The primary few weeks between switch of turkeys to the laying farm and the height of manufacturing can have a giant affect on flock efficiency relying on how it’s managed. Get this stage proper and the flock will carry out effectively and demand much less labour.
Lighting
Transferring birds to the laying farm ought to coincide with the stimulation of the turkeys That is the place birds go from a brief day size to a protracted one (usually 14 hours), stimulating them to put eggs. The switch is often carried out between 29 and 30 weeks of age. Transferring the females earlier than this era is prone to cut back egg manufacturing and produce extra small eggs. Transferring after 30 weeks of age may end up in a better peak of manufacturing however a decrease persistency of lay. Females should at all times transfer to a better depth mild from the one in rear, it’s beneficial that doubling the lux degree in lay to attain stimulation and a minimal of 100 lux is important (see Determine 1).
Egg manufacturing will usually begin between 14 to 18 days after photograph stimulation. Care should be taken when choosing the kind of synthetic lighting, because the crimson a part of the sunshine spectrum is important. It is because it has been confirmed that this crimson half is essential for photograph stimulation of egg manufacturing. Pure daylight gives the most effective mild depth and high quality because it emits a broad spectrum of sunshine.
Nest containers
There are two nest field sorts, handbook and automated nests. Both system has its personal advantages and might be in contrast in Desk 1.
When utilizing handbook nests, it’s essential to place a minimal depth of 8 cm of shavings into the field to make sure a snug place for the hen to put and a secure place for the egg to sit down. Mud free wooden shavings are the most effective materials to make use of, however ought to at all times be saved in a clear dry, vermin proof, bio safe storage space. The nests will have to be topped up commonly and contaminated materials eliminated, particularly in the beginning of the laying interval when there may be an elevated degree of nesting exercise. For auto-nests, at all times discuss with the producer’s guideline on preliminary setup.
Be sure that the deliberate feminine stocking density is appropriate for the home space and that you’ve enough nest containers for the females to forestall flooring eggs and maximise manufacturing of fine high quality settable eggs. Desk 2 beneath exhibits the beneficial variety of females per nest field for Nicholas Choose females and B.U.T. Females. Inadequate subsequent containers can cut back settable egg numbers by rising the variety of flooring eggs, the variety of broody birds and reject eggs.
Coaching of the females
The time between lighting and peak manufacturing is an important interval for familiarisation of the females to their new atmosphere and coaching them to make use of the nests. That is essential as it should cut back the quantity of the turkeys laying flooring eggs. The prevalence of flooring eggs is an efficient measure of the success of nest field coaching and mustn’t exceed 1% of whole egg manufacturing.
Handbook nest coaching
Make nests obtainable 24 hours per day from the start of switch. Traps ought to both be tied up or faraway from the doorway to the nest (see Determine 2). The nest containers ought to keep on this state till 25-35% of manufacturing is reached to encourage birds to enter. Reinstate traps step by step over a time interval of per week and in the event you see a rise in flooring eggs throughout this time, cut back the quantity of nests being reinstated. Eggs needs to be collected and females pushed off the nest. The frequency of egg collections needs to be elevated step by step as egg manufacturing will increase. Throughout hotter climate it’s suggested that the nests needs to be closed through the night time and opened once more when the lights come on within the morning.
Automated nest coaching
The nest-box opening and shutting mechanism needs to be run twice per day. This observe will assist familiarise the turkeys to the operation of the nest mechanism and keep away from any stress related to its activation. Automated nest containers needs to be open even at night time till 20 to 30% of manufacturing is reached. As soon as this has been reached, nests needs to be opened half-hour after lights have come on and closed half-hour earlier than lights shall be switched off. The stockman ought to assess the extent of nest field exercise to find out when to push-off the females and gather the eggs. Regularly improve the variety of push-offs from the nests because the egg manufacturing will increase, see instance in Desk 3 beneath.
Cleansing of the matting often begins on the finish of the 5th week of manufacturing and may ideally happen on the finish of the day by day laying interval. The programme for egg collections needs to be adjusted with modifications in egg manufacturing. Through the day by day peak of egg manufacturing it might be essential to gather extra regularly than as soon as an hour. It’s essential to gather flooring eggs to discourage broodiness at the very least each time a ramp push-off is carried out and as usually as each half-hour through the day by day peak of egg manufacturing. The place a number of rows of nests are put in in the home, function the rows of nests sequentially. This can permit farm workers to push-away the females from the ramps earlier than the subsequent set of nests pushes-off the females. It’s endorsed that the nests are closed for a most of three to 4 minutes which needs to be enough time for the farm workers to push the females away from the ramps.
In all instances it might even be clever to seek the advice of the producer for his or her suggestions. See Figures 3 and 4 for automated nest field examples.
