Cobb Breeder Administration Information: Male breeder administration

15 August 2024

7 minute learn

Editor’s word: This text is an excerpt from the Cobb Breeder Administration Information and extra articles will observe. The Information was designed to spotlight vital components which might be probably to affect flock efficiency. The administration suggestions mentioned have been developed particularly for Cobb merchandise. The suggestions are supposed as a reference and complement to your individual flock administration expertise in an effort to apply your data and judgement to acquire persistently good outcomes with the Cobb household of merchandise. To learn or obtain the entire Information or to view Cobb’s different administration guides, click on right here.

The important thing to acquiring good hatchability from right now’s broiler breeders is to develop feeding and administration applications that enable an accurate improvement of the male’s reproductive system whereas controlling their development potential and capability to deposit breast muscle. The male development profile is the only most necessary issue that correlates with flock fertility. Males must be weighed at the very least weekly from one to 30 weeks of age and at the very least each different week thereafter.

Male rearing

A superb begin when rearing males is essential for weight uniformity in addition to good organ and skeletal improvement, that are correlated with future male fertility. It’s necessary that the males obtain body weight targets based on the Cobb customary. For finest outcomes, the males must be reared individually from the females till housing at round 20 weeks of age.

Male body dimension is strongly influenced by the body weight development curve over the rearing interval, with most body improvement occurring within the first 12 weeks. The 7-day body weight goal for males is 145 to 150 g (0.32 to 0.33 lb) on advert libitum feed however monitor common day by day feed consumption per chicken. Separate the heaviest and lightest males at 3 to 4 weeks. Try to get these males again on customary body weight by 8 weeks of age. Grading males is extra necessary than females, however male body weight will be neglected. Controlling the body weight acquire from 12 (puberty) to twenty weeks will assist to forestall outsized males and management their sexual improvement.

Male density in rearing must be round 3.6 to 4.3 males/m2 (2.5 to three.0 ft2/male). Apply beak conditioning within the hatchery. At 8 weeks of age, deal with all males and take away any with apparent visible (phenotypic) faults that don’t meet high quality requirements, together with crooked or bent toes, skeletal abnormalities, and beak abnormalities.

Sustaining male uniformity

From 16 to twenty weeks the social order is established, and male flocks are inclined to lose uniformity rapidly. At 16 weeks, with a purpose to break the social order and get better uniformity with the lighter males, take into account an extra fleshing grading. Separate all the males which have a fleshing of two or decrease and alter the feed to extend fleshing scores to 2.5 by 20 weeks of age. At 20 to 21 weeks of age the female and male flocks will probably be combined and the social order is modified once more. Think about using computerized grading machines to grade males. It’s faster and sometimes extra actual.

Transferring males to manufacturing homes

For males reared in environmentally managed homes it’s a good apply to switch males to the manufacturing home 2 to three days sooner than the females to assist familiarize the males with their feeder system. This may cut back males stealing feminine feed and enhance body weight management.

The male to feminine ratio will rely upon sexual synchronization and breed of males. In common, at switch, choose sufficient males for a feminine/male ratio of 8 to 9 % in homes with slats, and 9 to 10 % in homes with out slats. Choose solely wholesome males for the preliminary matings. These males ought to have the perfect body weight and physique situation. Any males which have high quality defects (developmental, skeletal, and so on.), are extraordinarily or severely chubby shouldn’t be transferred and must be eliminated and humanely euthanized. Maintain the remaining common weight inhabitants and reasonably heavy males for future use in spiking applications. In flooring operations a considerably bigger male can be utilized if the breast muscle will not be outsized, which might create stability and fertility issues.

When catching by the again, gently grasp the birds by the perimeters, ensuring wings are safe towards the chicken’s physique and wrap fingers on the perimeters of the chicken’s breasts. Place the birds into the coops, retaining the wings secured to forestall wing injury. When catching by the ft, catchers ought to seize birds by the ft solely and never the drumsticks to forestall bruising of the hock areas of the legs. Birds must not ever be lifted, carried, or dragged by the wing, one leg, or neck. Birds must not ever be thrown. 

Catching have to be carried out in a fashion that minimizes chicken stress and doesn’t trigger chicken damage. If coops are used (as proven within the illustration), care have to be taken to forestall chicken damage. Sliding coops alongside the ground might trigger toe accidents. Take care when closing the highest or lid of the coop to make sure that the heads and wings will not be caught when the container is closed.

Managing males that exhibit domination (aggressive) behaviors

Poor sexual synchronization is the first motive for shows of overt male dominance habits (aggression). These females have a tendency to begin manufacturing at 25 weeks whereas males are already exhibiting mating habits at 23 to 24 weeks of age.

To regulate and forestall male dominant (aggressive) behaviors

• Males will be transferred a couple of days after females if they’re significantly forward of the females when it comes to sexual maturity. This may give the females further time to mature, however males will want an extra week to acclimate to a home after switch with females already current. 
• Scale back the male ratio to five % and hold the remaining males in darker home circumstances.
• Steadily introduce males after begin of manufacturing (> 10 %) and steadily improve the male ratio by 1 % per week thereafter.
• For future flocks take into account the best way to enhance sexual synchronization by evaluating means to appropriate the male body weight curve from 12 to twenty weeks of age. For instance, strictly management male body weight within the first 4 weeks to forestall males from changing into outsized at 12 to twenty weeks.
• Photograph stimulate the males similtaneously the females – don’t pre-light the males.
• Outsized males (lengthy shanks) will want extra body weight to realize the appropriate situation after 16 weeks of age which might additional improve the body weight hole with the females. If males are being reared on increased mild depth (10 lux; 1 fc), cut back depth to five lux (0.5 fc) to assist decelerate sexual maturation throughout rearing and optimize sexual synchronization with females. 
• If males are transferred early to the manufacturing home keep the identical mild depth utilized in rearing. Nevertheless, early switch can delay male sexual improvement and comb dimension permitting them to steal feed from the feminine feeder.
• Forestall delays in manufacturing begin with a objective of achieving 1 to three % manufacturing at 24 weeks. The longer the females delay the beginning of egg manufacturing, the extra aggressive the males could also be.

Any extreme stress or drop in body weight, and even stagnation of development from 16 to 22 weeks of age, will lead to underdeveloped and fewer uniform testes within the males and end result in decrease preliminary hatches and potential fertility challenges all through the manufacturing interval.

Managing weight variations between men and women

During the last 10 years, the body weight differential between men and women has been lowered significantly, enhancing each fertility and hatchability ranges. The desk (left) is an instance, at completely different ages, of what the perfect body weight differential is between men and women. The desk additionally contains estimates for fertility and hatchability charges when these values are achieved.

Excessive fertility signifies stability between testicular improvement (dimension and vascularization) and male mating means. Heavy males can have wonderful testicle dimension but when they can not full greater than 75 % of the tentative matings there will probably be a decline in fertility. Keep male situation by sustaining a fleshing rating between 2.0 and three.0 through the manufacturing interval. Utilizing major males which might be 11 to 12 % heavier than females offers:

• Diminished mortality and culling because of fewer leg, toe or bumblefoot issues.
• Quick and simpler mating permitting females to retain feather cowl on their backs.
• Females are extra receptive to mating, leading to increased fertility charges.
• Reduces body weight differential between the first and spike males, which improves male spiking success.

To learn or obtain the entire Cobb Breeder Administration Information or to view Cobb’s different administration guides, click on right here.