Top broiler

performance starts

with professional

breeder production

Presented by:

Joost Gerrits

• Main objective• Why automatic laying nest boxes• Details of automatic laying nest• Details of the slats• Importance of the House design• Hints to improve • Financial gain

Topics:

Main Objective

Highest possible hatchability / number of DOC’s in order to have profitability in entire integration

Hatcheries want hatching eggs which are:

clean free from bacteria clean from manure without cracks.

Can be achieved only by laying nests that provide for the lowest amount of floor eggs.

Why floor eggs have a negative effect on the company result:

33% of outside nest eggs get lost: cracked, eaten, fall through slat or get lost in the litter. A 6% of outside nest egg is actually 8%

Floor eggs demand more labor and people get frustrated.

Outside nest eggs have high % of cracks and become dirty. Therefore they are not suitable for hatching. Contimation of hatchery.

Creates gaps entire broiler production chain.

Mechanical nests instead of litter

nests?

Mechanical nests instead of litter nests?Automatic laying nest

Mechanical nests instead of litter nests?

1. Litter nest has no expel system, birds remain in the nests during night so manure will build up inside the nest.

2. By the use of manual nests Farm attendants have to enter the house to collect eggs. This is a substantially increased risk for distribution of disease.

3. The automatic community nest will give 25% or more usable nesting space

This will result in more dirty eggs and broken eggs

Roll-away nest: after the egg is laid, it rolls onto the egg belt away from the birds

Litter nest: egg stays in the nest, the next hen lays egg beside it. Eggs is cooled and warmed up again.

This result in:

Gradual cooling of the egg temperature

litter nest eggs (embryos) are being subjected to:

VARIABLE TEMPERATURE

Details of automatic laying nestsExpel system

Expel system is a must!

• Nest is closed at least one hour before lights switched off

• Hens cannot roost in nest overnight so NO manure build up on the nest pads

• For small breeds expel fingers can be add as an option

• Wood provides more comfort to the birds in contrast to metal because no condensation occurs and wood gives “warmth”

• Wood can’t corrode

• Wood produces less noise in contrast to metal

Details of automatic laying nestsPlywood

• Birds always prefer to watch the surroundings. This is natural behaviour.

• In the right nest box rolling distances is too long and eggs speed! (more cracks)

• Dead birds often block the eggs on the eggbelt.

Why has a good automatic laying nest all the requirements to maintain the quality

of the Hatching egg?

1 breeder house 8.000 breeders. The investment costs are: RUR 280 per hen x 8.000 = RUR 2.240.000.000

More hatching eggs per bird 3% = 4.5 eggs(due to less floor eggs, less dirties and less lost eggs)

36.000 eggs x RUR 22 RUR 792.000Better hatchability 2% = 3 chickens/ bird24.000 chickens x RUR 35 RUR 840.000

Litter costsSavings and earning for Labor saving (collection eggs, cleaning eggs, cleaning nests etc.)

4 hours a day = 50% cost of RUR 240.000Total higher income per year RUR1.872.000

Pay back period of the investment : 1,2 year

Return on investment

Slats

• In case of houses with an existing higher entrance access can be improved with the help of slats or stairs.

• Step in height is limited to 450mm

• Please note that a steeper slope will be experienced as uncomfortable which will result in more eggs outside the nests. Mating can also be more difficult. Therefore the slope limited to maximum 6 degrees. (=10%=10 cm per m)

Max. 450 mm

Max. 6°

Slats

• Short slats, 1.2 m or 1,5m wide, with all the feeding equipment placed in the floor area may result in higher number of floor eggs

• Water lines and at least one female feeder line must be on top of the slats

• Large slat areas promote clean feet nests stay cleaner; small slat area: dirty NEST eggs are around 2 times more

• Manure storage.

Slatted area 66% versus 33%

Jansen nest

Slatted area of total house width 66% 33%

% Floor eggs 1.2 3.5

% Dirty NEST egg 1.9 3.3

Results from Dutch Applied Poultry Research Center

laying period 22 to 58 weeks

Wider slats gives better results.

Size of slat area will it negatively affect Fertility?

