Egg breakage has become a headache for many laying hen farms. Nowadays, farming equipment and chicken battery cages are use to raise chickens and collect eggs. According to statistics, the breakage rate of eggs in many laying chicken farms is above 2%. Especially in the early stage of the chicken and egg production, the performance is relatively serious, generally between 1-3%, and some chicken farms have a higher damage rate, even more than 6% in poultry farming cage equipment

Once the egg is damaged, its economic value will drop by more than 60%, severely lose its economic value, and it will pollute normal eggs due to the outflow of egg liquid, and even cause pathogen reproduction pollution. The economic loss caused by broken eggs can account for more than 0.5% of the farming income. According to statistics from relevant departments, the direct economic loss caused by eggshell damage to the laying hens industry is as high as 500 million yuan per year, which has become one of the main factors affecting the efficiency of laying hens.

Especially with the change of breeding mode, the feeding cycle is prolonged, the application of mechanical egg collection is promoted, and the eggshell quality problem has attracted much attention. One of the most important reasons why eggs are damaged is that they lack vitamin D3, specifically 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. Some people think that it is calcium and phosphorus deficiency, and the test proves that there is no calcium deficiency in the feed. The broken egg indicates that the chicken has problems, that is, it is not healthy enough. At this time, supplementing “25-hydroxycapsule” to improve the health of the chicken and strengthening the eggshell is a smart choice.

When the calcium and phosphorus in the feed are not balanced, supplementation with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 can increase the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. In the hot summer, the phytase added to the feed is prone to failure due to high temperature, resulting in insufficient phosphorus and imbalance of calcium and phosphorus. In the case of calcium and phosphorus imbalance, the addition of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 is more significant. High temperature in summer can easily cause heat stress in chickens. Heat stress can affect the quality of eggshells (the eggshells become thinner and brittle). The reason is that the blood calcium reduction of laying hens is also lower than the reduction of carbonic anhydrase and vitamin D activity in laying hens. The important reason. Supplementing 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 can increase the egg production rate, reduce the egg breaking rate, reduce the egg-to-egg ratio, especially increase the eggshell hardness and reduce the egg breaking rate.

The summer weather is hot, and the egg production rate will drop, especially after entering the sky, so the farmers need to do the following management to ensure the egg production rate of the laying hens in summer.

Feeding management points

1. Pay attention to the weather forecast, pay attention to the high temperature and high humidity weather, especially after the rain, the higher humidity will cause the wet curtain to cool down and increase the heat stress.

2. Reduce the density of chicken battery cage feeding. Appropriately reduce the number of replenishment, timely eliminate residual, weak, sick chicks, expand the group as early as possible, reduce the stocking density.
 
3. Adjust the feeding time. After 2-4 hours of feeding, the heat production increases, so high temperature weather avoids feeding during high temperature period, and feeding time avoids high temperature period, preferably before 8 am and after 5 pm. Pay attention to the mildew and deterioration of the feed to prevent poisoning or intestinal diseases, daily cleansing and limiting light once.

4. Strengthen night ventilation and cool down. Conducive to the chickens to dissipate the heat during the day, increase feed intake.

5. Adjust the waterline in time to ensure sufficient clean drinking water. In high temperature weather, the chickens need a large amount of water to ensure that the chickens have sufficient water, and the lower drinking water temperature can lower the body temperature.

6. Timely supplement electrolytes and vitamins. The flock has a large amount of respiration, and at the same time, it has a large amount of drinking water, which is easy to cause imbalance of the acid-base balance. At this time, the electrolyte should be replenished in time; at the same time, the compound vitamin is supplemented to improve the body's ability to resist heat stress.

7. Reduce the stocking density. Laying hens are particularly afraid of heat. In summer, people should reduce the stocking density of chickens in time according to the rising temperature. The density of flocks should be based on ambient temperature, humidity and the type of house. In the hot summer, reducing the stocking density can effectively reduce the small ambient temperature in the house, which is of great significance in production practice. When captive laying hens enter the summer, it is advisable to raise 5 per square meter; after entering the volts, it can be reduced to 4 per square meter.

