Study extra about feeding strategies for optimum rearing administration
4 April 2024
6 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 focus on important components which might be more than likely to affect flock efficiency. To learn or obtain the whole Information or to view Cobb’s different administration guides, click on right here.
The brooding section is concentrated on getting the chicks began and adapting them to managed feeding. Within the upkeep section, the first aims are weight and fleshing management. It will be important all through this section to commonly deal with the birds to guage their fleshing scores. By dealing with the birds commonly and at completely different ages, their growth and physique situation might be higher understood. Hen situation at picture stimulation is important. The one approach to obtain the specified chicken situation is with right weight management and common analysis of physique situation or fleshing. The assist techniques proceed to develop and you will need to not fall beneath body weight customary for prolonged durations of time.
If the males don’t obtain goal body weight in the course of the first 4 weeks, a slight improve in feed quantity is really useful. Alternatively, gentle hours will be elevated to permit the males to devour any remaining feed within the feeding system.
Feeding strategies for optimum rearing administration
Feed allocation applications are used in the course of the rearing section to assist management the expansion, weight acquire, and maturation of breeding flocks. Concentrate on any nationwide laws that have to be thought-about when designing and implementing a feeding program for the rearing interval. Feed allocation might encompass each day feeding (with restricted quantities per chicken per day) or alternate day feeding (with bigger quantities per chicken on days when feed is offered). The next are examples of feeding applications:
Each Day – Birds are fed every single day.
5/2 – Birds are fed 3 consecutive days adopted by 1 time without work; then 2 days of feeding adopted by 1 time without work to finish the 7-day cycle. Be aware: That is the most typical feeding program globally.
4/3– Birds are fed 4 non-consecutive days per week and off-feed for 3 non-consecutive days (see chart to left).
Skip-a-day – Birds are fed each different day.
6/1 – 6 days with feed and 1 time without work.
Breeder Feeding Packages
Day by day feeding
In some international locations the native welfare circumstances require the birds to be fed each day. This feeding methodology supplies a each day allocation designed to handle development, sexual maturity and into manufacturing.
Advantages
- Normalized feeding sample and higher FCR (higher feed absorption within the intestinal tract).
- Calm flock with regular conduct and few enteric challenges.
- Diluted feed permits elevated each day feed allocation and due to this fact improved feed distribution. With dilution, the feed will increase are round +3 g /feminine/week between 5 to 13 weeks of age, and this retains the flock rising extra managed and prevents “frog feeding” (altering of weekly feed quantities up and down based mostly on body weight fluctuations).
- Extra simply finished when mash feeds are getting used that take extra time to be consumed.
- Caretakers work together with the flocks each day as a part of the conventional feeding schedule.
Challenges
- Feed distribution must be excellent and feed must go round fully to ensure sufficient feeder house per chicken.
- Dilution of the feed is important for feed distribution, which will increase the whole feed utilized in rearing and feed value (extra milling, transport and storage).
- Uniformity is commonly harder to take care of, particularly after 12 weeks of age attributable to very quick feed cleanup instances.
- Birds have smaller crops and gizzards due to diminished feed quantities as in comparison with different feeding applications.
- Personnel have to be current at particular instances to test feed and water availability.
- On days of particular person chicken vaccinations feed is delivered later than the scheduled time. Vaccination crews want to complete by midday or early afternoon to present sufficient time afterwards for feeding and water consumption. The sunshine program might have to be prolonged on vaccination days.
6/1 program
This feeding program is usually used as a bridge or intermediate step to progress to a 5/2 or skip-a-day program. Equally, it may be used to return to each day feeding on the finish of the rearing interval. This program is normally launched within the third week for 1 week previous to the 5/2 or skip-a-day program. Likewise, the 6/1 program can be used on the finish of rearing (18 to twenty weeks) for a 1 to 2 week interval relying on how briskly birds devour the feed and if there are feed distribution points.
5/2 program
That is probably the most generally used program in rearing worldwide and serves as a compromise between each day feeding and skip-a-day feeding. It’s used primarily to take care of or improve good feed distribution and uniformity. Usually, this program is used in the course of the late a part of the rising interval, significantly if “feed impaction” (choking) is a matter on feed days when the 4/3 or skip-a-day feeding program is used.
