As the temperature rises, the season of high temperature and high humidity is ushered in. Chickens are often under heat stress, and the intake of feed is significantly reduced, resulting in insufficient intake of various nutrients, affecting the health and production performance of laying hens. Under such conditions, rational adjustment of feed nutrient levels and feeding methods is also an effective means to improve the performance of chickens in chicken battery cages.
1. Appropriate increase in feed nutrient concentration
When the ambient temperature exceeds 25 °C, the feed intake of the chicken will be correspondingly reduced, and the intake of nutrients will be correspondingly reduced, resulting in a decrease in egg production performance and a poor quality of the eggs. The nutritional concentration of the diet is compensated. In the hot season, the energy of the laying hens needs to be reduced by 0.966 MJ per kg of feed metabolism compared to the usual feeding standard. Therefore, some experts believe that the energy concentration of feed should be appropriately reduced in the hot season. However, after the laying hens are born, energy is the key to determining the egg production rate. At high temperatures, energy intake is often insufficient due to reduced feed intake, which affects egg production rate. Tests have shown that the egg production rate can be significantly increased after adding 1.5% cooked soybean oil to the feed during high temperature. To this end, it is necessary to appropriately reduce the amount of cereal feed such as corn, so that it generally does not exceed 50% to 55%, and at the same time appropriately increase the nutrient concentration of the feed to ensure the normal performance of its production performance.
2. Increase the supply of protein feed as appropriate
As the weather gets hotter, the feed intake of chickens is reduced. Only by increasing the protein level in the feed as appropriate, and ensuring the amino acid balance, it is possible to meet the protein needs of the laying hens. Otherwise, the amount of egg production will be affected by insufficient protein. The protein content of the laying hens in the hot season should be increased by 1 to 2 percentage points over the other seasons, reaching more than 18%. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the amount of cake meal such as soybean meal and cotton kernel cake in the compound feed, and the dosage is not less than 20% to 25%. The amount of animal protein feed such as fish meal should be appropriately reduced to increase palatability and increase feed intake.
3. Careful use of feed additives
In order to avoid the stress reaction and egg production performance of laying hens caused by factors such as high temperature, it is necessary to add some anti-stress additives in feed or drinking water. For example, the addition of 0.1% to 0.4% vitamin C and 0.2% to 0.3% ammonium chloride in drinking water can significantly alleviate heat stress. According to the data, adding 0.04% bacitracin to the diet can maintain the balance of the flora in the intestine, promote nutrient absorption, increase the feed conversion rate, and also have anti-stress effects. Adding 0.1% fumaric acid to feed or drinking water can effectively alleviate heat stress, increase feed intake and increase egg production rate. In the stress state of high temperature and high humidity, adding 0.3% sodium bicarbonate to the feed has a significant effect on improving the heat resistance and egg production rate of the laying hen, and at the same time greatly reducing the egg breakage rate. But be sure to pay attention to the amount of additives to prevent counterproductive.
4. Rational use of mineral feed
In the hot season, the phosphorus content in the diet should be appropriately increased (phosphorus can relieve heat stress). At the same time, the calcium content in the laying hens diet can be increased to 3.8% to 4%, try to achieve calcium and phosphorus balance, and maintain a ratio of calcium to phosphorus of 4:1. However, too much calcium in the compound feed will affect palatability. In order to increase the intake of calcium, it does not affect the palatability of the feed of the laying hen. In addition to increasing the amount of calcium in the feed, it can be supplemented separately to allow the chicken to eat freely to meet its physiological needs.
The above is the author's summary of the points that farmers need to pay attention to when using poultry farming equipment. Farmers are encouraged to use the method flexibly, and the specific situation is analyzed.