Understanding heat-stress in layers (Part II)

• Particle size

Alter the size of the feed particles, either by increasing the size or by feeding a crumble diet. In crumble diets for layer flocks, a supplemental source or larger presentation of limestone particles is recommended.

• Organic Zinc

Organic zinc can improve the quality of the eggshell by helping the activity of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase since zinc is a key mineral element of this important enzyme.

• Energy

Increasing the proportion of the energy contribution from a highly digestible lipid, rather than starches or proteins, will reduce body heat produced from digestion. This is known as heat gain and is lower with dietary fat digestion.

• Cleaning feeders

A maximum time of 1 hour is generally recommended to clean the feeders, but during this time, it can be extended up to 3 hours when the temperature exceeds 36°C.

Diet Formulation

• Formulate diets using highly digestible materials, particularly protein sources. Metabolism of excess protein is particularly hot-loading for the bird and worsens the ion imbalance. Formulate to digestible amino acid goals and do not apply a high crude protein minimum in the formula. Synthetic amino acids can reduce crude protein in the diet without limiting amino acid levels.
• The requirement for
  
  
  
  
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