Department of Poultry Science

COVAS,Parbhani

Dr.M.G.Nikam
Course Teacher and Professor of Poultry
Science
 LECTURE NO 4.

REARING AND MANAGEMENT OF GROWERS AND LAYERS

management of Grower

• The Period after brooding till the sexual maturity in

layers is referred as growing period (8 th to 17th week)
• Management during this period is highly critical as
performance at laying house mostly depends upon
the growing period.
• If the management during growing period is affected
it will affect the performance of whole batch.
• This really gets reflected in the case of breeders.
Selecting a good group of breeders at growing
period is very important. So the management at
grower period forms the key for success in poultry
farming
 REARING AND MANAGEMENT OF PULLETS
• Primary objective: to produce pullets which will come to lay around 18
weeks of age with an average body weight of 1.2 to 1.3 kg.

• Floor space: 950 cm2/pullet

• Waterer space : 1.5 to 2.5 cm/pullet

• Feeder space: 6.5 to 10 cm/pullet

• Light : Natural day length of 12 hrs (Grower birds never exposed to

increased lighting schedule)
• Ventilation
• Deworming: Periodical deworming (every 2 months), one week prior to
vaccination so as to boost the immunity
• Feeding : grower mash (16 % C.P. and 2600 Kcal/kg M.E), restricted feeding
programme to avoid overweight of pullet.
• Watering : Approx. 5 to 6 lit. for 200 pullets.

• Beak trimming : 2nd beak trimming during growing at 14 to 16 weeks of age.

• Vaccination: schedule is to be followed strictly

• Weighing : representative birds (5-10 %) to check the flock uniformity

• Litter management : 2” Litter height

• Culling : It is a continuous process to be followed in breeder farm to remove

Underdeveloped, weak, disabled pullet also some of the sexing errors so as
to maintain the flock uniformity during the layer stage.
 Basic nutrient requirements of grower birds
No Nutrient Uint Grower
1 Moisture Max % 11
2 CP Min% 16
3 Ether extract Min% 2.0
4 Crude fibre Max% 9.0
5 Acid insoluble ash Max% 4.0
6 Salt Min% 0.5
7 Calcium Min% 1.0
8 Total phosphorus Min% 0.65
9 Available Phosphorous Min% 0.40
10 Lysine Min% 0.70
11 Methionine Min% 0.35
12 Meth +Cystine Min% 0.60
13 ME Kcal/kg Min% 2600
 Assumptions for layer management

• Age at first egg : 18th week

• Age at 5% egg production: 20th week
• Age at 50% egg production: 24th week
• Age at peak production: 28th week
• Average egg production per year per hen: 300-310 eggs
• Mortality during egg production : 1% per month (10-12% per year)
 REARING AND MANAGEMENT OF LAYERS
• Segregation and transfer of pullets to layer house-
• Grading of pullets after shifting them to cages and before the onset of lay
1)on the basis of comb development
2)Body weight (10 % + and 10% - BW as per standards should be considered for selection)

• Floor space: 1800-2200cm2/bird in deep litter

337 to 375 cm2/bird in cage

• Feeder space : 12-15 linear cm/bird

• Waterer space : 2.5 linear cm/bird

• Laying nests: Required in deep litter housing

One laying nest for 4-5 layers
Nest size of 30x30x38 cm

• Litter : 8 cm depth , Ammonia level : not to exceed 25 ppm

• Temperature in layer house: 18 to 21 Degree Celsius
• Feeding : Layer mash with 18% C.P and 2600 Kcal/kg M.E.
Avg. feed consumption: 110-120g /day (40kg/bird/year)
• Watering : 2.5 to 3 times of feed consumption
• Vaccination:
• Prevention of Vices: Beak trimming , avoid overcrowding, proper lighting
schedule
• Egg collection: 4 times in a day
• Calcium supplement: 3% calcium in the form of Oyster shell, calcium
carbonate etc top dressing with LSP of shell grit @ 4-5 gm/day during
phase I and phase II layer management
• Deworming : regularly at an interval of 6-8 weeks depending on the worm
load
• Reducing stress
• Culling: to improve economy
• Record keeping
 Basic nutrients requirements of layer birds
No Nutrient Unit layer Phase I Layer phase II
20-42 wks Peak 43 -72 weeks post peak

