Skip to main content

CULLING IN LAYERS PRODUCTION

Image
By

 Use of intelligent/selective culling of the poultry flock is of utmost iImportancefor success in poultry production especially in layers/egg production. Selective culling refers to the identification and removal of non-laying birds from a laying flock



PURPOSE OF CULLING

1. It increases the profit by ensuring that the feed will be consumed by the better producing layers.
2. It helps to save cost of medication and vaccination.
3. More space is provided for the remaining.
4. Culling sick birds can reduce incidence and spread of poultry disease in flock.
5. Actual Egg production will be maintained.

Culling is very important and should be a continual process on every farm whether small or large farm. This selective culling should be practiced right from chicks stage. When chicks are started, all weak chicks should be eliminated. During growing stage, runty and slow growing pullets should be removed and fed with 2% extra protein to gain growth within 3 - 4 weeks.
Culling during laying should be continuous through out the laying cycle. This continuous culling when discovered, any birds which is sick, very thin, or which shows evidences of non production, weakness, or poor vitality.
Culling towards evening is recommended, since the birds are less likely to be frightened and reduce egg production. Handle the birds as little as possible so that production will not be greatly reduced.

PARAMETERS FOR CULLING
The culling of birds is practiced on the basis of following characteristics during laying phase.
1. External body characteristics
2.  Pigmentation
3. Records available.

  SPREAD OF BODY CAPACITY
The distance between kneel bone and pelvic bones is less than 3 fingers and the distance between pelvic bones is less than 2 fingers in poor or bad layer.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEN IN PRODUCTION
- soft, enlarged combs and wattles
- increased distance between the pelvic bones
- wide, moist vent
- velvety skin
- soft, pliable, enlarged abdomen

CHECK YOUR CULLING TECHNIQUE
You may be unsure of your culling ability and avoid culling your flock for fear that you might eliminate good layers. I suggest that you learn how to identify non productive layers or to train a team of people on how to cull.
N.B: An adult bird eats about 3.5kg feed/month even though not laying.

If a farmer is having 10,000 birds in a flock and 1% of the flock are culled that is 100 bad layers.
Adult bird eats about 3.5kg feed/month.
I.e 3.5×100birds=350kg feed is saved.
Average cost of layers mash with transportation is 132/kg.
350×132 = #46,200 saved /month.
46200×6 = #277,200 saved in 6 months.

Please Follow us by clicking on the 3 parallel lines at the top right corner of this page on your device

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Camborough pig breed

By
  Camborough   pigs are a product of a cross-breeding system known as criss-crossing- an alternated use of boars of two or more breeds on the female stock produced in a herd. This distributes good characteristics from many different breed lines involved and these are related to meat fat distribution (carcass quality), disease resistance, larger litter size and others. The animal is usually white in colour but, in rare cases, may show characteristics of particular breeds involved in the criss-crossing. Emmanuel observing our inpigs The Camborough is bred to maximize the kilograms of weaned pigs per year with excellent feed efficiency. In addition, the Camborough can be bred typically three weeks earlier than other genetics, resulting in a higher total number of piglets per sow per lifetime and lower production costs. Every pig farmer wants pigs that have rapid growth, lean carcass quality and good feed conversion ratio. Return on Investment (ROI) in pig farming is usually influ...
Post a Comment
Read more

BORAN CATTLE: BEEF CATTLE BREED

By
Cow and calf The Boran is a zebu breed of beef cattle maintained by the Borana pastoralists of southern Ethiopia and contiguous areas of Kenya and Somalia. It is most likely that its ancestors arrived in the horn of Africa about 1,300 to 1,500 years ago from southwest Asia. Large numbers of these animals migrated from the liben plateau of southern Ethiopia, the country of origin to Somalia (where they are named as the Awai cattle) and Kenya (where they are known as the Tanaland Boran and Orma Boran). In the 1920s, European ranchers in Kenya purchased the Tanaland Boran cattle and through selection developed the improved Boran or Kenyan Boran. The breed has also proved popular in Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo Characteristics The Boran is medium in size with a short head, small ears, loose dewlap and a large hump above the shoulders. They can be horned or polled. They vary in height from 114cm to 147cm tall, and in weight bulls weigh approximately 500kg to 850kg. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

LOCAL/INDIGENOUS CHICKEN PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA

By
 Unlike the genetically improved or modern broilers and layers production business which many people are already into and the market is filled making it difficult for newbies to survive, local or indigenous chicken (Okuko'Igbo)production is yet to be untapped as most or intending farmers are unaware of the high demand of these birds in the Nigerian poultry market. It can be reared with little capital and with or no assistance and anyone (young or old) can manage the production. Fulani Ecotype Frizzled chicken   Consumers of indigenous chicken breeds • Any class (Elites,middle class,average class etc) • Any religion (traditional, Christians, Muslims etc) From the above, it simply means that consumption of Okuko'Igbo has no restrictions thus making the demand high. Local chicken breeds in Nigeria includes ; 1. Fulani breed(heavy ecotype) 2. Igbo breed (medium ecotype) 3. Yoruba breed (light ecotype) Igbo Ecotype (Ichacha) Yoruba Ecotype Suitable Production System for the Nigeria...
Post a Comment
Read more