Rearing calendar · NEXTEKCI School

Brown laying hens: the calendar from chick to depletion

Week by week during brooding, then stage by stage up to depletion at around 72 to 80 weeks. Pullet weight and lighting decide the laying: never increase the light before the target weight is reached, and never reduce it during lay.

1. Before arrival

   Target

   A clean, dry house, pre-heated 30 to 40 hours in advance.

   Temperature

   Pre-heat 30 to 40 hours before: about 35 °C in the brooding area, litter at 29-30 °C.

   Lighting

   Lighting, timer and electrical back-up tested: week 1 needs 22 hours then 20 hours of light.

   Feed

   Starter crumbs spread on paper or trays, within easy reach.

   To do this week

   • ✓Wash and disinfect the house and respect the downtime period.
   • ✓Mark out the brooding area: on the floor, no more than 20 chicks per m² in the heated section.
   • ✓Have water ready at 20-25 °C in the drinkers, neither cold nor heated by the sun.
   • ✓Place the thermometer at chick level, not at head height.
   • ✓Brown layer chicks are vaccinated against Marek’s disease at the hatchery (certificate on request).
   • ✓Ask the vet in your area for the on-farm vaccination protocol before the chicks arrive.

   Watch out for

   • •Pre-heating started the same morning: the litter stays cold.
   • •Cold water straight from the borehole, or scalding water left in a pipe in the sun.
   • •Damp litter in the hand test.
   Read the lesson

2. Week 1 (days 1 to 7)

   Target

   65 to 70 g at 1 week.

   Temperature

   About 35 °C in the brooding area on arrival, litter at 29-30 °C; a chick kept properly warm has warm feet. Then adjust according to how the chicks spread out.

   Lighting

   22 hours then 20 hours of light per day.

   Feed

   Starter crumbs; about 11 g per chick per day at 1 week.

   To do this week

   • ✓Place the chicks close to water and feed, then watch them.
   • ✓Hold the feet against your cheek or neck: they should feel warm.
   • ✓Look at how the chicks are spread several times a day and adjust the heat.
   • ✓Record mortality, feed, water drunk and temperatures every day.
   • ✓Weigh a sample at the end of the first week and compare with the range.

   Watch out for

   • •Chicks huddled under the heat (cold), spread out with beaks open (too hot) or massed on one side (draught or uneven light).
   • •Cold feet: the chick will eat and drink poorly.
   • •Too many chicks in the heated area: the weakest cannot reach water or feed.
   Read the lesson

3. Week 2 (days 8 to 14)

   Target

   110 to 120 g at 2 weeks.

   Temperature

   A drop of about 2 to 3 °C per week, adjusted according to how the chicks spread out; no draughts at floor level.

   Lighting

   Gradual reduction from 20 hours towards 18 hours at 3 weeks.

   Feed

   Starter; about 17 g per chick per day at 2 weeks.

   To do this week

   • ✓Weigh a sample and compare with the table.
   • ✓Raise feeders and drinkers to back height.
   • ✓Wash the drinkers every day.
   • ✓On-farm vaccinations following the protocol of the vet in your area: carry them out and record each vaccine on the flock sheet.
   • ✓Record the lights-on and lights-off times every day.

   Watch out for

   • •Weight below the range: a warning to deal with straight away, not at the end of rearing.
   • •Water intake that stops rising.
   Read the lesson

4. Week 3 (days 15 to 21)

   Target

   No published benchmark at 3 weeks: the flock should progress from 110-120 g (2 weeks) towards 270-285 g (4 weeks).

   Temperature

   A drop of about 2 to 3 °C per week, according to how the chicks behave.

   Lighting

   18 hours of light per day at 3 weeks.

   Feed

   Starter, always available, with enough space for all the chicks to eat at the same time.

   To do this week

   • ✓Weigh a sample on the same day and at the same time as the previous week.
   • ✓Check that all the chicks eat at the same time; add feeders if needed.
   • ✓Remove wet litter around the drinkers.
   • ✓Flush the water lines at least 3 times a week.

