How to manage laying hens during the seasonal transition and avoid “payback in autumn”?

　　After enduring the hot, humid summer weather, the flock’s feed intake is low, resulting in significant weight loss. The body’s compensatory response leads to a lower egg production rate and reduced egg quality. Laying hens generally have low antibody levels and are in a subhealthy state. As autumn sets in and temperatures gradually fall, energy is redirected to resist the cold, reducing the absorption of other nutrients. The body secretes fewer immune substances, daylight hours become shorter, the outdoor environment’s UV disinfection effect weakens, and the day–night temperature difference increases. At this time, some flocks with relatively weak disease resistance are more susceptible to “cold stress” and may develop problems. Therefore, to help laying hens get through the seasonal transition, we should do the following.

　　I. Optimize the flock and ensure good physical condition

　　After autumn begins, some hens with poor constitutions stop laying eggs. Select and remove low-producing hens, weak and frail hens, hens with severe pecking habits, and sick hens with no value for treatment. Keep hens that are physically strong and laying normally to reduce feed waste and improve economic efficiency.

　　Specific method for selecting hens:

　　For caged laying hens, if there are 4 hens per cage and eggs are not collected for 2 consecutive days, check the number of eggs on the egg wire in front of each cage at 4 o’clock in the early morning of the third day. If the number is greater than 6 ( 7 or 8), there is no need to select any hens from that cage. If the number of eggs is less than or equal to 6, feel each hen in the cage individually. Keep hens with eggs, and remove hens with no eggs that show one or more characteristics of low-producing hens, such as a shrunken, smaller comb, especially yellow legs, a tight vent, or a small, thin body. Continue for a week to identify hens that have stopped laying and low-producing hens.

　　Two. Improve management and ensure proper feeding.

　　1, ensure good ventilation and insulation to reduce temperature differences in the chicken house

　　Autumn weather is changeable, with large day-night temperature differences, which stress the flock. Ensure proper insulation and ventilation to keep the microclimate inside the chicken house relatively stable. Repair the chicken house promptly, secure the doors and windows, and prepare for cold weather to prevent sudden weather changes from chilling the flock and causing illness that affects egg production. In late autumn, the weather is dry and daytime temperatures are high. When increasing ventilation, monitor the humidity in the chicken house. If the relative humidity is below 40%, spray water or use aerosol disinfection. At night, adjust the window opening angle according to changes in temperature and ensure adequate ventilation. This helps prevent respiratory diseases caused by an excessively dry environment, large temperature differences, or improper ventilation.

　　2, provide supplemental lighting in the morning and evening to maintain suitable light levels

　　During the laying period, lighting duration and intensity can be gradually increased, but must not be gradually decreased. Daylight hours are now gradually getting shorter. In open and semi-open poultry houses that use natural lighting, the shorter days reduce the hens’ exposure to light, resulting in a lower egg production rate.

　　3, weigh regularly and adjust nutrition

　　As autumn begins, the main focus at this stage for laying hens is to restore feed intake and body condition. During the laying period, it is recommended to sample-check the flock’s body weight every two weeks and adjust the feed quantity according to the corresponding breed’s target body weight. As daylight hours grow shorter in autumn, whether feed intake is sufficient for the needs of chicks and pullets can be assessed based on weekly weight gain, with the feed quantity and feed formula adjusted as appropriate.

　　In principle, adjust the feed formula according to the chickens’ body weight. If their weight does not meet the target, maintain the existing high-nutrient formula until it does, then adjust to the next corresponding feed formula.

　　Three. Take preventive measures and guard against disease.

　　After the autumnal equinox, the air becomes dry, and the mucous membranes of chickens’ respiratory systems are prone to damage, allowing pathogenic microorganisms to take advantage. Once the flock is under stress, if it does not have high antibody levels, it can easily become ill.

　　1, Disinfection of chicken houses

　　In autumn, the climate is dry. On the one hand, avoid letting the humidity in the chicken house fall below 40%; on the other hand, choose mild disinfectants for disinfection with the chickens present, such as quaternary ammonium salts and povidone-iodine, to avoid damaging the respiratory mucosa. In addition, use a 20% glutaraldehyde solution to disinfect the wider farm environment, and strengthen disinfection of the floors on the clean access route in front of the chicken houses and the dirty access route behind them.

　　2 Prepare for vaccination

　　In autumn, the day-to-night temperature difference is large. After heat stress, chickens lose nutrients and their antibody levels decline rapidly. To help the flock remain healthy and maintain stable production, it is best to test antibody levels. For immunosuppressive diseases such as Newcastle disease and influenza, antibody titers must be tested, and the immunization program and methods adjusted in a timely manner so that both humoral and cellular immunity in the flock remain in good condition.

　　In short, during seasonal transitions, flock management should be given high priority. Take effective measures to reduce various forms of stress, ensure the flock grows healthily, and improve farming efficiency. A well-planned immunization schedule, temperature management, feed changes, and optimized operating procedures can help achieve peak egg production and good production performance.