Supporting team chicken

In previous Ranger articles we have likened the performance of the laying chicken to that of an Olympic athlete. In this article, we are looking at the free range layer flock as a premier league football team and considering the support network required to make sure that optimum performance is achieved throughout the laying season.

In view of the recent performance of our local football team, the irony of writing this piece from Norfolk has been pointed out to us!

If we consider the commercial laying flock, the farmer will take the place of manager, looking after the day to day needs of the flock and coordinating all the various inputs required to maintain a healthy flock giving the best return on investment.

It is increasingly important that in addition to the "manager", there is a support network of specialist advisers who can offer expert advice when required.

The breed specialist

In the UK, we are fortunate to have a good source of different layer breeds, all well suited to free range production.

Prior to the "season", discussions with the breed representatives of various different companies will enable you to choose a bird which is right for your farm "team."

Breed representatives are best placed to give detailed advice on such issues as light management in rear and in lay, as an aid to giving you the egg mass you require for your business (is it egg numbers or egg size that your market wants?). Your breed specialist will also be able to give you excellent advice on other aspects of the management of each breed, such as when to plan ration changes. For each breed, there is a detailed manual giving information on performance objectives at different ages and stages of production and details on feeding and lighting regimes.

The breed manuals are guides only and it is important to work with your breed specialist to obtain the optimum results from the breed you have chosen for your farm.

The nutritionist

Feeding the modern high performance layer is becoming an ever more sophisticated process with much ongoing discussion over the best ration formulations for different ages and stages of production in order to maintain a healthy, well turned out bird and also to promote optimum egg production in all seasons and weather conditions.

Your nutritionist should be well placed to give you advice as to the right time to make ration changes for each individual flock taking into account bird body weight and performance and egg size.

Again, if you have a feeding plan, it is only a basic plan and you may have to make "tactical substitutes" in response to performance.

If a flock are stressed, suffer some disease challenge or birds are underweight in early lay or show feathering problems, it may be necessary to review nutrition in some detail to provide the best ration for birds to recover and maintain production.

It is good for the farmer to establish a good communication with a trusted nutritionist. This may be a nutritionist at your feed mill or an independent nutritionist to give you expert advice on ration formulation.

A nutritional adviser can also help you if you suspect that there is a problem with a particular feed delivery. Your adviser can help with deciding what analysis is required and will be able to interpret the results for you.

The veterinary surgeon

It is important to establish a good relationship with a veterinary surgeon with experience of poultry diseases, production and management who can work with you in farm health and welfare planning to ensure that you have a good biosecurity and disease prevention programme in place on your site.

As discussed in previous Ranger articles, prevention is better than cure.

Your veterinary surgeon is also very well placed to take an overview of any problem which arises on the farm and, where necessary, to liaise with other advisers to make sure that the producer gets the advice needed from each relevant expert.

The pest control advisers

You will want to ensure that you have good control of vermin and flies on your sites as this is essential, both for biosecurity and disease control reasons, and to maintain good relations with your neighbours.

Pest control specialists can give you expert advice on vermin and fly control strategies tailored to your farm. Such measures are particularly important in view of the need to reduce the risk of Salmonella infection to laying flocks.

As discussed in previous Ranger articles, sometimes problems in laying flocks can be frustrating to resolve and, in many cases, a combined approach involving all the various members of the support team taking an overview of the problem, analysing results and suggesting an action plan to resolve the problems leads to success at the end of the day.