How should laying hens be managed daily in hot summer weather?

The weather is hot in summer, which coincides with the peak egg-laying period of chickens. Because the air in the house is moist and dirty, various pathogenic microorganisms are easy to grow and reproduce, inducing respiratory and intestinal infectious diseases, thereby increasing the incidence of chickens. Feed intake decreases, water intake increases, feces becomes thinner, egg weight becomes smaller, egg shells become thinner, broken eggs increase, and egg production decreases, causing losses to laying hen production. To maintain high yield of laying hens, the following points must be paid attention to:

1. Heatstroke prevention and cooling

The optimal environmental temperature for laying hens is 13°C to 20°C. If the temperature is higher than 29°C , the egg production will decrease by 10% to 20%; at 37.8°C, chickens are in danger of heatstroke. Therefore, preventing heatstroke and cooling is the key to maintaining high yields. Specific methods include

(1) Cooling: Set up a sunshade net on the sunny side of the chicken house to avoid direct sunlight; when natural ventilation conditions are poor, you can spray cold water directly into the chicken house to cool down the chickens. Plant grass and trees around the house to reduce reflected heat.

(2) Clean the manure in time: Chicken manure ferments easily to generate heat and emit harmful gases. Clean the chicken house once every morning and evening to keep it clean and dry. (3) Ventilation: Open all windows, and if possible, install a fan in the chicken house to increase air convection and ensure coolness in the house.

(4) Reduce density: High breeding density is not conducive to heat dissipation of chickens. Generally, it is appropriate to raise 7 chickens per square meter.

2. Adjust the diet

Due to high temperatures, the feed intake of laying hens is reduced, so the diet must be adjusted reasonably to better meet the nutritional needs of the chickens during each period of egg production. , you should feed more diets with higher protein content and lower energy in the morning and evening, feed more green and juicy feed at noon, and diversify the feed varieties. In addition, the mineral content of the feed must be increased, especially calcium. Feed should be fed sparingly and replenished frequently; the feeding trough should be kept clean to avoid affecting the chicken's appetite or causing gastrointestinal diseases.

3. Ensure drinking water

Usually, the average amount of water consumed by chickens is 150 to 250 ml per chicken, and the water temperature is preferably about 10°C. Ensure constant water flow throughout the day and keep the drinking water clean. At the same time, salt can be added to the drinking water to maintain the body's demand for inorganic salts. If a laying hen is deprived of water for 24 hours, egg production will drop by 30%, and it will take 25 to 30 days to recover. Over 30 hours, laying hens will moult. If there is an increase in feces, be careful to limit drinking water.

4. Strengthen epidemic prevention

Summer is suitable for the reproduction of various pathogenic microorganisms and parasites. Coupled with high temperature stress, the body's resistance to diseases is weakened, and it is the season when common chicken diseases occur. . Therefore, epidemic prevention and isolation must be done well, and in addition to vaccinations against Newcastle disease, cholera, and chicken plague on time, chicken houses must be disinfected regularly to cut off the transmission routes of pathogens. Disinfect with anti-toxic alkali, Lysol, etc. every 7 to 10 days, and disinfect once a day during the onset of the disease. Appropriate amounts of antibiotics, such as oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, etc., should be added to the feed regularly to enhance the body's resistance to disease.

Technical measures to maintain high production of laying hens in summer

The ideal environmental temperature for laying hens is 15 to 25°C, and the production performance is best within this temperature range. When the ambient temperature exceeds 30°C, chickens must increase the number of respirations to dissipate body heat. Subsequently, feed intake decreases, water drinking increases, feces becomes thinner, egg production decreases, eggs become smaller and shells become thinner, and broken eggs increase. Bring losses to laying hen production. In order to maintain high production of laying hens during the high temperature period in summer, farmers can strengthen feeding management and adopt effective comprehensive technical measures based on local actual conditions.

