Cobb Breeder Administration Information: Male breeder administration

15 August 2024

7 minute learn

Editor’s notice: This text is an excerpt from the Cobb Breeder Administration Information and extra articles will observe. The Information was designed to spotlight vital components which are more than likely to affect flock efficiency. The administration suggestions mentioned have been developed particularly for Cobb merchandise. The suggestions are supposed as a reference and complement to your individual flock administration abilities with the intention to apply your data and judgement to acquire persistently good outcomes with the Cobb household of merchandise. To learn or obtain the whole Information or to view Cobb’s different administration guides, click on right here.

The important thing to acquiring good hatchability from immediately’s broiler breeders is to develop feeding and administration packages that permit an accurate growth of the male’s reproductive system whereas controlling their development potential and capability to deposit breast muscle. The male development profile is the one most necessary issue that correlates with flock fertility. Males needs to be weighed not less than weekly from one to 30 weeks of age and not less than each different week thereafter.

Male rearing

begin when rearing males is essential for weight uniformity in addition to good organ and skeletal growth, that are correlated with future male fertility. It’s necessary that the males obtain body weight targets based on the Cobb normal. For greatest outcomes, the males needs to be reared individually from the females till housing at round 20 weeks of age.

Male body measurement is strongly influenced by the body weight development curve over the rearing interval, with most body growth occurring within the first 12 weeks. The 7-day body weight goal for males is 145 to 150 g (0.32 to 0.33 lb) on advert libitum feed however monitor common day by day feed consumption per chook. Separate the heaviest and lightest males at 3 to 4 weeks. Try to get these males again on normal body weight by 8 weeks of age. Grading males is extra necessary than females, however male body weight will be neglected. Controlling the body weight acquire from 12 (puberty) to twenty weeks will assist to forestall outsized males and management their sexual growth.

Male density in rearing needs to be round 3.6 to 4.3 males/m2 (2.5 to three.0 ft2/male). Apply beak conditioning within the hatchery. At 8 weeks of age, deal with all males and take away any with apparent visible (phenotypic) faults that don’t meet high quality requirements, together with crooked or bent toes, skeletal abnormalities, and beak abnormalities.

Sustaining male uniformity

From 16 to twenty weeks the social order is established, and male flocks are likely to lose uniformity shortly. At 16 weeks, with a view to break the social order and get well uniformity with the lighter males, contemplate an extra fleshing grading. Separate all the males which have a fleshing of two or decrease and regulate the feed to extend fleshing scores to 2.5 by 20 weeks of age. At 20 to 21 weeks of age the female and male flocks might be combined and the social order is modified once more. Think about using computerized grading machines to grade males. It’s faster and sometimes extra actual.

Transferring males to manufacturing homes

For males reared in environmentally managed homes it’s a good apply to switch males to the manufacturing home 2 to three days sooner than the females to assist familiarize the males with their feeder system. This can cut back males stealing feminine feed and enhance body weight management.

The male to feminine ratio will rely on sexual synchronization and breed of males. In common, at switch, choose sufficient males for a feminine/male ratio of 8 to 9 % in homes with slats, and 9 to 10 % in homes with out slats. Choose solely wholesome males for the preliminary matings. These males ought to have the perfect body weight and physique situation. Any males which have high quality defects (developmental, skeletal, and so forth.), are extraordinarily or severely chubby shouldn’t be transferred and needs to be eliminated and humanely euthanized. Maintain the remaining common weight inhabitants and reasonably heavy males for future use in spiking packages. In flooring operations a considerably bigger male can be utilized if the breast muscle is just not outsized, which might create stability and fertility issues.

When catching by the again, gently grasp the birds by the edges, ensuring wings are safe towards the chook’s physique and wrap fingers on the edges of the chook’s breasts. Place the birds into the coops, retaining the wings secured to forestall wing injury. When catching by the ft, catchers ought to seize birds by the ft solely and never the drumsticks to forestall bruising of the hock areas of the legs. Birds mustn’t ever be lifted, carried, or dragged by the wing, one leg, or neck. Birds mustn’t ever be thrown. 

Catching should be performed in a fashion that minimizes chook stress and doesn’t trigger chook damage. If coops are used (as proven within the illustration), care should be taken to forestall chook damage. Sliding coops alongside the ground might trigger toe accidents. Take care when closing the highest or lid of the coop to make sure that the heads and wings usually are not caught when the container is closed.

Managing males that exhibit domination (aggressive) behaviors

Poor sexual synchronization is the first motive for shows of overt male dominance conduct (aggression). These females have a tendency to begin manufacturing at 25 weeks whereas males are already exhibiting mating conduct at 23 to 24 weeks of age.

To manage and stop male dominant (aggressive) behaviors

• Males will be transferred a couple of days after females if they’re significantly forward of the females by way of sexual maturity. This can give the females additional time to mature, however males will want an extra week to acclimate to a home after switch with females already current. 
• Cut back the male ratio to five % and hold the remaining males in darker home circumstances.
• Regularly introduce males after begin of manufacturing (> 10 %) and progressively improve the male ratio by 1 % per week thereafter.
• For future flocks contemplate how one can enhance sexual synchronization by evaluating means to appropriate the male body weight curve from 12 to twenty weeks of age. For instance, strictly management male body weight within the first 4 weeks to forestall males from changing into outsized at 12 to twenty weeks.
• Photograph stimulate the males similtaneously the females – don’t pre-light the males.
• Outsized males (lengthy shanks) will want extra body weight to realize the appropriate situation after 16 weeks of age which might additional improve the body weight hole with the females. If males are being reared on larger mild depth (10 lux; 1 fc), cut back depth to five lux (0.5 fc) to assist decelerate sexual maturation throughout rearing and optimize sexual synchronization with females. 
• If males are transferred early to the manufacturing home preserve the identical mild depth utilized in rearing. Nevertheless, early switch can delay male sexual growth and comb measurement permitting them to steal feed from the feminine feeder.
• Forestall delays in manufacturing begin with a aim of accomplishing 1 to three % manufacturing at 24 weeks. The longer the females delay the beginning of egg manufacturing, the extra aggressive the males could also be.

Any extreme stress or drop in body weight, and even stagnation of development from 16 to 22 weeks of age, will lead to underdeveloped and fewer uniform testes within the males and outcome in decrease preliminary hatches and potential fertility challenges all through the manufacturing interval.

Managing weight variations between women and men

Over the past 10 years, the body weight differential between women and men has been lowered significantly, enhancing each fertility and hatchability ranges. The desk (left) is an instance, at completely different ages, of what the perfect body weight differential is between women and men. The desk additionally contains estimates for fertility and hatchability charges when these values are achieved.

Excessive fertility signifies steadiness between testicular growth (measurement and vascularization) and male mating skill. Heavy males can have glorious testicle measurement but when they can’t full greater than 75 % of the tentative matings there might be a decline in fertility. Keep male situation by sustaining a fleshing rating between 2.0 and three.0 in the course of the manufacturing interval. Utilizing main males which are 11 to 12 % heavier than females supplies:

• Lowered mortality and culling as a consequence of fewer leg, toe or bumblefoot issues.
• Quick and simpler mating permitting females to retain feather cowl on their backs.
• Females are extra receptive to mating, leading to larger fertility charges.
• Reduces body weight differential between the first and spike males, which improves male spiking success.

To learn or obtain the whole Cobb Breeder Administration Information or to view Cobb’s different administration guides, click on right here.