   Watch out for

   • •A flock becoming uneven: the strongest eat first.
   • •Smell of ammonia at chick height.
   Read the lesson

5. Week 4 (days 22 to 28)

   Target

   270 to 285 g at 4 weeks.

   Temperature

   A drop of about 2 to 3 °C per week; the chicks remain the best thermometer.

   Lighting

   Gradual reduction from 18 hours towards 16 hours at 5 weeks.

   Feed

   Starter; about 35 g per chick per day at 4 weeks.

   To do this week

   • ✓Weigh a sample and compare with the range.
   • ✓Stocking density: about 20 chicks per m² up to 4 weeks, then enlarge the space.
   • ✓Raise feeders and drinkers as the birds grow.
   • ✓On-farm vaccinations following the protocol of the vet in your area: carry them out and record each vaccine on the flock sheet.

   Watch out for

   • •Weight below the range: check heat, water and feeder space.
   • •Chicks cramped in the brooding area.
   Read the lesson

6. Week 5 (days 29 to 35)

   Target

   No published benchmark at 5 weeks: the flock should go from 270-285 g (4 weeks) towards 470-495 g (6 weeks).

   Temperature

   Gradual reduction down to house temperature; adjust according to how the birds spread out.

   Lighting

   16 hours of light per day at 5 weeks, then keep reducing it gradually.

   Feed

   Chick starter up to 6 weeks, then grower feed.

   To do this week

   • ✓Enlarge the space to reach 10 pullets per m².
   • ✓Weigh a sample and plot the weight on a curve.
   • ✓Prepare the change to grower feed, over 3 days.
   • ✓Check the bulbs and the timer every week.

   Watch out for

   • •Light that is not reduced: a pullet that gets more and more light during rearing matures too early.
   • •An uneven flock when the space is enlarged.
   Read the lesson

7. Weeks 6 to 10: pullet growth

   Target

   470 to 495 g at 6 weeks; 660 to 695 g at 8 weeks; 840 to 900 g at 10 weeks.

   Lighting

   Gradual reduction: 14 h 30 at 8 weeks.

   Feed

   Grower feed; about 47 g per day at 6 weeks, 55 g at 8 weeks, 60 g at 10 weeks.

   To do this week

   • ✓Weigh about a hundred pullets every week, picked at random across the whole house, same day, same time, before feeding.
   • ✓Work out uniformity: share of pullets within ± 10% of the average weight.
   • ✓Keep enough feeders for all to eat at the same time; spread the feed quickly along the whole length.
   • ✓Stocking density: 10 pullets per m² up to 17 weeks.
   • ✓Set aside clearly smaller pullets, with more feeder space.
   • ✓On-farm vaccinations following the protocol of the vet in your area: carry them out and record each vaccine on the flock sheet.

   Watch out for

   • •Weight behind target: check water, feeder space, feed and health before touching the lighting.
   • •Diarrhoea, coughing, rising mortality: call the vet in your area.
   Read the lesson

8. Weeks 11 to 16: the pullet before transfer

   Target

   1,020 to 1,090 g at 12 weeks; 1,190 to 1,255 g at 14 weeks; 1,350 to 1,425 g at 16 weeks.

   Lighting

   12 h 30 at 12 weeks, then 12 hours from 13 weeks (or natural day length from 14 weeks).

   Feed

   Grower up to 12-14 weeks, then pre-lay feed; about 65 g per day at 12 weeks, 72 g at 14 weeks, 78 g at 16 weeks.

   To do this week

   • ✓Weigh about a hundred pullets every week and plot the curve next to the table’s curve.
   • ✓Change feed according to age and weight: a flock that is behind is not pushed on to the next feed.
   • ✓Prepare the laying house before 16 weeks: cleaning, disinfection, downtime completed.
   • ✓Install clean, lined nest boxes (floor system: 1 individual nest per 5 to 6 hens), drinkers, feeders and supplementary lighting.
   • ✓Note sunrise and sunset times at the farm: they are the basis of the lighting programme.

