak egg production. 

Overfeeding produces overweight birds. Overweight pullets are not good because they neither attain nor sustain high egg production. Pullets which have been raised well attain high peak production and are less prone to subsequent egg production problems.

 

Common problems in the management of layers

The following are some of the problems which farmers encounter. Many of them can be avoided if the farmer is informed. These problems could lead to serious economic losses if they are not addressed promptly.

 

This is when chicken peck and injure each other.  It starts when one bird gets injured and others peck it.  The victim often bleeds to death. 

 

This can be prevented by trimming the birds’ beaks. Immediate removal of the injured bird helps to prevent serious injuries. 

 

Cannibalism can also be brought about by protein or amino acid deficiencies, over-crowding, insufficient feed quantities and boredom. 

 

The vice of egg eating may develop if a hen lays soft shelled eggs. This happens when there is a nutritional deficiency. 

For this reason, layers’ mash must have a good balance of nutrients. If a hen watches another one laying an egg, it is tempted to peck at the emerging egg and break it. Once the egg is broken, hens will immediately eat it. 

 

Proper nests must be constructed to avoid this. Individual nests should be big enough to allow only one hen at a time. If communal nests are used, they should be partially covered so as to make them dark. 

 

Broodiness is a natural tendency where hens try to incubate their eggs. Commercial layers do not have this characteristic because it was bred out. However, once in a while, a few hens in the flock may become broody.  A broody hen is unproductive and sits in the nest, inconveniencing others.  

 

Such a hen should be isolated and kept on a rough floor until it loses broodiness.  Then, it can be returned to the laying house to resume laying eggs.

 

Due to either ill health or infertility or both, some hens may fail to lay eggs. These should be removed from the flock (culling). 

 

By 25 weeks (six months), all hens should be laying eggs. Thereafter, unproductive birds should be identified promptly and culled to avoid losses caused by feeding them.