BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Beekissed]

I'm hoping to do some crosses for a mutt breed for eggs and meet soon and right now I'm having problems with the bulk of my flack stops laying from late October to now any ideas on what I can add to them to get a more consistent egg production

I'd add a breed known for better laying. In my experience, down through the years and many flocks of various breeds at a time, my very best all around layers, winter layers, years long layers, etc., has been Black Australorps. No matter the source of the bird, no matter how young or old, the BAs are more likely to lay in the winter months and keep laying while they molt~though they may taper to every other day eggs instead of daily eggs then~and laying into ripe old age. Hardy to the max, great foragers, food thrifty, lay like machines and experience very little incidence of productive issues unless they are very old and finally have stopped laying.

Not a real big carcass, though good for a layer, but not quite as big as other DP breeds.

 

[lpatelski]

I believe your flock could benefit from additional(artificial) lighting during the months of September on into October. You may want to read about force molting if you need to. You are pretty far up to the North.
Basic Rules for Lighting Programs
Guidelines for laying period
Onset of sexual maturity (egg production) generally depends on 4 requirements:

• a minimum chronological age which is genetically determined (17 weeks)
• a minimum body weight
• a nutrient and energy consumption to support production
• a constant or increasing day length of at least 12 hours

Light stimulation should not be provided until flocks reach the optimum body weight. Flocks which are light-stimulated into production at lower body weights will likely produce below normal egg weight and suffer from reduced peak production and post-peak dips in production.

Timing of light stimulation can be used as a tool to help attain desired egg size. In general, earlier light stimulation will result in a few more eggs per hen, but at a tradeoff for slightly reduced egg weight. Later light stimulation will result in a few less total eggs, but a slightly larger egg weight earlier in production. In this way, lighting programs can be customized to best meet the egg size demand of a particular market.

Provide light stimulation when the target body weight is reached, usually around 17 to 19 weeks of age. The appropriate target body weight depends in part on the variety of hen and in part the desired egg size. Stimulation at a relatively early age or low body weight will result in production of a greater number of eggs with a lower average egg size, which will negatively impact chick quality. Stimulation at an older age or a heavier body weight will produce a few less eggs, but of greater average egg size.

The initial light increase should be no less than 1 hour (especially in open or brown-out houses). Increase the day length by 15 to 30 minutes per week or once every 2 weeks until 16 hours of light is reached. Preferably, the period of increasing day length stimulation should last until peak production (i.e., until about 30 weeks of age). The light intensity at housing should be 15 to 30 lux (1.5 to 3.0 foot-candles) in light-controlled houses and 30 to 40 lux (3 to 4 foot-candles) in open-sided houses.

Allow no decrease in day length or light intensity in adult layers. Such decreases in day length will adversely affect egg production.
Guidelines for housing styles
It is necessary to first determine what style of houses are being used regarding light control for both growing and laying. For the purpose of designing a flock lighting program, each house has to be designated either dark-out or open.
Dark-out means there is essentially no outside light coming in the house that would physiologically affect the flock's maturity. In that case, the outside natural day length can be ignored and the lighting program be planned using only artificial lights. That said, it is beneficial to consider and synchronize the time of lights-on and -off with the natural sunrise and sunset, respectively, under the constraints of the artificial day length.
Open house styles mean there are windows, curtains, or even just enough light leakage through fans and air vents that allow outside natural daylight to significantly illuminate the interior of the house. In many cases this cannot be avoided, but a lighting program with the desired light patterns can still be planned using artificial interior lighting added to the natural daylight changes occurring outside.
Sometimes it is not clear whether a house is sufficiently dark-out or not, and these houses are often called brown-out. It is mostly light-controlled, but not totally dark, as some light gets in through the ventilation, etc. The question is how to consider the house, open or dark-out?

• One method is to measure the light intensity with a light meter. Compare the maximum mid-day light intensity with the lights on to the intensity with the lights off (measuring just the light leakage from outside). If the light leakage is less than 10% of the maximum value, it is probably insignificant in stimulating the birds and can be ignored (i.e,. consider the house dark-out). However, if it is more than 10% of that maximum value, it probably needs to be considered open.
• Another method is just to observe the flock's activity. With the lights off, will the flock awaken and become active when the sun rises, just from light leaking in from outside? If so, then consider the house as open for this purpose. Even with these guidelines, it is still a judgment call whether a significant portion of the flock is being affected by outside light.