1 Moisture Max % 11 11
2 CP Min% 18 16
3 Ether extract Min% 2.0 2.0
4 Crude fibre Max% 9.0 10.0
5 Acid insoluble ash Max% 4.0 4.5
6 Salt Min% 0.5 0.5
7 Calcium**(4-5g/bird) TD SG Min% 3.0 3.5
8 Total phosphorus Min% 0.65 0.65
9 Available Phosphorous Min% 0.40 0.40
10 Lysine Min% 0.70 0.65
11 Methionine Min% 0.35 0.30
12 Meth +Cystine Min% 0.6 0.55
13 ME Kcal/kg Min% 2600 2400
 Calcium and Phosphorus Sources

Sr. No. Compound Formula Calcium (%) Phosphorus

(%)
1 Bone Meal - 29 12
2 Meat & Bone Meal - 10 5
3 Shell Grit - 38 -
4 Limestone Powder CaCO3 38 -
5 Calcium Carbonate CaCO3 38 -
6 Calcium Sulphate CaSO4.2H2O 22 -
7 Rock Phosphate - 32 18
(De-Flourinated)
8 Rock Phosphate - 17 9
(Soft)
 Calcium and Phosphorus Sources
Sr. No. Compound Formula Calcium Phosphorus
(%) (%)

9 Di-Calcium CaHPO4.H2O 22 18
Phosphate
10 Mono Calcium Ca(H2PO4)2 16 21
Phosphate
11 Calcium Ca10(OH)2(PO4)6 32 15
Phosphate,
tribasic
Importance of light in layer management
• Proper utilization of all available space in the
poultry shed
• Hen will always prefer the lighter areas of the
shed hence even distribution throughout the
shed is must
• Affects growth & reproduction in birds by
different physiological actions
• To obtain maximum egg production from birds
• Day to day activities of the layer farm &
hatchery
 Physiology of light : Photoperiod

 Total duration of light including the day light is referred as

photoperiod
 Length of the light- day during growing period & age at sexual
maturity are negatively correlated
 Longer the length of day-light earlier will be the sexual
maturity & vive versa
 In northern hemisphere Spring hatched birds complete half of
the growing period under increasing light & half under
decreasing light hence mature late
 Winter hatched birds exposed to natural increases in day light
during growing period therefore mature early.
 Cont..
Photo period influences the reproductive
activity of birds
Ovarian development & egg laying is most
stimulated by increasing photoperiod
Photorefractiveness is often initiated by long
days as day length is long the development of
maturity in the birds will be earlier.
 Types of light

Incandescent – Cheapest; necessitates reflectors, short bulb

life (750-1000 hrs)

Fluorescent – 3 to 4 times more efficient than incandescent

bulbs; 10 times longer life than incandescent bulb

Mercury vapor – Long life (24,000 hrs); requires several

minutes to warm up; cannot be used in houses with low
ceilings.

Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) – More energy

efficient. One-fifth energy of fluorescent light is needed to
provide same light intensity (lumen)
Intensity of light
 Intensity is important at birds eye level to stimulate
egg production (0.9 to 1.2 fc)
 A bulb of 40 watt with reflector held at 2.2m above
floor level for 3.5m2 floor space provides correct
intensity.
 Birds can perceive light represented by wavelength
between 400 & 700 mù
 All birds have the color vision
 Light required to see & eat is 2.69 lux
 Egg production light requirement is 5.38 to 10.76 lux
Light intensities for various works

