| Is there any specific treatment to improve bird immunity? | Most important point is a good flock management and god vaccine program. |
| Should the vitamin content of the feed be increased in case of increased mortality? | Use a premix containing the correct dosage of vitamins in a routine base is the best approach. It always better to use vitamins in preventive, not as treatment. |
| You have not dealt much in your presentation with immune suppression due to diseases such as IBD, MD or others. Do you consider them to be a problem nowadays? | Immuno supresive disease should be controlled for good immunity. This is a pre requisite. In addition we need to take care of other aspects as i described in my presentation. |
| Is there any wet litter problem due to the level of salt in the Hybrid feed? | No there isn’t. The gut of the birds is mature and this feed will not be given for too long. |
| What is your opinion about using organic trace minerals? | They are better than inorganic and I have seen them that in long term use they can reduce mortality in production. |
| Is there any other raw material you consider dangerous for gut health? | I could say MBM but everybody knows it. So I would say wheat brans are really dangerous. |
| Hybrid feed mash or crumbled ? | Mash. |
| For extended lay do you recommend delaying stimulation of the pullet or do you recommend lighting them earlier. With that in mind would you change how you develop the carcass in the pullet house. It would make sense to me to light earlier to promote a smaller egg and a smaller bird. | Carcass needs to be developed 100% for production of high, and low egg weight! Means focus on body weight during whole rearing period. For control egg weight you can use fast, or slow step down lighting program. With slow step down the pullets start later with production (higher egg weight), and with fast step down the pullets start faster (lower egg weight) basic rule: don´t start light stimulation when body weight & uniformity is not there! |
| What is the most critical management impacting on body weight and uniformity in the first 4 weeks of life? | First week to get DOC to water & feed, and 3-4 weeks after open the system and train them in cage-free systems. Also, feeders space (check the recommendations from the management guide) and beak trimming (better infrared done at hatchery). |
| How important is the body weight at light stimulation to achieve the desirable egg size? | Good body weight at light stimulation give a good extended lay. Layers with lower body weight start with production as well, but many times more mortality after 40-50 weeks of age! Light stimulating a flock when the average BW is higher than standard at 17 weeks of life tends to produce a heavier eggs. While light stimulation at let’s say, 16 weeks of life tend to produce a smaller egg. |
| How important is the influence of body weight during production on egg size? | Very important to know the body weight during production. Layers grow until 30 weeks of age. During production period the egg size stays most of the times the same, even when body weight is going down. With this process the risk on mortality is getting bigger. |
| Does implementing a feed restriction program to increase feed intake between 12-16 weeks will result a higher feed intake thru the laying cycle? | We talk about feed management, end for sure no feed restriction! When we want a extended lay with low mortality we need to give the them add lib feed. Means layers take what they need, and not more. |
| Can Maurice review his last slide on how the lighting program relates to egg weight? | This slide tells you that a slow step down program in the first 10 weeks of life (reaching the minimum hours of light at 10 weeks) vs a fast step down program (reaching the minimum hours of light at 4 weeks) will promote the body weight gain in the first weeks of life, achieving a higher body weight than standard (vs a BW at standard with the fast step fown program). From the research reviewed in the presentation, you can infer that a heavier hen at 8 weeks of life may produce a higher egg weight throughout all the production cycle. |
| At what age do they slaughter the males? | 13-14 weeks of age. |
| What is the cost/chick for the different sex determination methods? | ATT: 1,29USD Select: 2,81USD Plantegg: 4,42USD In Ovo: 3,49USD |
| What is the cost to rear a male chick? | 2,89 USD. |
| With the ban of culling DOC male there will be additional cost with sex determination technic that will be reflected at consumers level. Is there negative impact on egg sales forecast? | This is not clear, but consumers don’t have the choice anymore in the future to buy cheaper eggs without this technic. |
| I will also add to floor egg issues is maintaining litter levels? | This is correct, high level of litter give more risk on floor eggs! |
| Which mite do you consider more harmful: PRM or NFM? | PRM. It is more difficult to control and its population grow wild as they are living in the environment not in the hen ( they have more place) |
| What chemical treatment do you recommend? | It depends on developend chemical resistance and product price. But remember not alway cheapest product is the one will give your the best profit. |
| Of the alternative treatments, do you consider that any can have good results against NFM? | I think that repellent plant based and vaccines can give you a strong help in control for future. |
| How much peas do they use in the diets in the Netherlands? | Maximum 5%. |
| In organic production, have you seen any difference when making the numbers of daily needs? | As the birds have access to the range, there will be additional needs mainly due to climate conditions. There are different equations to calculate the impact. |
| Do you see any difference in lysine needs in cage free production? | I don’t see the need of additional lysine. |