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REARING MANAGEMENT OF EGG STRAIN LAYERS
The growing or rearing period follows the brooding up to sexual maturity of the birds. It
is about 12 weeks in case of laying strain roughly from 8-20 weeks of age. How well a bird is
grown will greatly determine how it does in laying house. The performance of laying birds
depends upon the efficient management during this critical period, regarding housing, feeding,
watering, temperature, ventilation, sanitation, lighting and disease control. Poor quality pullets at
maturity will always perform below breed’s standard of egg production, egg quality, feed
conversion and size of egg.
1. Housing management
In most of the cases usually the young pullets are removed to rearing houses from
brooding houses at about 6-8 weeks of age. But now a day in modern poultry rearing this
practice is no longer used. The birds are left in the brooding until they are 10 weeks of age, then
they are moved to growing house and laying in complete there. Keeping the birds in brooding
house for entire life or transfer the birds to permanent laying houses at young age reduce the
stress on the birds and reduce the chances of disease of break.
a. Brood Grow House
In this system laying strains are kept in the same house during brooding and rearing
period. It reduces one moving of birds and so reduces stress.
b. Grow Lay House
In this system the birds are moved only once at the age of 10 weeks to the permanent-
laying house.
c. Brood Grow Lay House
It is best to kept the birds in the same house from one day of age until the end of laying
house such system is called brood grow lay house.
d. Partial Cage Rearing
In this system the birds are brooded up to 6-8 weeks on floor and then moved to cages for
rearing and laying period.
e. Complete Cage Rearing
In this system the birds are brooded in battery brooders and kept in cages for rearing and
laying period.
2. Floor Management
Different types of floors can be used during rearing period these are
a. Litter Floor
In this case the floor is completely covered with the litter (proper litter material is used).
b. Slat and Litter Floor
In this system a protein of floor is covered with salts. In this system the feeders and
waterer are placed on the salts in order to concentrate the dropping there.
c. All Salt Floor
In this system the birds kept in a house having salts over the entire floor.
Table 10: Floor Space Requirements During Rearing (Litter Floor)
Line Floor space/bird ft2 Floor space/bird
m2
Birds/m2
Mini type leg-horn
pullets
0.8 0.07 14.3

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Leg-Horn egg type
pullets to 18 weeks
1 0.09 11.1
To 22 weeks 1.5 0.14 7.1
Medium size egg
type pullets to 18
weeks
1.2 0.11 9.1
To 22 weeks 1.7 0.16 6.3
3. Feeding
The nutritional requirements during the growing phase are different from those of starting
period.
a. Nutrition Requirement
Nutrient requirements of birds vary with the climatic conditions. Energy requirements of
birds increase with decrease in temperature because birds need energy for maintenance of their
body temperature. Although energy should be 2.970 Kcal/Kg in growing ration from 6-14 weeks
but it should be reduced after 14 weeks to 2.750 Kcal/Kg of ration to control or regulate body fat
deposit. Exceeding fat pullets usually suffer from an increased rate of prolapse. Insufficient
energy consumption will result in poor laying house performance. Protein requirement of
growing birds is 15%. Ca 0.6% and Phosphorus 0.4%.
b. Feeding Method
Generally during rearing period feed is restricted to produce pullets with lean carcass at
sexual maturity.
 Quantitative Restriction
In this method quantity of recommended feed is restricted up to 15-20% from 9 weeks to
sexually maturity to improve laying performance.
 Qualitative Restriction
This method involves the use of low energy (2500 K. cal/Kg) or low protein (13%) diet
during rearing period or both protein and energy low in feed.
Table 11: Feeder Space
Strains Space requirement
inch/bird
Space requirement
cm/bird
Large tube feeder
per 100 birds
Mini leghorn egg
type pullets
2 5 2.5
Leghorn egg type
pullets
2.5 6.4 3
Medium size egg
type pullets
3 7.6 4
Table 12: Weekly feed consumption and body weight per bird (Babcock white layers)
Age (weeks) Body weight/bird (gm) Feed consumption gm/day
1 90 8
2 135 13.5
3 225 20.5

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4 320 31.0
5 410 40.0
6 490 42.5
7 540 45.5
8 590 47.5
9 680 48.5
10 725 50.5
11 815 53.5
12 800 55.5
13 950 58.0
14 1000 60.0
15 1040 62.0
16 1090 64.0
17 1135 65.0
18 1180 67.0
19 1225 69.5
20 1270 71.5
c. Feed Height
During growing period adjust the height of feeder so that the bottom of the trough is
equal to the back of birds. These results easier for the birds to eat.
4. Lighting
Light intensity as well as duration affects the age at sexual maturity. Thus lighting
management during brooding is an important responsibility of the manager of a layer farm
because if the duration of light period is less it causes late maturity. If the duration of light period
is more then it causes early maturity of the bird due to which egg size remain small for several
months and chances of prolaps also increases.
Light threshold during rearing is 10-11hours, which give the satisfactory results. In most
cases the natural day length is provided to the birds but in light proof houses during rearing
period the light is also provided in regulated means by artificial source. In growing houses where
natural daylight is provided, the light period should be adjusted with change in day length. Do
not increase the light duration during the rearing period.
a. Duration of Light for Pullets
 If chicken hatched between 1st March to 31st August (in season) then provide 24 hrs. light
for first 3 days. Then provide natural light up to 19 weeks. Then provide 10 hrs. light
during 20 weeks of age and 12 hours light during 21 week of age. Then increase 30-min.
light time per week until 16-17 hrs.
 If chicks hatch between 1st September 28 February (out season birds). Then provide 24
hrs. light for 1st 3 days. Then determine day length at the age of 20 weeks. Add 7 hrs. in it
for 1st week, then decrease the light by 20 min/week until 19 weeks of age. At 20 weeks
supply at least 10 hrs light and during 21 week provide 12 hrs. light. After 21 weeks of
age increase 30 min. time/week until 16-17 hrs. of light is achieved, this target will
continue till the end of productive life birds.
b. Intensity of Light