Sr. No Particulars Light

requirement in
lux
1 Feed storage/Processing 100-200
area
2 Egg handling room 500
3 Egg processing room 700-1000
4 Office/Shop 500-1000
 Color of light & role of reflectors
 Oil droplets in the retina of chicken filter out some of shorter
rays like green, blue & violet.
 On commercial farms white light is provided however Red &
Orange colored lights also seems to have beneficial effects on
egg production
Reflectors:
Importance of reflectors:
 (a)cone type-less preferred
 (b)Flat type – most preferred
 Cleanliness of the reflector is must to produce calculated
quantity of light
Cone shaped reflector
Flat type reflectors
Lighting Management
 Measurement of Light intensity

a)Candela: Unit of luminous intensity defined as

1/600000 of the luminous intensity of 1m2 of black
body maintained at freezing point of platinum.
b)Lumen: The flow of light energy per second through
1m2 of surface of 1m radius when a source of one
international candle power is placed at the centre of
curvature.
(c) Lux: Is the amount of light falling on a 1m2
spherical surface of radius 1 m when a source of candle
power is kept at the centre of curvature 1 lux=1
lumen /m2 hence lux is also referred as “meter
Candle” A bright sunny day will have a intensity of
80,000 lux.
Cont.
(d) Watt: The amount of electricity necessary to light a
bulb is measured as watts one watt = 1J/s, The
numbers of lumens of light per watt of bulb is an
indicator of the efficiency of light source,
(e) Foot candle: The intensity of light striking each &
every point on a segment of an imaginary 1 foot
radius sphere 1 candle power source at the centre.
Foot candle=1 lumen/sq. ft=10.76 lumen/m2=10.76
lux
Lighting programme during brooding
 First 48 hrs after hatch provide 24 hr light to the birds so
that birds will learn to find feed & water.
 The intensity required is about 40 lumens
 After 4 weeks of brooding no artificial light is provided for
layers but a dim light of 4 to lumens is provided to broilers
to help them to take feed & water

Lighting programme during growing period

 The light intensity during the growing period should be
maintained below the threshold value of 5 lux
 Never expose the grower birds for increasing light period
 Lighting programme during laying
 No sudden change in lighting pattern to be followed
 Change in lighting programme is required only after the laying of
first egg
 Time to set lighting programme is 20 weeks for egg type pullet &
23 weeks for meat type pullets.
 Egg lines light requirement is 16 hrs & meat lines 15-16hrs
 Gradual increase with 15 -30 minutes per week to reach 16 Hrs
which is kept constant up to 42 weeks(step up lighting
programme)
 At 43 weeks increase up to 17 Hrs and maintained thereafter
 Light beyond 17 Hrs is uneconomical
Lighting scheme for commercial layers

Age/stage Intensity(lux) Duration (hr)

Brooding ,1-3 d 20 23
Growing -4d to 3 wks 05 15
Growing -3-18 wks 05 11
Laying 50-60 Increase light by 30
minutes per week until
reaches a maximum of
16-17 hrs
Ill effects of lighting
 Excess light results in excess feed consumption
 Excess fat accumulation in birds
 Hyper excitability in birds
 Cannibalism
 Prolapse
 Reduced egg production
 Increases the cost of production of egg hence not economical
also
 VACCINATION SCHEDULE FOR LAYERS

S. Route of
Age Vaccine
No. administration
1 First day Marek’s S/C at neck
2 5-7th day B1 or F1 + IB I/O or I/N
3 10-11th day Beak trimming
4 13-14th day IBD – First dose I/O or I/N
5 18-19th day Marek’s S/C
6 23-25th day IBD – Second dose I/O or I/N
7 30-35th day Lasota + IB I/O or I/N
8 8th week RDVK or R2B S/C or I/M
9 9th Week Fowl Pox I/M
10 10th Week Coryza S/C
11 13-15th Week Beak trimming (Second)
12 18-20th Week ND Killed or RDVK S/C or I/M
• Depigmentation:
Pigment : carotenoids
Source: Yellow maize

• Pullets comes in egg production- transfer of pigment from body to

egg-slowly bleaching of body parts

• Order of depigmentation: Vent, eye ring, ear lobes, beak, shanks

• When bird stop laying – yellow pigment reappear in the same order
as it disappeared and come back twice as fast