There are a number of factors that affect poultry egg production rate. These include nutrition, bird age, safety, and poultry system.
Needless to say, there are poultry breeds that have higher egg production rate than others. For instance, hybrid breeds which are bred for egg production out perform their heritage counterparts.
With other things being equal, paying attention to the aforementioned factors will improve your flock’s egg production rate.
In this article we will discuss five factors that determine egg production rate for a given flock. These factors are equally applicable to all poultry breeds.
Factors that affect egg production rate
Poultry system
Usually, when we think of a poultry system, we think of the number of birds that can be stocked in one over another. For instance, you can stock a larger flock in a cage system than you can in a deep litter system, on the same surface area.
However, there are differences in egg production rates in different poultry systems. According to Mathews and Sumner, hens in enriched cage system have a higher egg production rate than hens in battery cage and aviary systems.
Moreover, we assume that certain poultry breeds that will achieve a higher egg production rate they are in an intensive poultry system than when in an extensive system. For instance, free range system may have a lower egg production rate especially if birds have to move a lot in search of food.
In your experience, how does poultry housing affect egg production rate?
Nutrition
This goes without saying; nutrition is one of the most important factor that affects egg productivity.
If for whatever reason your flock is underfed or malnourished, it is going to have a low egg production. Moreover, nutrition does not only affect egg production. It is also the foundation of a flock’s health.
If your flock is underfed or fed poor quality feeds, its health will be compromised. A flock whose health is compromised will have low egg production if any.
Lastly but not least, if you’re raising a flock in an extensive system, you will want to keep a close eye on their nutrition. If pastures are their primary feed, you should consider supplementing your flock with feeds to ensure that they have access to all nutritional values necessary for good health and egg production.
Flock age
Poultry birds have a 3-phase egg production cycle that is determine by age. Firstly, your chicken start to lay eggs at a certain age. In the second phase, they reach maximum egg production. Finally, at a certain age, egg production rate starts to decline significantly.
In most cases, your chicken will not stop laying eggs abruptly due to old age. Once they enter the 3rd phase, you will be collecting less and less eggs. It is at this stage that you will want to harvest your commercial layers.
Brooding
Poultry breeds that have less tendency to brood will usually lay more eggs, and vice versa. On the other hand, breeds that do not brood at all, will out perform the former two.
If you’re solely interested in egg production rate, perhaps brooding-capable breeds are not your thing.
To nudge the egg production rate of a brooding-capable flock, you will need to deal with brooding hens so they can break their brood as soon as they get it.
Safety and animal welfare
With all factors being equal, the egg production rate of your chicken can be affected by stress. In other words, safety is an important determinant of egg productivity.
If your birds are stressed, they will have a lower egg production rate than when they are not.
There are many aspects that can stress your hens. Such aspects can include overcrowding, constant threat from predators, and bullying from roosters. The latter will only happen if you’re raising a mixed flock and do not have a balanced rooster to hen ratio.
As a rule of thumb, the more your birds are able to engage in natural locomotion and behaviours, the more relaxed they will be. In such conditions their egg production rate will be higher and vice versa.
How to track your flock’s egg production rate
With Kukufarm poultry app, you can track your poultry egg production rate over time. In addition to enabling you to log collected eggs, the app will remind you of days you’ve missed.
Moreover, Kukufarm presents your flock’s egg production rate in simple charts so you can easily and quickly understand your flock performance.
You can get Kukufarm on Google Play and App Store.
Leave a Reply