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In a broad sense, the onset of lay phase would comprise the time that elapses from the accommodation of the birds in the production house, until they reach their adult body weight, which in practice would translate into the period of 17 weeks to 30 – 35 weeks of age.
Nutrition management during start of lay
At first, the birds have to overcome the stress of moving and adapting to their new environment. But the fundamental challenge remains to satisfy the nutritional needs of the birds, from the appearance of the first eggs, which increase in size and number exponentially in a few weeks, until final body weight gain has been achieved, which is roughly at 35 weeks of life. Successfully overcoming this challenge will depend on several factors, such as:
The characteristics of the feed, both in composition and granulometry.
Applied management, not only in the production farm, but also of the one previously applied in the rearing phase.
Pullets that have a well-developed digestive system and a good ingestion capacity will find it easier to rapidly increase their consumption, which should ideally increase by about 40% between 5% production and peak laying.
Rearing training
The objective of the rearing phase must be to obtain a flock of quality pullets, which can be determined by:
Compliance with body weight profile in rearing
Flock uniformity
Ingestion capacity
Age to sexual maturity
Health status of the flock
There is often a tendency to think primarily in terms of bird weight and uniformity, and to neglect a fundamental criterion such as the development of intake capacity. In breeding, and from the earliest possible age, birds must be prepared to meet their future needs, getting them used to adequate feeding rhythms, as well as favouring the development of their digestive system.
Nutritional characteristics of the feed
Regarding the nutritional characteristics of the feed, the one used in the development phase, generally from 10 weeks of age, will have to be a relatively lower concentrated formula (energy level lower than that of the growth formula, but also lower than the formula to be used at the start of lay): High energy levels in this phase will limit the development of the digestive system and present the risk of stopping consumption at the start of lay. It is recommended to dilute the diet with raw materials that provide a high content of insoluble fiber with a thick structure that will favor the ...
