Key management points for broiler breeders at 7-15 weeks of age
The main physiological characteristic of chickens during the first period, weeks 7-15, is hormone secretion.
The first stage, 11-12 weeks, is when hormone secretion first begins. Hormone levels are relatively low at this time, but you must pay close attention to its weekly weight gain.
The second stage is when hormone secretion is higher, at 15 weeks. Be sure to monitor its weight gain at this time. Do not reduce its feed; ensure the chickens secrete sufficient hormones, as this is a great help to the development of their reproductive systems.
The second part is body weight control. At this time, you must keep its weight gain steady. Each week's weight gain should be 2-6 grams or 4-6 grams below the standard, allowing it to gain weight steadily. Then, by the end of 15 weeks, its body weight should match the standard, or be within plus or minus 20 grams.
Roosters can be overweight. Here, cage rearing differs from floor rearing: caged hens can be somewhat overweight, by about 80-100 grams, and roosters can be more than 100 grams overweight. This will make it easier to collect more rooster J fluid in the future
However, this does not work for floor rearing. The body weight of floor-reared roosters can exceed the target slightly, but not by more than 50-60 grams. The hens’ excess weight must be carefully controlled; they must not become overweight. This is a steady growth period, and the main purpose is to lay a solid foundation for the next 16-24 weeks.
The three main breeds we raise now are AA, Ross, and Hubbard, also known as Lifeng, as well as Cobb. I think AA is the most mature in terms of body-weight control; its growth is managed relatively well. However, the standards in the 2021 manual have been raised compared with previous editions. In particular, weight gain over the four or five consecutive weeks before production is relatively high, so at this stage the allowance is a bit too generous. In my opinion, following the standards in the 2016 manual would give the best results. Body weight must be kept steady.
The third part is feeding. Starting in week four, the feed quantity is calculated, but we must keep feed quantity and body weight separate. Feed quantity is not important; do not keep focusing on the initial feed quantity when adding feed. Be sure to focus on body weight. Feed additions must be calculated. If you need the calculation method, we can discuss it together. There is a specific formula for calculating feed quantity, which I will not work out here.
As for feeding requirements, feed must be distributed evenly. To achieve this, first, chickens of different grades must not be kept in the same place, especially in cage rearing.
For example, if there are two types of chickens in one row or one cage, the larger chickens will certainly eat more in the end, while the smaller chickens will eat less. The calculated amount is quite accurate, but their weight gains end up being different, which makes weight gain difficult to manage.
Therefore, the first principle of uniform feeding is to put the chickens where they should go. Do not place them incorrectly. If they are misplaced, then no matter how skilled you are at feeding or how uniformly you feed them, it will be useless because they will not eat uniformly.
First, chickens of the same grade should be kept together; otherwise, feed intake will be uneven, and uneven feed intake will result in uneven feeding. Therefore, feed intake must be kept uniform.
The feed restriction method used at 7-15 weeks is the five-two method, which means feeding for 5 days and stopping for 2 days. However, one of the days is a weekend, so the method used is either to feed for 3 days, stop for one day, then feed for 2 days and stop for one day, or to feed for 2 days, stop for one day, then feed for 3 days and stop for one day. This depends on your chickens’ body weight.
If the body weight is high, the schedule is feed for two days, stop for one day, feed for three days, and stop for one day.
If the body weight is low, the schedule is feed for three days, stop for one day, then feed for two days, and stop for one day. Make sure to remember this, as it is very important for controlling body weight.
The fourth part is how to manage uniformity. Starting from the fourth week, two conditions must be met every weekend.
First, the numbers of large and small chickens must be equal, each equal to the total number of chickens × (100-uniformity) ÷ 2 ÷ 100. This must be exact.
Second, the uniformity for each grade: large chickens must be greater than 90, chicken volume must be greater than 85, and chicken volume must be greater than 75. None can fall short.