The precise genetic enhancements in layer hens are offering the market with a layer hen producing saleable measurement eggs faster than earlier than and lengthening the manufacturing life. These two parameters are associated to the beginning of the manufacturing. feed consumption at the beginning of manufacturing assures a superb egg measurement initially of manufacturing and a superb eggshell high quality on the finish.

A. Akpulat and X. Arbe Ugalde – H&N Worldwide, Cuxhaven, Germany

Firstly of manufacturing, a second bone growth occurs that may load the bones of the layer hens with calcium, that’s vital within the calcification of the egg throughout manufacturing. The hybrid feed is a advice of tips on how to strategy the layer hen feed at the beginning of manufacturing simply after the developer rearing feed part is completed. This hybrid feed is a mixture of ideas of rearing developer feed and manufacturing feed; it would stimulate feed consumption growth and can have sufficient vitamins to assist the physique and bone growth taking place when the primary egg is produced and it may be utilized in any layer hen, brown or white. This feed is supposed to be safer and cheaper resolution than different conventional approaches of feeding layer hens and it helps the genetic potential of the birds.

Introduction
The continual genetic enhancements are rising the primary business egg measurement produced and lengthening the manufacturing lifetime of the layer hens worldwide. These enhancements are associated to what occurs at rearing and at the beginning of the manufacturing. Early research confirmed that whereas roughly 60 to 75% of the calcium destined for the shell comes straight from intestinal absorption, as much as 36% may very well be traced to bones. This bone supply is vital since shell calcification happens through the darkish interval, when the hen is just not consuming. Correct skeletal growth is integral throughout pullet development, which has a primary interval of development through the first 6 weeks of rearing and a second interval of development with lengthy bones reaching their most size and cortical bone reaching optimum thickness by week 22 of age. Upon activation of the reproductive axis and in preparation for the laying cycle, rising estradiol 17-beta (E2) concentrations shift the exercise of osteoblasts towards the formation of medullary bone, with cortical bone accumulation terminated earlier than lay. This medullary bone is deposited on the inside, endosteal floor of the cortex within the marrow cavities of lengthy bones, with the biggest reserve within the femur, adopted by the tibia. This second part of calcium deposition could be very dependent of the feed consumption at the beginning of manufacturing. Nutritionists have totally different approaches when the beginning of manufacturing occurs in layer hens and as we speak there’s a new choice advised by H&N Worldwide known as Hybrid Feed that goals to assist the beginning of manufacturing higher than present and conventional approaches.

Idea of Hybrid Feed
The feed consumption growth initially of manufacturing will permit the hen to have the right nutrient consumption. This feed goals to maintain growing the feed consumption because it occurs on the finish of rearing of the pullet and provide sufficient vitamins to assist the bone growth and the manufacturing of the primary egg. The numbers beneficial within the Hybrid Feed must be tailored to the totally different uncooked materials info sources and to the obtainable uncooked supplies available in the market. Right here beneath an outline of the principals and proposals when growing a Hybrid Feed:

• Low power weight-reduction plan: the feed consumption of the layer hens is regulated by energy consumption. Through the developer part of the pullet the feed ought to focus in growing the feed consumption capability of the hen, the metabolizable power content material of the Hybrid Feed must be just like the developer feed, round 2650-2750 kcal/kg, relying on the supply/s of data used to judge the power of the uncooked supplies. This strategy stimulates the feed consumption at the beginning of the manufacturing, and it’ll not damage the beginning of the manufacturing as a result of the manufacturing wants are nonetheless low, and the feed consumption and composition of the Hybrid Feed will present the mandatory vitamins.
• Fibre content material of the weight-reduction plan: low density diets might be accomplished by fibre. There are other ways we will classify the kind of fibre; it was proven that with the generally used uncooked supplies in layer hen weight-reduction plan, the rise of the crude fibre has a optimistic impact in intestine growth and due to this fact the feed consumption capability of the birds.
• Amino acids degree: the amino acids degree is just like the layer part 1 advice. There might be sufficient amino acids for physique weigh development and egg manufacturing. The amino acids necessities aren’t most till week 22-23 of age because the flock is in full manufacturing (Desk 1). Nevertheless, as a result of low feed consumption it’s essential to have a excessive focus of the amino acids to make certain that there might be an sufficient provide.
• Calcium degree: the typical hen requires 2.2 g of calcium for every eggshell formation. Firstly of manufacturing, we can have a development of the bones and we can have some early productive hens. As per the bone growth with 2-2.5% of calcium degree can be sufficient, nonetheless the early producing hen want extra. Subsequently, the advice is to formulate to three.8% Ca in browns and 4% in whites layer hens. What’s essential is the supply of calcium, to keep away from doable feed refusal the coarse calcium carbonate must be the 60-70% of the whole calcium carbonate within the weight-reduction plan. The particle measurement of the coarse calcium carbonate must be 2-4 mm.
• Phosphorus degree: the phosphorus degree in poultry is said to the feed consumption and the expansion of the birds, vital on this stage and in layer hens it’s associated to the calcium deposition within the bones. Subsequently, the extent of accessible phosphorus must be as excessive as within the layer part 1 advice, 0.44 % in browns and 0.46 % in whites.
• Excessive degree of salt: the salt is a uncooked materials associated to the feed consumption in birds. It has been proven that salt stimulates the water consumption and feed consumption. Subsequently, it is strongly recommended to incorporate salt on the degree of 0.28%. It shouldn’t get replaced with a degree of sodium within the weight-reduction plan. Using sodium bicarbonate as uncooked materials within the layer diets might full the wants of sodium requirement within the weight-reduction plan however it doesn’t have the identical feed consumption stimulation impact because the salt. Subsequently, it will likely be essential to make certain that we now have the extent of salt within the weight-reduction plan, and we don’t exceed the utmost of 0.34% of chloride as nutrient.

