With our attention now on our breeding stock, birds that are free from stress and disease will perform better, have higher fertility and produce stronger, more viable chicks.
Caught up birds may be immunosuppressed and come with other health challenges.
Here are some areas to consider:
- Avoid mixing flocks: Try to avoid mixing caught up and overwintered flocks. This reduces stress and disease transmission
- Keeping stocking densities low:
- Too many birds in a pen leads to competition and stress, poor fertility and ill health. We recommend 10 hens per cock bird
- Outdoor flock pens should be spacious and in a quiet area
- Provide cover, quiet nesting areas and low-level partitions to allow cock birds to create territories, which will reduce the likelihood of confrontation
- Provide more than enough feeders and drinkers, again, to avoid competition
- Look out for disease: Monitor birds regularly for signs of ill health, including:
- Increased ocular discharge
- Facial swelling
- Mortality
- Muscle wastage
- Keep up with worming: A build-up of gut worms can lead to poor health and even death. Take faecal samples for worm egg counts regularly
- Provide adequate nutrition: In the build-up to laying, hens need the right nutrition. If the feed has too high energy, for example, laying birds will become fat, compromising both fertility and laying
- Provide clean drinking water: Clean, uncontaminated and palatable water is essential. Use a hydration peroxide-based product regularly to keep the biofilm in the pipes at bay. High bacterial contamination will compromise bird health
- Update your Flock Health Plan: Registered flocks need a yearly updated flock health plan. Book in time with your vet to go through your plans for your upcoming breeding and hatching
- Biosecurity: It’s a legal requirement for all sites. Use foot dips to keep boots clean and barriers to prevent unwanted guests. Separate boots for each pen would be ideal
If you have any questions or concerns about the health of your birds, get in touch on 01392 872932