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It should be ½ foot-candle during period. High or low intensity of light affected the age
and weight at maturity and ultimately the performance of birds in laying house.
5. Age and Body Weight
Age and body weight at sexual maturity is one of the most important factors, which affect
the age production during laying state. The body weight of birds at first egg should be round
about 1250 gm and 1500 gm at the time of peak production.
Age at first egg vary with the strain it should be round about 20 weeks. The manipulation
of light and feed can control the age and weight at sexual maturity.
6. Waterers
Some farmers use the automatic waterers for constant supply of water to the birds or use
drip type nipples. Usually V-shaped waterers are used. The Depth of the waterer should be 0.5
inch (1.3 cm) to avoid debris accumulation in the waterer.
Water consumption of growing leghorn pullets varies with the ambient temp. Leghorn
pullets will drink about twice as much water per day at 100°F (37.4°C) as they do at 70°F
(21°C). Proper watering space should be give to birds.
Table 13: Waterer space for growing pullets (6-20 weeks)
Strains Automatic
trough
in/bird
Automatic
trough
cm/bird
Large pan*
/ 100 birds
Cups/100
birds
Drip type
nipple/100
birds
Mini leghorn
pullets
0.6 1.5 0.6 6 9
Leghorn
pullets
0.75 1.9 0.7 7 10
Medium size
pullets
0.85 2.2 1.1 8 11
*A large pan has a circumference of 50 inches.
Table 14: Weekly consumption of water for growing pullets at 70-90°F
Weeks Amount of water/100 birds (litter)
5-8 13-21
9-12 16-26
13-16 17-28
17-20 18-30
7. Ventilation during rearing
Growing birds must have an ample supply of fresh air (O2) without draft because birds do
not do well in environmental extremes. Removal of CO2 and NH3 from growing house is
important to reduce respiratory problems and stress during this critical period.
The ammonia concentration in growing house should not be more than 25 ppm.
Mechanical means (fans) can be used for proper ventilation.
8. Weather Problems
Under our local condition weather is too hot or too cold which cause problems during
rearing.

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In hot weather if temperature rises about 80°F (27-°C) chicken begins to suffer. The
temperature should be reduced by sprinkling the water on birds, providing cooling pad, fans etc.
Provide vitamin C to reduce heart stress to the birds during too high temperature.
In cold weather not only the maintenance of temperature but also proper ventilation of the
growing house may become difficult. So in cold weather heating source should be provided in
house, to avoid poor FCR and chilling. It must be kept in mind that heat should not be conserve
in the house at the cost of ventilation.
9. Weekly culling
Under weight, emaciated, inferior, crippled and deformed birds should be removed from
flock during growing period. Because these birds do not do well in laying houses.
10. Sanitation and Bio-security measures
Bio-security principles and sanitation measures are the most important managemental
practice during rearing of laying strain, to avoid any disease out break in the flock during this
critical period. So for this
 Separate caretakers should be employed in each unit or house.
 Before the start of rearing period the growing house should be properly disinfected.
 Add clean litter to the house and keep the litter free from moisture.
 Keep the equipment clean and different disinfectants and sanitizers should be used after
3-4 days in the house and in the proximity.
 Keep the rodent (rat) and wild birds (sparrow) etc. away from growing houses because
they transmit many pathogenic organisms.
 The replaceable litter material and dead birds should be kept away from house.
 The vans of feed should also be kept away from the growing house.
 Daily visit should be performed with respect to the health of flock.
11. Vaccination and disease control
Disease out break during rearing period not only causes mortality but also greatly
depresses the performance in laying houses and so causes great economic losses.
So follow the proper vaccine should during brooding and rearing period to control the out
break of disease like ND. Infectious coryza, lyango trachitis, fowl pxo and Marck’s.
Proper management of litter reduce the chances of parasitism.
External parsistes: Birds should be checked for presence of ecto-parasites after very 3-4
weeks Lice, mites and flies should be controlled by using DDT (1:8 ratio of DDT: ash) or
coopane powder.
Internal parasite: Round worm (Ascridia galli), Caccal worm (Ileterakis gallinarum),
Capillaria worm (Capillaria obsignata) and Tape worm (Raillietina sp.). These should be
controlled by using different dewormer like piperazinc powder (1 gm / kg of feed). Rintol (1 gm
/ kg of feed). Albendazole, oxyclozamid or systamax etc.
12. Record keeping
To keep all sorts of record is an other important practice during growing period. Record
keeping tells us about what happened in past and help us to plan for future business. During
rearing following records should be kept.
 Line and source of chicken.
 Vaccination, medication and supplementation.
 Feeding programme.
 Feed consumption by days, weeks and during whole rearing period.
 Body weight by weeks.

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 Mortality by days and weeks.
 Culls (Harvesting of birds to market)