The primary few weeks between switch of turkeys to the laying farm and the height of manufacturing can have an enormous affect on flock efficiency relying on how it’s managed. Get this stage proper and the flock will carry out effectively and demand much less labour.
Lighting
Transferring birds to the laying farm ought to coincide with the stimulation of the turkeys That is the place birds go from a brief day size to an extended one (usually 14 hours), stimulating them to put eggs. The switch is normally carried out between 29 and 30 weeks of age. Transferring the females earlier than this era is more likely to cut back egg manufacturing and produce extra small eggs. Transferring after 30 weeks of age may end up in a better peak of manufacturing however a decrease persistency of lay. Females should all the time transfer to a better depth gentle from the one in rear, it’s really helpful that doubling the lux stage in lay to realize stimulation and a minimal of 100 lux is critical (see Determine 1).
Egg manufacturing will usually begin between 14 to 18 days after photograph stimulation. Care should be taken when choosing the kind of synthetic lighting, because the crimson a part of the sunshine spectrum is crucial. It’s because it has been confirmed that this crimson half is vital for photograph stimulation of egg manufacturing. Pure daylight supplies the most effective gentle depth and high quality because it emits a broad spectrum of sunshine.
Nest packing containers
There are two nest field sorts, handbook and automated nests. Both system has its personal advantages and will be in contrast in Desk 1.
When utilizing handbook nests, it’s obligatory to place a minimal depth of 8 cm of shavings into the field to make sure a cushty place for the fowl to put and a protected place for the egg to take a seat. Mud free wooden shavings are the most effective materials to make use of, however ought to all the time be saved in a clear dry, vermin proof, bio safe storage space. The nests will have to be topped up often and contaminated materials eliminated, particularly firstly of the laying interval when there may be an elevated stage of nesting exercise. For auto-nests, all the time confer with the producer’s guideline on preliminary setup.
Make sure that the deliberate feminine stocking density is right for the home space and that you’ve ample nest packing containers for the females to forestall flooring eggs and maximise manufacturing of fine high quality settable eggs. Desk 2 under exhibits the really helpful variety of females per nest field for Nicholas Choose females and B.U.T. Females. Inadequate subsequent packing containers can cut back settable egg numbers by growing the variety of flooring eggs, the variety of broody birds and reject eggs.
Coaching of the females
The time between lighting and peak manufacturing is a very powerful interval for familiarisation of the females to their new setting and coaching them to make use of the nests. That is vital as it can cut back the quantity of the turkeys laying flooring eggs. The incidence of flooring eggs is an efficient measure of the success of nest field coaching and shouldn’t exceed 1% of whole egg manufacturing.
Guide nest coaching
Make nests out there 24 hours per day from the start of switch. Traps ought to both be tied up or faraway from the doorway to the nest (see Determine 2). The nest packing containers ought to keep on this state till 25-35% of manufacturing is reached to encourage birds to enter. Reinstate traps regularly over a time interval of per week and when you see a rise in flooring eggs throughout this time, cut back the quantity of nests being reinstated. Eggs ought to be collected and females pushed off the nest. The frequency of egg collections ought to be elevated regularly as egg manufacturing will increase. Throughout hotter climate it’s suggested that the nests ought to be closed throughout the night time and opened once more when the lights come on within the morning.
Automated nest coaching
The nest-box opening and shutting mechanism ought to be run twice per day. This observe will assist familiarise the turkeys to the operation of the nest mechanism and keep away from any stress related to its activation. Automated nest packing containers ought to be open even at night time till 20 to 30% of manufacturing is reached. As soon as this has been reached, nests ought to be opened half-hour after lights have come on and closed half-hour earlier than lights can be switched off. The stockman ought to assess the extent of nest field exercise to find out when to push-off the females and gather the eggs. Steadily improve the variety of push-offs from the nests because the egg manufacturing will increase, see instance in Desk 3 under.
Cleansing of the matting normally begins on the finish of the 5th week of manufacturing and may ideally happen on the finish of the day by day laying interval. The programme for egg collections ought to be adjusted with adjustments in egg manufacturing. Throughout the day by day peak of egg manufacturing it could be obligatory to gather extra regularly than as soon as an hour. It’s vital to gather flooring eggs to discourage broodiness at the least each time a ramp push-off is carried out and as typically as each half-hour throughout the day by day peak of egg manufacturing. The place a number of rows of nests are put in in the home, function the rows of nests sequentially. It will permit farm workers to push-away the females from the ramps earlier than the subsequent set of nests pushes-off the females. It’s endorsed that the nests are closed for a most of three to 4 minutes which ought to be ample time for the farm workers to push the females away from the ramps.
In all circumstances it might even be clever to seek the advice of the producer for his or her suggestions. See Figures 3 and 4 for automated nest field examples.