All this parameter will make the weight-reduction plan, however it is usually concerning the use on the farm.

Use of Hybrid Feed
There are challenges on the farm when getting correct information at the beginning of manufacturing. The lengthy switch interval from rearing to manufacturing home and the stress of the arrival make it tough to calculate the feed consumption at the beginning of manufacturing. As well as, the low manufacturing of the flock delays the egg assortment of the flock, due to this fact we don’t have an correct information of the every day manufacturing.

Using Hybrid feed meant to be easy and straightforward to use, due to this fact that is the beneficial program:

1. Home the pullets in manufacturing with Rearing Improvement feed, so long as there wasn’t a earlier gentle stimulation of the flock at rearing.
2. Hybrid feed must be obtainable to the hens as quickly as the sunshine stimulation is given to the pullets.
3. Hybrid feed might be supplied till 70% of manufacturing is achieved. This can occur across the week 21-22 of age and it will likely be straightforward to have an correct information of the % of manufacturing because the egg assortment is frequently accomplished on the farm at this age. The feed consumption by then might be round 95-100 grams/hen and even larger if the pullet had a superb feed growth.
4. The subsequent feed must be a 60-58 egg mass goal feed because the egg manufacturing will attain the height.

Benefits of Hybrid Feed
There are different approaches through the onset interval like utilizing a pre-lay feed and/or a super-starter feed. Each approaches have shortcomings that Hybrid Feed doesn’t and has all some great benefits of a pre-lay or super-starter feed.

The pre-lay feed is supposed to be a transition feed between pullet and manufacturing, nonetheless the applying on the farm degree could be very tough and harmful. The pre-lay feed use is beneficial to do by two methods, and each are tough to use:

• Use of pre-lay till 2-5% of manufacturing: this advice doesn’t take into account that many farms don’t gather the eggs every day when the flock is beginning in manufacturing. The egg assortment is set by the workload on the farm and the way the egg assortment belts seem like; due to this fact, a number of errors can occur. The pre-lay weight-reduction plan may be prolonged too lengthy and early producer hens can turn out to be decalcified, cease the manufacturing and within the peak of manufacturing we can have peaks of manufacturing 2- 5% decrease than the usual.
• Use of pre-lay 0.5-1 kilogram per hen: this advice forgets that there’s variation of the feed consumption on the pullets resulting from impact of climate adjustments and feed growth challenges throughout rearing. This advice can have identical consequence because the earlier one and even we will have issues of eggshell high quality late in manufacturing.

One other strategy is utilizing an excellent starter of lay after the developer feed or after using the pre-lay. This tremendous starter of lay is very concentrated feed in vitamins and really costly; it’s designed for supplying all of the vitamins wanted at this vital second. Nevertheless, it creates new challenges: the excessive power of this feed restricts the feed consumption growth of the layers, due to this fact, many instances the birds don’t have sufficient nutrient consumption on the peak of the manufacturing; it would result in manufacturing drop on the peak of the manufacturing when altering to a layer 1 weight-reduction plan due to lack of feed consumption; or it would push the farmer to make use of an costly feed till 40 weeks of age as a result of the layer hen doesn’t eat sufficient vitamins.

The hybrid is a confirmed various that skips the disadvantages of the opposite suggestions and has all the benefits (Desk 2). The use could be very pleasant for the farmers and it offers a less expensive resolution for the beginning and peak of the manufacturing.

Expertise of Hybrid Feed
Using Hybrid Feed began in 2019 and it retains rising the acceptance as it’s examined by the egg producers. This feed was examined in Australian situations in caged brown birds and cage free brown birds; at the moment, we might see a superb feed consumption growth, efficiency of the birds was on requirements (Determine 1) with good eggshell high quality. There are extra optimistic experiences when utilizing Hybrid feed in brown layer markets like Colombia or Ecuador and in white markets like in USA and Canada. 

In all these experiences utilizing the Hybrid feed we now have seen an enchancment of the feed consumption growth and a sooner egg measurement growth with out affecting the efficiency of the birds.

Conclusions
Using the Hybrid Feed is a brand new strategy to the beginning of manufacturing the place totally different challenges occur. This new strategy can substitute the earlier practices which can be tough to use at farm degree or are too expensive. Using the Hybrid Feed must be a part of the feed consumption growth program the place first step begins on the develop part of the pullet. At this stage there must be a feed consumption capability growth and later at begin the manufacturing Hybrid Feed would be the excellent match for having a bone growth, sexual maturity development and first egg manufacturing. The Hybrid Feed brings options to a vital a part of the egg manufacturing, the beginning of manufacturing, irrespective of the breed.

References can be found on request
From the Proceedings of the Australian Poultry Science Symposium 2023