1 Reduce the temperature of the chicken house and improve the breeding environment

The optimal temperature for laying hens to lay eggs is 13 to 20°C. When the temperature is above 28°C, the chicken's feed intake begins to decrease, and the egg production gradually decreases: when it reaches 38°C, the egg production decreases significantly, or even stops production, and some are extremely prone to heat exhaustion and death. Therefore, various effective measures should be taken to keep the temperature of the chicken house below 28°C.

1.1 Ventilation and cooling

Fans or ceiling fans can be installed in closed chicken houses to enhance ventilation and promote heat dissipation of the chicken body. Longitudinal ventilation can achieve better ventilation and ventilation than transverse ventilation. The air effect is an effective means to alleviate heat stress. The appropriate wind speed in the house in summer is 1.0~1.2m/s. Wet curtains are currently the most economical and effective cooling measure for large-scale production. Longitudinal ventilation combined with wet curtain cooling is more effective in preventing heat stress. Fans can be installed in open chicken houses and all doors and windows can be opened to promote air circulation. The best measure to alleviate heat stress in laying hens in open chicken houses is to spray water to lower the body temperature of the chickens.

1.2 Greening and cooling

Planting trees and vines on the sunny side of the chicken house, and planting grass and flowers on the ground not only green the chicken house, but also reduce heat radiation, and can also Absorb carbon dioxide, reduce dust density, and purify the air inside and outside the chicken house.

1.3 Spray water for cooling

In the case of high temperature and poor natural ventilation conditions, such as every day. During the hottest period from 11:00 am to 16:00 pm, when the house temperature exceeds 33°C, use a sprayer or sprayer to spray water on the top of the chicken house and the chicken body. When cooling the chicken body, spray water at 30 degrees above the head of the chicken. Spraying cold water at a height of ~40cm has the best effect, and the smaller the droplets, the better. While spraying water, it is necessary to ensure the air flow in the chicken house, and it is best to adopt longitudinal ventilation. However, the cooling effect of water spraying is poor when there is high temperature and humidity inside and outside the house. At this time, the amount of water spraying must be strictly controlled.

1.4 Sunshade and sun protection

Erect a sunshade net on the sunny side of the chicken house, the doors and windows exposed to direct sunlight, and the air inlet of the chicken house to avoid direct sunlight. The air becomes cooler after passing through the sunshade net and enters the chicken house, which can lower the temperature inside the house by 2 to 3°C.

1.5 Water curtain cooling

Use a water pump to make a water curtain at the door and window of the chicken house. The air enters the chicken house through the water curtain cooling, which can make the temperature inside the chicken house lower than that of the chicken house. The outside temperature is 5~6℃ lower.

2 Strengthen feeding management and do a good job in disease prevention and control

2.1 Reduce the stocking density

Chickens are prone to heat exhaustion when the density is too high in summer, so they should be raised according to the The number of chickens should be combined with group transfer, sick, disabled and weak chickens should be eliminated, and the stocking density should be reduced. Generally, the area required for raising each chicken in a cage is 0.4 square meters, with 3 chickens per cage. Raise freely on flat ground, with 3 to 5 animals per square meter, and raise in large groups, with 200 animals per group being appropriate.

2.2 Supply fresh, clean and cold water throughout the day

In hot weather, the water consumption of laying hens is about 3 to 4 times the feed intake. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that there is no shortage of water in the sink and to ensure that the chickens can drink clean, pollution-free cold water throughout the day (the water temperature is preferably around 10°C). Change the water frequently, especially in the dog days of summer. It is best to change the water every 2 hours.

2.3 Remove chicken manure frequently

In summer, laying hen manure is thinner and more humid. Chicken manure can easily ferment to produce ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and other harmful gases or other odors, which can easily induce respiratory diseases. . Therefore, feces and bedding in the house should be cleaned in time (at least once every other day) to prevent contamination and keep the house clean, dry and hygienic.

