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Feeding Parent Stock and

Commercial Laying Hen Flocks

PAUL VAN DE VEN

Outline presentation

1. Prepare the pullet

2. Support at start of lay

3. Facilitate during lay

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Outline presentation

1. Prepare the pullet

2. Support at start of lay

3. Facilitate during lay

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Criteria defining high quality pullets A flock of pullets is measured by 6 criteria :

1) Bodyweight profile during rearing (5 WOA and at transfer)

2) Uniformity of the flock

3) Quality of beak trimming (where applicable)

4) Feed intake capacity

5) Age at sexual maturity

6) Health status and immunological competence

The productivity of a flock depends to a large extent on the successful attainment of key targets during rearing:

Rearing is the Investment Phase in Layer Production 4

Prepare the pullet

1. Body weight control

2. Develop feed intake capacity

3. Pre-Lay diet

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Prepare the pullet – Phases in rearing

• Organ development: 0 to 5 weeks

• Skeletal development: peak at 7 weeks

• Gastrointestinal tract development and feed intake capacity development: between 10 and 16 weeks

• Medullary bone development: end of rearing

Increase in Calcium

Pre lay

feed

Reproductive organ

development

Medulary

bone

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Frame

Muscles

Organs

Age (weeks)

Growth

Age (weeks)6

Feed phases in rearing -for good body weight development

Program A: Body weight at breed target and/or temperate climate

Starter

Program B: Low body weight and/or hot climate

4 5 10 16

Program A

Program B

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Weeks after hatch

Grower Developer Pre-Lay

Prepare the pullet - Train to eat

• Objective: develop sufficient feed intake capacity for period start of lay

• Period: Developer feed 10-16 weeks

• Diluted diet with high insoluble fiber

• Feed method = empty feeder technique to develop feed intake capacity (crop and gizzard)

• Train the birds to eat !

Increase in Calcium

Pre lay

feed

Reproductive organ

development

Medulary

bone

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Frame

Muscles

Organs

Age (weeks)

Growth

Train feed intake

Age (weeks)

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Feed intake capacity developmentby empty feeder technique

Start feeding 2-3 hours before lights off

Night Night

Based on 8-10 hours light plateau

Empty feeders for 1-1.5 hours

Uniform flock!

Take advantage of the natural feeding behaviour of birds:1) Birds ingest high quantity of feed before lights go off2) Therefore main feed distribution in the late afternoon3) In the morning hungry and finish the feed

including all fine particles1) Middle of hens day, no feed in feeders for 1-1,5 hours2) Followed by the main feed distribution late afternoon

1st moment to train feed intake

2nd moment to train feed intake

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Pre-Lay diet

Egg weight of first eggs 40 g

% Egg shell 13 %

% Calcium in egg shell 37 %

Export calcium to egg

in g / hen / day1,9

Developer diet Pre Layer diet

% Calcium 1 % 2,5 %

Feed intake 85 g / day 85 g / day

Calcium intake in g / hen / day

0,9 2,1

▪ Early flocks MUST receive Pre-Lay diet

▪ Prevent early decalcification. Make robust medullary bone

▪ Help to increase feed consumption at start of lay – serves as transition diet

Calcium export to egg Calcium intake

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Summary rearing dietsDiet phases in-line with pullet development

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Starter

• Organs

• Body weight 5 weeks of age

• Hatch – min. 3 weeks

• Low body weights up to 4-5 weeks

• Crumble

Grower

• Skeleton

• Frame size and strength

• Starter-10 weeks

• Mash or crumble

Developer

• Feed intake capacity

• Training to eat

• 10-16 weeks

• Fiber 4-7 %

• Coarse feed particles

• Mash

Pre-Lay

• Medullary bone

• Increased calcium requirement

• Min. 10 days for 1st egg

• 16-18 weeks

• Calcium 2,2 %

• Ca 50 % coarse

• Ca 50 % powder

• Mash

Outline presentation

1. Prepare the pullet

2. Support at start of lay

3. Facilitate during lay

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Support start of lay

1. Concept of nutrient intake

2. Empty feeder technique

3. Energy requirements

4. Amino acid requirements

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Support start of lay - Concept of nutrient intake

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inputoutput

Nutritional requirements

Diet composition x Feed intake level

100 g105 g110 g115 g120 g125 g

Nutrient Intake= gram nutrients / hen / day

Egg mass = Laying % x Egg weight

Growth

X

Start of lay = High concentrated diet: Energy, amino acids, etc.

