Breeders, Layers and Hatching Egg Production

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Breeders, Layers and Hatching Egg Production

• R. Keith Bramwell, PhD
• Department of Poultry Science
• University of Arkansas

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History of Poultry Industry

• Orgin of chicken - Jungle Fowl (India)
• Reason for initial domestication - cock fighting

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History of the Poultry Industry

• 19th century- poultry fanciersnew breeds
  developed which became the American class
• 1st poultry show - 1849 in Boston
• American poultry assoc. Formed in 1873
• Standard of excellence published in 1874
• Chicks could be mailed - 1918

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Exhibition Chickens

• American Poultry Association lists nearly 400
  breeds of chickens most with several varieties
• Over 1000 chicken shows held annually in the US
• The APA Standard of Perfection sets the ideal
  qualities for each breed and variety

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What is Bantam Chicken?

• A small version of the larger (standard size)
  breed
• Bantams are almost exclusively for exhibition

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Breeds and Varieties

• Breed is a type of chicken
• Leghorn or a Plymouth Rock
• Variety is defined by the variations within the
  breed
• Leghorn single comb vs rose comb
• white vs light brown
• Plymouth rock White Rock vs
  Barred
  Rock

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Types of Variations

• Body shape and structure
• Modern game, Japanese, rumpless

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Types of Variations

• Leg and feet variations
• Silkie, Salmon Favorelle, etc
• Size
• Bantam, standard
• Sound?
• Long crowers!

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Breeds and Varieties
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Types of Variations

• Feather color
• Solid coloring
• Barring, penciled, mottled

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Types of Variations

• Feather type
• Silkies, frizzles, long tails

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Types of Variations

• Feather distribution
• Polish, cochins, naked neck

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Types of Variations

• Comb type
• Single, rose, pea, v-shape, etc

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Comb Types
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Comb Types
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Comb Types
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Comb Types
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Reproduction and Breeding

• Cockerels and pullets can become sexually mature
  by 14 to 16 weeks of age
• Good fertility occurs at least 2-3 weeks after
  the onset of egg production
• Industry delays sexual maturation to 18 to 25
  weeks
• Allows birds to develop body conformation which
  results in better egg size

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Reproduction and Breeding

• Reproduction occurs with light stimulation after
  they attain an appropriate body weight and
  conformation
• As little as 14 hours of light can stimulate
  reproduction (15-16 hours best)
• Light stimulation can be staggered in
• Light duration must be consistent from day to day

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Reproduction and Breeding

• With light stimulation hens can lay through the
  winter
• However, they will need a break sometime to
  undergo either a hard or soft molt to regenerate
  body reserves

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Reproduction and Breeding

• Males can be housed with anywhere from 1 to 10-12
  hens
• This depends upon the breed and age of the birds
• Ornamental and exhibition breeds have more
  fertility problems
• For pedigree breeding up to 15 hens can be housed
  with a single good male in rotation

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Reproduction and Breeding

• Hens can store viable sperm for up to two weeks
• If pedigree breeding, this should be taken into
  consideration

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Developing a Breeding Program

• You must have top quality birds!!!!
• Or, you must start out with A LOT of birds and
  have A LOT of time!

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Developing a Breeding Program

• When you decide to be serious, select a couple of
  your favorite breeds and specialize
• Once you get the birds, select the best pairs,
  trios, etc. as breeders
• One rooster can breed 5-10 hens in rotating cages

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Selection of Birds

• Select birds that fit your purpose
• Then make sure your birds look and act like they
  are supposed to

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Developing a Breeding Program

• Light stimulate breeders to get chicks year round
• Min 14 hours light per day, everyday
• Hatch every egg they lay to give you numerous
  birds for selection
• Dont be afraid to cull!!! Dont keep poor
  quality birds around that may reproduce

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Developing a Breeding Program

• Keep records of birds, band them, and create
  pedigree charts
• You may need to outcross with other breeds or
  other lines to get the traits you want