Light-controlled growing to light-controlled laying

• Step-down day length from 20-22 hours of light the first week of age to 9-10 hours of light at 10 weeks of age and hold constant.
• Increase day length 1 hour at the 18-week body weight target. Add 15-30 minutes per week until 16 hours total light is reached and hold constant.

Light-controlled growing to open or brown-out laying

• Step-down day length from 20-22 hours of light the first week of age to either
  • 9-10 hours of light at 10 weeks of age or
  • 1 hour less than the natural day length the flock will be exposed to after moving to the layer house.
• Increase day length to
  • natural day length or
  • a minimum increase of 1 hour at the 18-week body weight target.
• Add 15-30 minutes per week (or every 2 weeks) until either
  • 16 hours total light or
  • at least the longest natural day length of the year.

Open or brown-out growing to light-controlled or brown-out laying

• Step-down day length from 20-22 hours of light the first week of age to either
  • 9-10 hours of light at 10 weeks of age or, if longer,
  • the longest natural day length the flock will be exposed to from 8-18 weeks of age.
• Increase day length 1 hour at the 18-week body weight target.
• Add 15-30 minutes per week (or every 2 weeks) until either
  • 16 hours total light or
  • at least the longest natural day length of the year for brown-out.

Consistent Morning Lighting
· Consistent morning lighting is a technique utilized to help birds go to the nest in free range and colony environments, and to stagger the time of egg laying for large farms with multiple houses. The lights are turned on at the same time in the morning every day, and the light step-up will be added in the evening.
H Health
· A flock of pullets or layers can only perform up to its genetic potential when disease influence is minimized. The appearance of various diseases can vary from a subclinical effect on performance to severe mortality. The diseases of economic importance vary widely between locations, but in every case the challenge is to identify and control those diseases.
Internal Parasites
Infections with internal parasites cause damage to the bird's intestines. This may result in a variety of problems including:

• Decrease in shell strength, yolk color, egg size, and egg production.
• Poor body weight gain leading to unevenness or stunted birds. Affected birds may be dull and show pale combs.
• Increased cannibalism through vent pecking due to straining. Death, in very heavy infestations.

There are 3 main worms that may cause problems in free-range or cage birds:

• Roundworms (Ascaridia galli). These are the largest and most common. They are white, up to 5 cm (2 in) long and may be visible in droppings in heavy infestations.
• Hairworms (Capillaria). These are much smaller (hair-like) and are barely visible with the naked eye but can cause significant damage even in only moderate infestations.
• Cecal worms (Heterakis gallinarum). These worms spend most of their time in the ceca. Cecal worms are generally harmless, but can be the intermediary host of another parasite, Histomonas meleagridis, the cause of blackhead disease.

Birds become infected by picking up worm eggs from litter, soil, or feces. The worm eggs need warm moist conditions to develop outside the bird, which is why problems are frequently worse in the spring and summer, especially following a wet spring. Worm burdens can be identified by examination of feces, culled birds, or worm egg counts on bulk feces.
Effective control is aimed at breaking the cycle of infection. Strategic use of anti-parasitic drugs (in the growing phase) will help to reduce challenge, but this needs to be combined with limiting stock density on land, the use of range rotation, good drainage, and the removal of heavily contaminated soil around the house before new pullets arrive.

 

[hellbender]

I'd add a breed known for better laying. In my experience, down through the years and many flocks of various breeds at a time, my very best all around layers, winter layers, years long layers, etc., has been Black Australorps. No matter the source of the bird, no matter how young or old, the BAs are more likely to lay in the winter months and keep laying while they molt~though they may taper to every other day eggs instead of daily eggs then~and laying into ripe old age. Hardy to the max, great foragers, food thrifty, lay like machines and experience very little incidence of productive issues unless they are very old and finally have stopped laying.

Not a real big carcass, though good for a layer, but not quite as big as other DP breeds.

I substantially agree with this post with the only contrary position being the fact that I have seen/owned Black Australorps that had very large carcasses but that being said, they didn't carry an over-abundance of extra flesh, making them generally inferior table birds. However when crossed with Naked neck birds (the other breed my family historically raised), a superior carcass was to be had and the egg laying was not hurt at all.

The B. Australorp, being such a superior layer, could hardly be faulted for having less meat quantity, owing to their strong penchant for egg production.