Start of lay feed Intake still limited:

develop Feed Intake

Capacity already in

rearing

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Objective

Make sure birds eat all required nutrients daily and calcium available during calcification

Method

• Main feed distribution 6-8 hours before light off

• Finish feed in the morning including small particles (vitamins, minerals)

• Empty feeders in the middle of the day

• Followed again by main

feed distribution in afternoonStart feeding at 6-8 hours

before light off

60 % of feed in afternoon

Empty Feeder Technique

Empty Feeder Technique

Effect• Less selective eating• Eat daily ration• Lower risk for nutrient deficiencies

Result• More uniform flock• Higher body weight• Better egg shell quality

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Start feeding at 6-8 hours

before light off

60% of the feed given in the afternoon

See alsodiscussion topic:

EFT

“General” feed phases in production

• Advise is to follow the birds instead of birds follow feeding phases according to pre-planned moments for feed changes. 17

Phase Feed Intake level

Body weight Energy %

Amino Acid%

Fiber %

Calcium %

Start lay Low Growing +++ +++ - +

Peak Close to target

Close to adult

++ ++ - +

Post peak Stable Adult + + + +

Mid lay Stable Overweight? +/- + ++ ++

End lay Stable Overweight? - +/- +++ +++

Feed intake capacity & growth at start of lay

Layers grow until 30 weeks

• Target: Reach mature body weight quickly

• Note: Growth not yet finished at start lay

• Objective: Increase feed intake quickly at start of lay

• Management: Feed intake capacity developed during rearing period

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0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61 65 69 73 77

Age (weeks)

Maintenance:• Body temperature• Body weight• Feather cover• ACTIVITY

Production

Energy requirement (Kcal/day/hen)

Energy balance & body weight management

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ENERGYREQUIREMENT

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

MAINTENANCE

PRODUCTIONGROWTH

FEATHER COVERBODY WEIGHT

Energy feed concentration

Feed presentation

Feed distribution management

=

Start of lay: increase body weight according to breed standard

Mid & Late lay: target stable body weight

Body weight target BODY TEMPERATURE

Feed intake

ACTIVITYMonitor

Body Weight

Energy management

▪ Body weight monitoring

▪ Feed intake monitoring

Start of lay

▪ Bird challenge: Having enough energy intake to ensure maintenance,

production AND growth

▪ Target : reach mature body weight quickly

Robust birds have a better peak and laying persistency

▪ Feed with the higher energy value (2850-2900 Kcal/kg)

+50 or 100 Kcal/kg if needed20

Energy management

▪ Body weight monitoring

▪ Feed intake monitoring

Mid lay and late lay

▪ Target : maintain a stable body weight

BW high: ↑maintenance, ↑feed intake (FCR), ↑ risk fatty liver

BW low: weak birds compromising production

▪ Feed with lower energy (towards 2700 Kcal/kg)

Dilute diets with fiber to improve livability

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Amino acid nutrition –Manage a population not a bird!

• Daily egg mass produced

• High EM = higher daily amino acid requirements

• Actual feed intake observed

• Low feed intake = high concentration (%); start of lay = low feed intake = high % amino acids

• Flock uniformity

• Poor uniformity = higher safety margin for amino acids to cover for also highest productive birds

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Advices on amino acids

Start of lay

• Higher requirement for growth and/or lower flock uniformity:

use safety margin of minimum 6-10 %

• Amino acids levels to be adjusted to egg production (daily Egg Mass) and Feed intake observed: still limited feed intake capacity at start of lay, therefore increase amino acid % in feed

Middle and end of lay

• Lower requirement due to finished growing period

• If feed intake is stable and production is high, don´t decrease the amino acid concentration to secure laying persistency

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Amino acid recommendations based on daily Egg Mass production and Feed Intake level

Feed intake observed 120 g/dDaily Egg Mass produced 61,5 g/d

Amino acid requirementDigestible Total

Lysine 0,69% 0,78%

Methionine 0,37% 0,39%

Methionine + cysteine 0,59% 0,66%

Tryptophane 0,15% 0,18%

Isoleucine 0,63% 0,68%

Valine 0,67% 0,74%

Threonine 0,48% 0,56%

Outline presentation

1. Prepare the pullet

2. Support at start of lay

3. Facilitate during lay

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Facilitate during lay

1. Calcium supply

2. Liver health

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Mineral nutrition for egg shell quality late cycle

Cumulative export of egg shell and calcium

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Pre-Lay diet

▪ Early flocks MUST receive Pre-Lay diet

▪ Prevent early decalcification

▪ Make robust medullary bone

▪ Help to increase feed consumption at start of lay

▪ Pre-lay diet serves as transition diet

Eggshell weight evolution during eggformation

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26

Eg

gs

he

ll w

eig

ht

(g)

Time after oviposition (h)

Source: Nys 1991

Night

Active calcium deposit period

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Calcium for egg shell formation: from feed or bone?