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Easter Silkies?
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Female Reproductive System Ovary

• Mature ovary consists of numerous developing
  follicles
• Appears like a
  cluster of grapes
• Follicles present in
  hierarchal order

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Sperm Cell Storage

• A biological necessity to produce fertile eggs
  in the avian system

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Sperm Storage
Insemination (AI or Natural)
Sperm transport to site of fertilization
Recognition of sperm binding sites
Fertilization
Sperm acrosome reaction and penetration
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Fertilization

• Location -
  Infundibulum
• Time - within
  5 minutes
  following
  ovulation
  or
  before the
  ovum enters
  the magnum

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Fertilization

• Shell formation takes 24-26 hours to complete
• Hens body temperature 104 - 106o F

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Fertilization Embryo Development

• Fertilization occurs within 5 minutes after
  ovulation
• Shell formation takes 24-26 hours to complete
• Hens body temperature 104 - 106o F
• Laid egg represents 1 days embryonic growth
  (20,000 - 40,000 cells)

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Day 0 of IncubationBefore Egg is Laid

• Fertile/infertile determination can be made
  at lay
• While the egg moves from initial
  fertilization, to shell membrane formation to
  shell formation in the oviduct, the embryo
  develops from the early to late cleavage
  stages
• Germinal disc diameter (3-4mm)
  larger the first few hours after fertilization
  than at lay

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Fertile and Infertile Eggs
Infertile egg
Fertile egg
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Artificial Insemination a Three
Step Procedure

• 1. Semen collection
• 2. Semen dilution
• 3. Insemination
• Second step may be omitted if neat
  (undiluted) semen is used for insemination within
  30 min. of collection

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Egg Production

• Provide nest boxes off the ground and keep them
  clean
• Contaminated eggs (exploders) can ruin chick
  hatch and chick quality

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Nest Boxes

• Hens want to feel secure when they lay their egg
• Manufactured boxes
• Anything else

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What Is Secure for Them?
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Hatching Egg ManagementOn the Farm

• Minimize use of dirty eggs
• Remove and discard poor hatching eggs
• Dirty, cracked, small, very large, poor shells,
  mish-shaped eggs

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Effect Of Egg Storage On Hatchability
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Egg Handling Prior to Incubation

• Temporarily stop embryo development
• -Lower internal temperature of the egg
  below 70o F (physiological temperature)
• Do not allow eggs to oscillate above and below
  physiological temperature
• -Early hatching chicks (dehydration)
• -Early embryonic mortality will increase

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High to Low Storage Temperature
82.3
80.0
79.4
76.5
74.3
72.9
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Egg Storage

• Store eggs in appropriate on farm egg room
• 70 F 75 humidity
• Less than 10 days
• Keep egg room clean and tidy (biosecurity)

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Egg Storage

• Take extra care in grading eggs (egg pack)
• Carefully place eggs point down in setter trays

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Fixing Cracked Eggs

• Simple fine hairline crack
• ) paint with thin layer of glue
• Break that causes indentation
• ) cut kleenex, shell membrane of infertile egg
• ) glue edges and dry
• ) paint over patch
• If crack leaked liquid contents, unlikely to
  survive

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Incubation Preferences

• Multi stage ?
• Several ages of eggs in one machine
• Single stage?
• All in all out (much cleaner)
• Separate hatcher?
• Sanitation necessity

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Incubation Preferences

• Letting nature take its course . . .
• Setting only
• Hatching
• Brooding
• Growing

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Artificial Incubation
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In the Beginning . . .The Small
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Small to Medium . . . The Dome Style
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Medium Sized . . . Table Top Style
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Medium Sized . . . Table Top Style
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Large Sized . . .Cabinet Style
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Large Sized . . .Cabinet Style
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At the End ? . . .The Extra Large
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Artificial Incubation

• Important points
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Turning
• Ventilation

