Study extra about upkeep, managed progress and accelerated progress
11 April 2024
4 minute learn
Editor’s word: This text is an excerpt from the Cobb Breeder Administration Information and extra articles will comply with. The Information was designed to spotlight important components which are probably to affect flock efficiency. To learn or obtain the entire Information or to view Cobb’s different administration guides, click on right here.
Section 3 – Upkeep (8 to 12 weeks)
Within the rearing part (4 to eight weeks), administration centered on attaining the Cobb advisable body weight requirements and uniformity targets. Administration from 8 to 12 weeks continues to deal with assembly body weight and uniformity requirements, but in addition sustaining body measurement. This era has the bottom weekly feed will increase of the rearing interval various from a rise of 1 to three g per week for females.Â
Section 4 – Managed Progress (12 to 16 weeks)
Emphasis transitions from body weight to fleshing scores throughout this part. The skeletal body is actually 90 % full by 12 weeks so dietary sources will be allotted in direction of fleshing. At this level, the flock ought to enhance from fleshing scores of two to scores of three. As well as, because the birds proceed to develop, strain on feed and water supply techniques will enhance. It’s important that right feed and drinker house is supplied in any respect phases of grow-out.
The desk (beneath) exhibits the fleshing targets for females at completely different ages from 12 by way of 22 weeks of age. At 12 weeks of age, puberty begins, and females must be on fleshing goal to attain the fleshing targets at subsequent ages. The desk is solely a information however signifies the significance of standard fleshing and the significance of starting the fleshing analysis at 12 weeks of age to make sure progress and splendid improvement of the breast muscle.
The fleshing evaluations may be mixed with pullet weights at these particular ages. As proven within the desk, a lot of the females at 12 weeks of age have a fleshing rating of two. The proportion of pullets with a rating of two is consistently decreased over the lifetime of flock and, ideally, ought to be zero at photograph stimulation. Reaching the early fleshing targets between 12 and 16 weeks will promote pelvic or belly fats deposition that the females require at photograph stimulation. If these targets will not be achieved, it is going to be very troublesome to right the fleshing situation, feminine physique composition, or the flock uniformity at later ages.
- At 12 weeks of age, the feed administration selections ought to transfer away from body weight and in direction of interpretation of flock fleshing scores.
- Having all staff members concur on the fleshing scores and flock improvement will assist the manufacturing staff make important selections for future administration together with feeding, lighting, switch age, and so on.
- Situation or uniformity can’t be corrected previous 20 weeks of age.
- At photograph stimulation the feminine’s physique composition is as essential because the chook’s body weight – the pullet should have satisfactory fats reserve and fleshing at this level. Birds simply accumulate fleshing between 16 and 20 weeks of age. Nevertheless, this isn’t the case with constructing fats reserve; at 17 weeks of age, pullets begin depositing belly fats.
Section 5 – Accelerated Progress (16 to twenty weeks)
On this part, constant weight good points are wanted. This weight achieve will enable the females to develop the specified fleshing and sexual uniformity to maximise peak egg manufacturing and keep put up peak persistency. Though constant weight achieve is essential throughout this part, pullet fleshing scores are extra essential. The target of the accelerated progress part is to offer sufficient fleshing and fats reserves to final the hen by way of peak manufacturing.
Physique fats have to be attained earlier than photograph stimulation to have:
- good sexual synchronization of the females
- excessive peak manufacturing and persistency
- excessive hatchability of eggs produced early within the manufacturing cycle
- good chick high quality and vitality
- low mortality in females within the interval main as much as peak manufacturing
Tricks to obtain desired physique situation
- A minimal feminine body weight enhance of 36 % is required from 16 weeks (112 days) to twenty weeks (140 days) when utilizing the Cobb advisable feed specs. To realize this achieve of 36 % in body weight, the feed have to be elevated a minimal of 42 % (or 6 % greater than the body weight enhance) beneath regular circumstances. Don’t feed on this interval primarily based on body weight. Use a hard and fast feeding profile.
- Put up 16 weeks, all females ought to transfer step by step in direction of fleshing #3, and at 21 weeks ought to be between#3 and #4 (see desk on earlier web page).
- In some conditions the place females are delayed in conditioning, (fleshing and pelvic fats deposition) an enhance of body weight of between 38 and 40 % is required.
- Uniformity of body, fleshing, pelvic fats and body weight determines to an important extent, the sexual uniformity of the flock, and therefore the height manufacturing efficiency and persistency.
Extremes in fleshing and fats deposition
A pullet with a fleshing rating of two at 20 weeks of age won’t usually have pelvic fats or presence of a fats vein deposition. Tissue upkeep and progress are a better precedence than initiation of puberty. Subsequently, pullets with a fleshing rating of two at 20 weeks will expertise delayed sexual maturity. Though these pullets might sexually mature, they have a tendency to have points with manufacturing.