SLATTED AREA

50% 20%

Dirty eggs 22 - 62 weeks % 1,2 1,5

Total germ count x 1.000 9,1 10,5

Cracks/bruises 22 - 62 weeks % 0,9 1

Average of week 42 and 62. Strain of broiler breeder: Ross

Source: Applied Poultry Research Center, The Netherlands

Results hatching egg quality of nest eggs and litter quality with a slat area of 50 % and 20 %

House design

Nest in the center of the house

Drinking lines

2 or 3 Female Feeders (both sides)

Male Feeders (both sides)

• Equipment lay-out is very important to get the highest number of chicks per hen so outside nest eggs must be less than 2% but the final goal must be less then 1%

• Ideal house is 12 – 14,5 m wide. Such a house you need 1 double row nest system.

• The distance for hens to walk to nest may not more than 6 - 6,5 meter.

Maximum 6 – 6,5 mtr!

House design

Typical Lay-out

• Wet litter generates ammonia and may lead to diseases like coccidiosis, footpad problems, digestive problems and dirty eggs

• Fiber content in the feed is important for better digestion (so dryer manure.

• Shavings 1-2 cm high = 8 kg per m2.

• Scattering of grain in the litter area will stimulate scratching behavior

Litter management

Keep your litter area clean and dry as possible. If case the manure build up too much, or when is too wet, remove the old litter

and put fresh litter in the house

General hints to keep % floor eggs in control

Farm manager has to spend his time between the hens from start laying till the peak production because:

• Number of floor eggs depends largely on how fast and accurate action is taken.

• It is recognized that most hens will choose a site to lay her egg, and then return to that same site every time if they are ready to lay

• Small irritations like drafts during the time the hen is forming the habit “where to lay an egg” may be the cause to lay in an undesired location. Without rapid correction the hen will continue to lay in that location throughout her life, even after the irritation is cleared.

• You can change nesting behavior of hens till the production is not higher then 60-70 percent.

• It’s too late to start collection floor eggs when it is already a problem.

Other factors affecting % outside nest eggs

Changing nesting behavior:

• At start of lay; walk over the slats and in the scratching area every hour to keep the hens moving so that they will not be comfortable to lay eggs outside the nests but are encouraged to go in the nest.

– Start 2 hours from lights on

– Walk at least 6 times a day in the begin of the laying period later 4 till 3 times a day.

– Collect in the beginning the floor eggs so frequently as possible. Every hour until the early afternoon to prevent that these eggs become an incentive for other hens to lay in the same place

– During the collection of the floor eggs, try to identify hens laying on the floor and put them into the nests

– Open each fourth nest roof plate during first 14 days of laying period to make birds curious

Other factors affecting % outside nest eggs• Open the expel system not too early. Birds will lose

interest/curiosity if nests are opened too early. Best time to open nests is the same day of seeing the first egg!

• Expel system must be opened latest 1 to 2 hours before lights are switched on in the morning

• In case of floor eggs near the wall, place shock wire

• At the start of lay, the belts should be operated at slow speed and in the late afternoon only to avoid frightening due noise or vibration. Increase gradually to acclimate the hens to the sound and vibrations of the moving belt.

• Bird health should not be overlooked, as sick birds are less active and less able to move between the scratch area and the slats to find the nests. This may also the cause of more floor eggs.

Conclusion100.000 tons meat slaughtered represents (at 75% yield)

133.300 tons live weight of 2,2 kg are

60.600.000 broilers = 63.800.000 day-old chicks at 80% = 80.000.000 hatching eggs

Good automatic nest and slats 2% better hatchability

3% less floor eggs/ cracked / dirty

5% of 80.000.000 eggs = 4.000.000 hatching eggs

or 3.200.000 day-old chicks

Market value of 112.000.000 RUR

3,2 M Day-old chicks extra means a reduction of over 3 houses of PS

8000 breeders at 120 DOC per year = 960.000 DOC per house per year.

3,2 M/960.000 = 3,3 houses less

Optimum utilization of the entire integrated meat production chain starts in the hatching egg production

Thank you for

your attention

From start – Till end