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Artificial Incubation

• Temperature Control
• ) Range from 98.7 to 100 F
• 99.1-99.8 optimum
• Still air incubators suggest higher incubation
  temperatures as opposed to forced air units

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Artificial Incubation

• Humidity
• ) Achieving specific water loss is the goal
• 11-15 general rule
• 12 weight loss best
• 2 ) Relative humidity should be 55 - 60
• Wet bulb temp 80 - 85 F

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Artificial Incubation

• Egg turning
• ) Recommendations
• 5-6 times per day (three times is OK)
• 180 degrees, not all in one direction
• place an X on one side of egg
• Do not turn last three days of incubation

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Artificial Incubation

• Ventilation
• Air exchange is critical to prevent suffocation
• Rule of thumb ventilate as much as you can and
  still be able to maintain incubator temperatures

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Setter Operation

• Ventilation
• Supply of fresh air, exhausting CO2
• Temperature control
• Varies with setter type 99.5 1000 F

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Setter Operation

• Humidity
• Used to control moisture loss
• Chickens 12 _at_ 18 days
• Ostrich 15 total
• 840 F wet bulb ( 54 humidity)
• Turning
• Ensures proper embryo development
• At least 2-3 X per day

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Hatcher Operation

• Ventilation
• Humidity
• May increase after pipping
• Humidity varies with different species
• Temperature
• Usually lower than in the setting machines
• Do not turn eggs prior to hatching

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Incubation Duration

• Varies a great deal among species
• Chicken 21 days
• Duck 28 35 days
• Pheasant 24 days
• Quail 18 24 days
• Turkey 28 days
• Emu 48-52 days
• Budgie 14 days

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Egg Candling

• Candling allows examination of embryo development
• After 10 days of incubation, use a small
  flashlight and place it on the large end of the
  egg while in a dark room
• Examine and determine normal embryo development
  at 10 days
• Break open unhatched eggs (residue breakout) to
  determine fertility or embryo death

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Hatch of Fertile
86.4 hatch / 96 fertile 100 90 Hatch of
Fertile
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Natural Incubation

• Maintain a pen of naturally broody hens
• Silkies, Cochins, etc
• Allow layers or breeders to incubate and brood
  their own young

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Hatchability
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Chick Pull and Processing

• Chicks separated, graded by quality, counted
• Vaccination

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Factors Influencing Chick Size

• Egg size
• Chick weight 66-68 of egg weight
• Moisture loss during incubation
• Length of time between setting and pulling chicks
  from hatchers
• Date at which incubation began

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Brooding Chicks

• Start chicks at 90 to 92oF
• Lower temp 5oF each week thereafter
• Use a solid brooder guard if you have a large
  area you are raising the chicks
• Feed and water chicks
  immediately after they are
  placed in brooding area
• Provide access to food and
  fresh water at all times!

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Brooder Ideas
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Too hot
Just right
Too drafty
Too cold
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Importance of Water

• Water is the forgotten nutrient
• It must be clean, and cool at all times
• Dont create a soup of bacteria!
• Adding vitamins or electrolytes in the water is
  also very helpful

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Ambient Environment

• In addition to air temperature
• Dont allow birds to be exposed to air drafts
• But. . . Birds need fresh air
• Keep birds dry
• Keep pens (floor) dry

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Brooding Chicks

• Feed chicks a quality starter feed for several
  weeks
• This feed is high in protein and a rich formula

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Rearing Pullets

• After the starter feed
  formula runs out switch to a regular chicken
  grower
• Again provide access to food and clean, cool
  water always

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Housing for the Hens

• Keep them high and dry
• Clean floors and area
• Fresh air through ventilation
• Without excessive drafts
• Nest boxes
• Perches
• Adequate feed and water space

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How It Used to Be Done in 1926
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Do we need to reinvent the wheel?

• NO! How it used to be done is not bad
• However, we do know much more about birds today
  than anyone has ever known, . . . We can
  and should utilize this information!