Advantages
- Birds are ate up the identical days every week all through the rearing interval.
- This program will increase the feed quantities introduced to the birds on feeding day in comparison with a 6/1 or on a regular basis feeding program.
- Good feed distribution over the entire home space with pans and chains.
- Could also be applied at 3 to 4 weeks of age and continued till 16 weeks of age.
- May be prolonged to 1st egg when feed quantities are small (for instance 100g per pullet at begin of manufacturing).
- Used with medium to excessive vitality feeds which might be fed at decrease feed quantities.
- Can use the non-feeding days to use vaccinations and “off” feed days can fall on Sunday to create a day with diminished labor.
Challenges
- Visits must be minimized on non-feeding days and solely important workers ought to conduct checks. Visiting the flock on non-feeding days could make the flock agitated.
- Visits must be finished on non-feeding days provided that vaccinations are finished.
- Feeding program isn’t constant in the course of the week since there might be a interval of three ‘on-feed’ days adopted by an off-feed day after which 2 ‘on-feed’ days adopted by an off-feed day.
- Flocks show extra stress associated behaviors on the non-feeding days
4/3 program and Skip-a-day
These applications are most well-liked when feeding low volumes of a high-density feed (>2900 kcal/kg; (12.08 Mj/kg)), or when feeding house is restricted. It ensures an extended feed interval and permits timid birds to obtain sufficient feed. From 21 or 28 days to 140 days, the equal of two days feed is given on a single day, with solely a scratch feed offered the subsequent day. If low feed quantities will be given then it’s principally an on and off day feeding. Which means with skip-a-day the feed quantity will double (100 % extra) on feeding day. With the 4/3 program the feed quantity is elevated by 75 % on a feeding day. This program is used when feed presentation is a pellet or crumble.
Advantages
- Improves uniformity as a bigger feed quantity is being distributed over the complete home.
- Extra widespread the place there’s a scarcity of feeder house.
- Feed mill can produce much less feed and fewer feed is being transported to the farms decreasing transport prices.
- Feed mill has extra capability to cowl all of the farms (If the feed mill is at full capability it turns into the bottleneck within the integration).
- Crops and gizzards are bigger for birds educated to devour bigger quantities of feed. Which means feed cleanup time in manufacturing can be quicker. This may be a bonus with scorching climate circumstances.
Challenges
- Flocks show extra stress associated behaviors on the non-feeding days.
- Can’t feed extra on a feeding day than is being fed in peak manufacturing (for instance 165 g in peak manufacturing means with skip-a-day a feed quantity of 82.5 g per day). That quantity is being fed at round 19 to twenty weeks of age. At the moment body a change have to be finished to 4/3 or 5/2 program for just a few weeks after which change to each day feeding.
- Over consumption is a danger for the flock if the feed quantity on a feeding day is simply too excessive resulting in overeating, pendulous crops and even dying. If feed shock happens, change the feeding program to five/2 program.
Breeder feeding applications case examine
Difficulty:
There’s a vital drop in feed cleanup time when utilizing an on a regular basis feeding program. Fast feed cleanup instances will damage uniformity and make the birds extra nervous for the reason that extra timid birds might not be capable to eat or might not have a lot to eat. A crop test instantly after feed cleanup will point out if there’s a feed consumption uniformity difficulty. A most of two % of the birds ought to have a small quantity of feed within the crop.
Answer:
Introduce a 6/1 program for 1 week and at 4 weeks (28 days), introduce a 5/2 program till 18 to 19 weeks. After 19 weeks, return to each day feeding. It’s doable to proceed with a 5/2 or 6/1 feeding program till the week of picture stimulation when feed quantities are very low or the birds are fed pelleted rations with feed cleanup instances of lower than half-hour.
Transitioning from each day feeding to an alternate feeding program usually begins when the feed cleanup time is lower than 4 hours, usually between 14 to 18 days of age or into the third week. When shifting between different feeding applications, for instance, shifting from 4/3 to five/2, you will need to observe chicken conduct and well being. A shift from a decrease feed quantity to a better feed quantity on feed day can result in impaction. Offering the flock with a chance to drink 30 to 40 minutes earlier than feeding can add moisture to consumed feed. If impacted crops are seen, crop checks after feeding can assist the farm group members perceive the chicken’s situation after consuming.