2.4 Eliminate various stress factors

In hot weather, the disease resistance of laying hens is reduced, and a series of human stresses such as group transfer, transportation, and vaccination should be avoided as much as possible. stimulating factors. Adaptation is necessary and try to do it early, late or when the weather is cool. At the same time, some anti-stress drugs can be added to the feed and drinking water.

2.5 Prevention and treatment of common diseases in summer

With high temperatures and high humidity in summer, various diseases are prone to spread. Therefore, in addition to normal vaccinations, chickens should be regularly observed for abnormalities in their mental state, feces, appetite, etc., so that problems can be discovered in a timely manner, so as to prevent diseases early and treat diseases early. The prevention of coccidiosis in chickens should be focused on. Although infection of laying hens at this time will not cause a large number of deaths, it will seriously affect production performance and should be taken seriously. In addition, attention should also be paid to the drug prevention and treatment of colibacillosis and white coronavirus. Although viral diseases will not become prevalent, attention should be paid to preventing local outbreaks and focusing on immunization against Newcastle disease, fowl pox, and avian influenza.

3 Strict disinfection measures to ensure the health of the chickens

3.1 Disinfection of chicken houses and utensils

Chicken house floors and walls, cages, sinks, and food troughs , it is necessary to choose a disinfectant (such as Baidu, etc.) that is less corrosive and has strong killing effect on viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. It should also be noted that different types of disinfectants should be used interchangeably during disinfection to facilitate the control of the occurrence and prevalence of infectious diseases.

3.2 Spray disinfection of chickens

Spray disinfection of chickens in summer not only kills pathogenic bacteria and purifies the air in the house, but also lowers the house temperature (about 4 to 6°C) , is currently an ideal disinfection and cooling measure (should be carried out at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.). However, attention should be paid to the spray speed, appropriate height, and moderate droplet diameter. The disinfectant used must be efficient, have no side effects, have strong adhesion, and have a low irritating smell to avoid causing respiratory diseases. Commonly used concentrations of poultry disinfectants.

Baiduza 150mg/L; Xinjiazhuang 0.1% solution; peracetic acid with a concentration of 0.3%; sodium hypochlorite 0.2% to 0.3% solution.

3.3 Hygiene of feed and drinking water

Contaminated feed and drinking water are the causes of many diseases, so chicken farms must pay attention to the hygiene of feed and drinking water. Each raw material of the feed must be inspected for quality every time it is fed. Feed that is found to be moldy, spoiled, or seriously contaminated must not be fed to chickens. The drinking water of chickens should be clean and free of pathogenic bacteria. Sodium hypochlorite disinfectant can be added to the drinking water.

3.4 Do a good job in rodent control and deworming

Chicken farms should pay attention to rodent control, mosquito and fly control and deworming at all times to ensure that the chickens are healthy and disease-free and the egg production is stable.

4 Adjust the feed formula to enhance heat resistance

4.1 Change the feed formula to increase the nutrient concentration

The feed intake of laying hens is reduced by 10% in high temperature environments ~30%, the feed utilization rate also decreases. Therefore, the feed formula must be adjusted accordingly according to the feed intake to increase the nutrient concentration. 1% ~ 3% oil can be added to the feed to increase the energy level of the feed and improve the feed quality. It can improve the palatability, increase feed intake, reduce the speed of feed passing through the intestines, and improve feed utilization. Appropriately reduce the crude protein level in the feed while maintaining the essential amino acid level. For example, adding 0.1% to 0.15% methionine and 0.05% lysine, the calcium can be increased to 4%, and the calcium to phosphorus ratio is maintained at 7:1; multivitamins Mainly supplement vitamin C, vitamin E and B vitamins, and the added amount can be adjusted to twice the normal amount.

4.2 Improve the palatability of the feed and increase appetite

Since chickens are often anorexic in summer, after feeding concentrates, some fresh green and juicy vegetables, roots, watermelons, etc. can be added Feed, but should not exceed 20% of the feed amount. This can increase the palatability of the feed and increase the appetite of the chickens.