The above points are the advantages of raising chickens in poultry battery cages described by the author. Generally, the breeding quantity is less than 1,000. It is best for farmers to use flat or free-range breeding. This breeding method is the most cost-effective and can quickly return to cost. If the breeding volume is more than 3,000 or more, then the author recommends the use of layer chicken cages, which is convenient and labor-saving.

The inside and outside of the layer cages should be clean and tidy. Ensure that all sliding surfaces, lead screws, racks, gear boxes, oil holes, etc. are free from oil, oil and air leakage at all parts, and chips, debris, and dirt around the equipment Clean up; tools, accessories, workpieces (products) should be placed neatly, pipes and lines should be organized; good lubrication, add oil or change oil on time, keep oiling, no dry friction, oil pressure is normal, oil mark is bright, oil path is unobstructed, oily The quality meets the requirements, the grease gun, the grease cup, and the linoleum are clean; follow the safe operation regulations, do not overload the equipment, and the equipment safety protection device is complete and reliable, and the unsafe factors are eliminated in time.

The daily maintenance of layer battery cages is the basic work of equipment maintenance and must be institutionalized and standardized. For the regular maintenance of equipment, work quotas and material consumption quotas should be established and assessed according to the quotas. The regular maintenance of equipment should be included in the assessment content of the workshop contract responsibility system. Periodic inspection of equipment is a planned preventive inspection. In addition to human senses, there must be certain inspection tools and instruments, which are carried out according to the periodic inspection card. Regular inspections are also called periodic inspections. The accuracy of the mechanical equipment should also be checked to determine the degree of actual accuracy of the equipment.

The maintenance of the poultry battery hen cages should be carried out in accordance with the maintenance procedures. Equipment maintenance procedures are requirements and regulations for the daily maintenance of equipment. Adhering to the equipment maintenance procedures can extend the service life of the equipment and ensure a safe and comfortable working environment. Its main content should include:

1. The equipment should be neat, clean, firm, lubricated, anti-corrosive, safe, etc. The operation content, operation method, tools and materials used, reached standards and precautions;
2. The parts, methods and standards for daily inspection, maintenance and regular inspection;
3. Check and evaluate the content and methods of the degree of equipment maintenance by the operators.

When using layer chicken cages to raise chickens, humidity is also an important condition for brooding, but chicken farmers generally do not pay enough attention. The humidity in the brooding house is generally expressed in relative humidity. The higher the relative humidity, the more humid the air; the lower the relative humidity, the drier the air.

After the chicks come out of the shell, they enter the brooder house. If the humidity of the air is too low, the moisture in the chicks will be exhaled through breathing, which is not conducive to the absorption of the remaining yolk in the chicks and the growth of the chicks' feathers. Once the chicks have been given a drink, the chicks often develop diarrhea due to too much water.

Appropriate humidity requirement: 60%-65% before 10 days of age, and then reduced to 55%-60%. In the early stage of brooding, due to the dry litter, the house is often hot and low humidity, which is easy to increase the water loss of the chicks, loss of appetite, frequent drinking, dry and brittle fluff, and dry toes.

In addition, too dry can easily lead to dust, causing respiratory and digestive diseases. Therefore, this stage must pay attention to the replenishment of water in the house. You can spray water on the aisle or wall of the house to increase humidity, or place a basin or kettle on the stove to burn water to generate steam to increase the humidity in the house.

After 10 days of age, the chicks developed quickly, gained weight, and their feed intake, water intake, breathing volume, and excretion volume increased with each passing day, and the temperature in the house gradually decreased. Especially in the midsummer and rainy seasons, it is easy to have excessive humidity. The chicks are not well adapted to the humid environment. The low temperature and high humidity in the brooding house will exacerbate the adverse effects on the chicks at low temperatures. The chicks will feel colder and even tremble with cold, at this time susceptible to various respiratory diseases. When the high temperature and high humidity in the brooding house, the water evaporation and heat dissipation of the chicks are hindered, and they feel more sultry and uncomfortable, and the chicks are prone to coccidiosis and aspergillosis.

Therefore, during the period when laying hens cages are used to raise chickens, it is necessary to change the litter frequently and strengthen ventilation. When adding drinking water, prevent water from spilling onto the ground or litter.