When you rear poultry and it reaches its adult stage, you want them to be as productive as possible but sometimes its not the case.
At 18 weeks of age, layers are considered adults and at this stage you have to switch from growers to layer feed but this should not be instant because it can lead to digestive problems. Slowly transition first, begin by mixing growers‘ feed with layer feed for about 5 days after which you can now feed exclusively on layers‘ feed. To produce an egg a day, layers need high levels of calcium, vitamins and minerals.
Low productivity reasons
Poor nutrition. Feed should be rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals and clean drinking water should be provided at all times. There will be a drop in egg production if layers are deprived of feed or water for longer hours. Its advisable to feed chicken on fermented feed because it is more healthy and nutritious than dry feed.
Over feeding. This affects weight of birds yet the weight of layers should be controlled and should be between 1.6 to 2 kg. Both under weight and overweight birds produce less eggs.
Broodiness in hens. Even when layers were bred not to be broody, some still be broody and this affects their productivity. Decreased day light also causes decrease in egg production. Layers need an average of 16 hours of light from 18 weeks of age.
Breed and age of the bird. Good laying breeds of birds include Rhode island red, Sussex, Australorp and others. A layer that just starts to lay will lay frequently but the size if eggs will be small while at the peak, it starts to lay bigger regular eggs.
Egg eating where some birds engage in egg eating when the calcium levels in their feed is low.
Stress that comes from too much heat caused by high environmental temperatures, over crowding and parasites lead to a decline in egg production.