4.3 Adjust the feeding time

Due to the heat at noon in summer, the appetite of chickens is greatly reduced, while the temperature in the morning and evening is lower and the appetite is better. Therefore, it is necessary to change the feeding method and feed more when the two ends are cool in the morning and evening. You can feed more during the two peak eating periods before 8:00 in the morning and after 6:00 in the afternoon, so that the chickens can eat well and eat well. Feed once during the night. In addition, feeding wet feed during high temperature seasons can also increase feed intake, but attention should be paid to the hygiene of the feed trough.

4.4 Add anti-stress drugs

In order to avoid high temperature factors causing stress reactions and decreased egg production in laying hens, some anti-stress drugs can be added to the feed or drinking water. Additives, such as adding 0.1% sodium bicarbonate to drinking water, have a significant effect on improving the high temperature resistance and egg production rate of laying hens, and can also improve eggshell quality; adding 0.01% to 0.04% vitamin C and 0.2% to drinking water ~0.3% amine chloride is also effective in alleviating heat stress; adding 0.004% bacitracin zinc to the feed can maintain the balance of intestinal flora, promote nutrient absorption, improve feed conversion rate, and also has anti-heat stress effects ; Adding 0.3% citric acid to feed can relieve heat stress and increase egg production rate and feed reward: Adding 0.1% fumaric acid and other sedative drugs to feed or drinking water can effectively alleviate heat stress and improve egg production. Chicken feed intake increases and egg production rate increases. According to information, adding some heat-clearing, detoxifying, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory Chinese herbal medicines such as Patchouli, Shuanghua, Isatis root, Atractylodes, Gentian, etc. into powder can reduce and eliminate heat stress by adding it to the feed at a rate of 1%. Reduce the harm of stimulation, increase feed intake, and achieve high egg production rate.

How laying hens survive the high temperature in summer

The hot summer is approaching, and the majority of laying hen breeders will face a severe test, and a battle with the scorching heat is also like The arrow is on the string. As a local enterprise in Hubei, our company combines many years of professional experience to wholeheartedly provide the following solutions to the majority of farmers, hoping to be helpful to the majority of colleagues in the chicken raising industry in Hubei:

1. Regarding nutrition:

1. Increase the crude protein level of the feed during the peak period by 1-2 percentage points to 17-17.5%; at the same time, 0.5-1% oil can be added to the feed to increase the energy level of the feed.

2. Add 0.2-0.3% baking soda (chemical name: sodium bicarbonate, NaHC03) to the feed during the peak period to adjust the acid-base balance of body fluids and prevent respiratory acidosis. At the same time, it can also play a role in strengthening the stomach and is beneficial to increasing feed intake.

3. Add 100-200g/ton of vitamin C to the feed during the peak period to improve the chickens' ability to resist heat stress.

4. An appropriate amount of allicin can be added to the feed during the peak period, which can not only strengthen the stomach and promote digestion, but also prevent the occurrence of intestinal and other diseases.

2. Regarding management:

1. Pay attention to water hygiene, disinfect drinking water regularly, ensure sufficient water supply, and prevent drinking fountains from being clogged.

2. Increase the frequency of feeding. It is recommended to require workers to feed once every two hours to increase the feed intake of the chickens. It is recommended to empty the feed trough overnight every day to prevent loss of feed nutrients and mildew.

3. If spray cooling is used, ventilation must be strengthened to prevent high heat and high humidity environments, so as to avoid an increase in the dead rate. High temperatures and intense heat in summer are a dilemma we Hubei chicken owners face every year. Summer feeding and management work should be based on the basic principle of "increasing feed intake, preventing heatstroke and reducing mortality rate". As long as the chickens' physical condition is maintained, after the temperature drops, There will definitely be good returns.