Calcium from BONE

▪ Calcium and Phosphorus mobilized from medullary bone

▪ Ca to egg shell and P released via kidneys

▪ Blood P increase; lower absorption of Ca

▪ Lower egg shell quality

▪ Renewal of P necessary

Calcium from FEED

▪ Calcium available from intestine, no Phosphorus involved

▪ Less mobilization of Ca and P from medullary bone

▪ Coarse Ca gives Ca for longer time

▪ Better egg shell quality, especially later in cycle

▪ Lower P requirement

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Management during lay & late lay - Calcium

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SANGRE

FECES

Calcium coarse

2 - 4 mm

Calcium powder

< 0,5 mm

Calciumintermediate size

0,5 – 1,5 mm

GIZZARDINTESTINE

BLOOD

MEDULLARY

BONE

IF Calcium extracted from bones:Blood P ↑Ca absorption ↓ Egg shell quality ↓Daily P requirements ↑

Ca + P

• Layer & Pre-Lay feed • MIN. 50 %

coarse Ca• rest powder

• Afternoon • Focus on Ca

given in afternoon

Empty Feeder Technique for egg shell qualityObjective

Make sure birds eat all required nutrients daily and have calcium available during calcification

Method

• Main feed distribution 6-8 hours before light off

• Finish feed in the morning including small particles (vitamins, minerals)

• Empty feeders in the middle of the day

• Followed again by main

feed distribution in afternoon

Effect• Less selective eating• Eat daily ration• Lower risk for nutrient deficiencies• More uniform flock• Higher body weights• Better egg shell quality

Start feeding at 6-8

hours before light off

60% of the feed given in the afternoon

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Calcium inputCalcium on top of regular feed :

3/3/3 RULE

3 grams per bird

3 mm average size (2-4 mm)

@ 3 PM

Higher egg mass = higher liver work

Liver Blood Follicules Egg 34

- Low level of vitamin D3 in feed Less calcium transported

- Liver or kidneys poor condition to egg shell gland

Eggshell quality - Role of vitamin D3 and liver health

Intestine

Vitamin D3

Calcium

25 OH D3

1,25 (OH)2 D3

Increase intestinal permeability &

Synthesis of calcium binding proteins

Blood

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1st activation Vitamin D3

by liver2nd activation Vitamin D3 by kidneys

Management during lay & late lay – liver health• Body weight management

• Monitoring

• Energy

• From fat instead of carbohydrates

• Vegetable oils; e.g. soy oil

• Not excessive; control body weight

• Fiber

• Dilute diet

• Insoluble fiber; oat hulls, sunflower

• Choline, always added

• Preventive: 1000 ppm; min. 500 ppm

• Curative: 1500 ppm

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Maintain you hen’s capital = high production

Liver is the key organ ….

…. for a long production cycle

Egg production

Shell quality

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Summary and conclusions

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Conclusions in feeding parent stock and commercial laying hens

1. Prepare the pullet

• Diets in-line with development phases

• Train to eat

2. Support start of lay

• Focus on feed intake capacity

• Concept of nutrient intake and empty feeder technique

3. Management during lay & late lay

• Calcium supply with coarse particles

• Liver health with choline39

Summary parent stock

• A lack of body weight at the start of production will influence the total egg mass produced

• Rearing period is a key developmental time for future success during the laying period (Rearing = Investment Phase)

• Rearing period is a training period

• Meal feeding, diet dilution and coarse particles improve feed intake capacity

• Transfer birds before egg production starts40

Managing parent stock flocks

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• It‘s not rocket science!

• Stick to your BASICS first

• Attention to detailes

• Make notes, keep records, collect information

• Let the birds talk to you ....

• Chicken all over the world speak same language CHICKENTALK

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• THANK YOU