 

[DesertChic]

I substantially agree with this post with the only contrary position being the fact that I have seen/owned Black Australorps that had very large carcasses but that being said, they didn't carry an over-abundance of extra flesh, making them generally inferior table birds. However when crossed with Naked neck birds (the other breed my family historically raised), a superior carcass was to be had and the egg laying was not hurt at all.

The B. Australorp, being such a superior layer, could hardly be faulted for having less meat quantity, owing to their strong penchant for egg production.

I'm beginning to see the truth of this first-hand. Here's my NN/Australorp cockerel photographed today at 8 weeks. He's the largest boy in this last hatch at 36.93 ounces with one of the best personalities too. His name is Pepper, because "Salt and Pepper" is just too much of a mouth full.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm curious about something. For those breeding for egg production....if you light up your flocks in the winter time, how do you know which birds will naturally lay more in the winter months as opposed to those who will only lay more in the winter months due to artificial stimulants like added light? Or do you just breed for those that will lay more in the winter months WITH added lighting?

How does that work, exactly?

 

[DesertChic]

I'm curious about something. For those breeding for egg production....if you light up your flocks in the winter time, how do you know which birds will naturally lay more in the winter months as opposed to those who will only lay more in the winter months due to artificial stimulants like added light? Or do you just breed for those that will lay more in the winter months WITH added lighting?

How does that work, exactly?

Good question. Right now I'm only using artificial light long enough to encourage my chicks to find their way back through their pop door and into their coop. We got home later last night and I didn't have the light turned on. I found a dozen of my chicks piled tight against one corner of their outdoor pen. Not good! If that extra 20 minutes of artificial light is affecting the laying habits of the other chickens....????? Since many of my girls are molting right now, it's hard to determine if reductions in egg production are because of molt, shorter days, or both, but since I'm still getting 15 - 20 eggs per day I really have nothing to complain about.

 

[ronott1]

Good question. Right now I'm only using artificial light long enough to encourage my chicks to find their way back through their pop door and into their coop. We got home later last night and I didn't have the light turned on. I found a dozen of my chicks piled tight against one corner of their outdoor pen. Not good! If that extra 20 minutes of artificial light is affecting the laying habits of the other chickens....????? Since many of my girls are molting right now, it's hard to determine if reductions in egg production are because of molt, shorter days, or both, but since I'm still getting 15 - 20 eggs per day I really have nothing to complain about.

Don't worry about it.

Chickens are from the Equator--they are not supposed to lay in the winter. They do because of hundreds of years of breeding and it has worked with a small number of breeds--like Australorps, Rocks and Buckeyes for example. Most other breeds stop completely when day light gets below 12-14 hours.

One way to trick them is to time hatching them so that they come into lay in late summer to early Fall. That is not breeding for production though, that is a husbandry technique.

 

[stryker]

I'm curious about something. For those breeding for egg production....if you light up your flocks in the winter time, how do you know which birds will naturally lay more in the winter months as opposed to those who will only lay more in the winter months due to artificial stimulants like added light? Or do you just breed for those that will lay more in the winter months WITH added lighting?

How does that work, exactly?

From what I found lighting helps all birds in the winter. It depends on the breed of bird. A buckeye will not lay any more in the winter than in the summer neither will a welsummer from my experience without lighting. From what I found, If the bird lays lots of eggs in the summer she will lay lots of eggs in the winter with lighting. This includes if the weather is in the negative numbers.. This is just what I have noticed.

I cannot help you with identifying birds that are slackers as last spring and this fall I thought I sold my slackers but they were the best layers and now I have a majority of slackers in my coop. Other than my pullets that are laying the majority of eggs.

 

[stryker]

Don't worry about it.

Chickens are from the Equator--they are not supposed to lay in the winter. They do because of hundreds of years of breeding and it has worked with a small number of breeds--like Australorps, Rocks and Buckeyes for example. Most other breeds stop completely when day light gets below 12-14 hours.

One way to trick them is to time hatching them so that they come into lay in late summer to early Fall. That is not breeding for production though, that is a husbandry technique.

I am doing the exact same thing this year. I am tired of buying eggs from the store during molt so I am timing my hatches to avoid the spring and fall molt. I also like the pullet eggs better than the larger eggs so that is not a problem with me.

 

[Beekissed]

It's what country folks used to do every year...it just makes sense. Let chickens sit their own eggs in the spring so they can raise up replacement layers and extra roosters for winter soup meat. Keep the best hens from each year's hatch, breed those, cull the rest each fall with the extra roosters, do it all again in the spring. No need for lights when you let nature take its course.