Success Leaves Clues

The principles by which we live shape a great deal of the reality we create, and they act as a guide for us. For me, it was instilled throughout my life that we all win together. The more that I can study the trends of successful flocks, and work with industry experts to understand the science behind why certain things work, the more useful I can be to the farming industry. We are beginning a series of in depth performance training sessions this year, in person training on the most current and effective methods of flock health management, this is a 1-2 day session where we cover the subjects outlined below and the science behind them.

Below is something that I took from one of the great Russian sports scientists, it is called the performance pyramid. The elements I’ve identified are the bedrocks of consistent, high performance flocks, proved and repeated over years and millions of birds. The highest level of profitability comes from have one good flock after another, this builds momentum, enjoyment and pushes our industry forwards.

The first principle is to effectively vaccinate in-lay, with the correct vaccine, at the correct interval, for the challenge each site faces. Last week I was working with a team on a large barn unit, doing a tongue staining trial to validate the methods we’ve developed, and from experience, it very much matters how you vaccinate. A failure to reach less than 90% of the birds with the live vaccine within the effective time period of 2 hours is unacceptable. While the rearing program will give the birds a robust defence for many disease, Infectious Bronchitis requires an element of control, rather than waiting for the inevitable.

The second principle is to have control over parasitic challenges, one of the most fascinating insights I’ve had is from customers sharing performance data (mortality / production / egg weight) both before and after using a licensed red mite control product. The insight suggests that it costs a lot more to not treat than it does to have control, when you look at the duration we take our birds to, the eroding effect red mite have on flocks really shows late on in the flock. Knowing how to observe, when to treat, and how to treat is vital.

The third principle is to ensure water quality is monitored accurately, 76% of an eggs weight is water. The treatment of drinking water has two principle means through which it can be done – the use of chemicals (mainly hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide) which will oxidise bacteria and react with heavy mineral to take them out of solution. Or via filtration (in the case of manganese this often goes hand in hand with post chemical treatment). The use of Lubing Autoflush systems has been a dramatic step forwards for managing water quality, as the entire drinking system is flushed under pressure, daily, and replaced with a fresh batch of water.

The fourth principle is to take structural control over limiting worm challenges through a well maintained range, no amount of worming treatment interventions can keep pace with standing water and overgrowth in the ranging area. Also ensuring that there is adequate stone cover and concrete serves as a place for drainage to occur, and for the birds to wipe their feet, so to speak. One of the most common pitfalls I see is in the actual administration of the worming products when they are through the water route. The stock solution must be correct and if we get left over product on repeated treatment days, that will give uneven dosing.

The final foundation of the areas the farm has control over, is to properly disinfect the site following a thorough wet clean. This is the reset switch for the next flock, and prevents birds from a clean, sterile rearing site coming into immediate and direct contact with the challenges the previous flock may have left behind. You can’t disinfect muck, and attempting to go over the top of a dry clean with disinfectant will never do the same job. You often see the flock immediate to dry clean do well to 50 or so weeks before aggressive mortality can begin. When disinfecting, having a multi pronged attack, with a disinfectant that is of sufficient quality, administered at the correct inclusion rate can make a dramatic difference. The key areas are in the control of Salmonella, viral challenges and the increased kill rate of red mite. A red mite is the most direct of links for passing the disease of the previous flock to the newly housed pullets.

The skill in effectively managing laying hens is considerable, and I learn a tremendous amount from seeing what the very best laying farmers do, and most importantly how they think. Talking with each other allows us to understand the trends, because in the field is where the science meets the reality.. or the rubber meets the road.