Kenneth Bruerton

I. INTRODUCTIONA hen’s physiological patterns including FI and BW trajectory are established by early lay (Muir et al. 2022). Therefore, management tools such as lighting and feeding programs during rearing may offer opportunities to regulate bird size and establish feeding habits by the end of rearing. This may also influence persistency of lay, egg quality and hen health during an extended ...

I. IntroductionPullet body weight (BW) has significant impact on hen sexual maturity, egg productivity and flock uniformity (Lacin et al. 2009). Australian layer flocks are frequently 100-300 grams heavier than breed standard weight (BSW) (Parkinson et al. 2015). These birds typically lay larger eggs than LW hens and higher BW is symptomatic of bird obesity which can result in the production of ex ...

I. INTRODUCTION Optimum BW is an important consideration in achieving early maturity, high productivity and uniformity in laying hens (Lacin et al., 2009). Parkinson et al. (2015) noted that it was common for Australian flocks to have an average body weight (BW) 100-300 grams above the breed standard weight (BSW). This higher BW is indicative of bird obesity and is associated with the production o ...

I. INTRODUCTIONThe current system of feeding laying hens with a fully mixed diet, that attempts to meet all the nutrient requirements of the birds, only really developed with the introduction of cage housing facilities after the Second World War. Research on confining laying hens to cages ramped up in the first half of the 20th Century in California but it was not until the late 1940s that the fir ...

INTRODUCTION Because wet litter impacts broiler welfare and performance it is of vital importance to poultry producers. Wet litter in poultry houses may be caused by a number of factors including mycotoxins, disease, gut health, nutrition, management, housing and environment. Nutrition, including reducing mycotoxin contamination of feed, plays an important part in controlling litter moisture. The ...