   Watch out for

   • •Light increasing during rearing (lights left on, irregular times).
   • •A mixed flock: it will not come into lay all together.
   Read the lesson

9. Weeks 17 to 20: pre-lay

   Target

   1,480 to 1,580 g at 18 weeks; 1,560 to 1,660 g at 19 weeks; 1,625 to 1,730 g at 20 weeks. First eggs at around 19 to 20 weeks; 15% lay at 20 weeks (48 g egg).

   Lighting

   12 hours up to 18 weeks; + 1 hour at 19 weeks and + 1 hour at 20 weeks, only if the target weight is reached.

   Feed

   Pre-lay feed (about 85 g per day at 18 weeks), then calcium-rich layer feed as soon as the first eggs appear.

   To do this week

   • ✓Move the pullets into the laying house at around 16 to 17 weeks, before the first eggs.
   • ✓Weigh at 18 weeks before any light stimulation: no weight, no extra light.
   • ✓Add supplementary lighting before sunrise or after sunset; timer and back-up checked.
   • ✓Switch to layer feed as soon as the first eggs appear.
   • ✓Start counting eggs every day; collect floor eggs very early.

   Watch out for

   • •Light increased too early: small eggs for a long time and hens more exposed to cannibalism.
   • •Layer feed given too early (kidney damage) or too late (fragile shells).
   • •Hens getting into the habit of laying on the floor.
   Read the lesson

10. Weeks 21 to 25: coming into lay

    Target

    Weight: 1,675 to 1,780 g at 21 weeks, 1,765 to 1,860 g at 24 weeks. Lay: 69% at 22 weeks (53 g egg), 94.5% at 25 weeks (57.6 g egg).

    Temperature

    In strong heat: cool water (below 20 °C if possible); on the floor, 4 to 5 hens per m² when it is 30 °C.

    Lighting

    + 1 hour at 21 weeks, + 30 minutes at 22 and at 23 weeks, then a steady 16 hours from 24 weeks.

    Feed

    Layer feed; intake rises to about 111 to 119 g per hen per day at peak production.

    To do this week

    • ✓Keep weighing every week: the hen still gains nearly 300 g between 18 and 24 weeks.
    • ✓Work out the laying rate every day: eggs of the day ÷ hens present × 100.
    • ✓Collect eggs at least 2 to 3 times a day, more often when it is hot; sort them and store them somewhere cool.
    • ✓Keep the laying sheet: hens present, mortality, sorted eggs, feed, water, temperature, observations.

    Watch out for

    • •A laying curve that stalls: check weight, lighting, water and feed.
    • •A hen losing weight as she comes into lay: she will not hold the peak.
    • •Appetite that stalls while the flock comes into lay.
    Read the lesson

11. Weeks 26 to 50: peak lay

    Target

    Peak at around 30 weeks: 96.5% (60.5 g egg); 95.7% at 40 weeks; 93.8% at 50 weeks (192 cumulative eggs per hen). In a hot open-sided house, an average of around 75% over the year is common.

    Temperature

    Cool water, below 20 °C if possible; a hen drinks about 205 ml per day at 20 °C and 320 ml at 30 °C.

    Lighting

    A steady 16 hours, never reduced; electrical back-up in case of power cuts.

    Feed

    Layer feed: about 111 to 119 g per hen per day; part of it given during the cool hours.

    To do this week

    • ✓Every day, work out laying rate, feed and water per hen; every week, mortality and average egg weight.
    • ✓Plot the laying curve next to the table’s curve.
    • ✓Collect at least 2 to 3 times a day; set aside broken, cracked or dirty eggs; store them point down, cool and in the shade.
    • ✓More nipples when it is hot: about 1 per 10 hens at 30 °C.
    • ✓Remove injured and dead hens straight away.

    Watch out for

    • •A drop in lay: check in order water, lighting, feed, heat, then health (vet in your area).
    • •Water intake falling without a drop in temperature: it often moves before the laying rate does.
    • •Feather pecking, feathers on the floor, moult during lay: look for the stress (lighting, density, feed, water, heat).
    Read the lesson

12. Weeks 51 to 72: the second half of lay

    Target

    90.4% at 60 weeks (64.5 g egg, 254 cumulative eggs); 84.7% at 72 weeks (65 g egg, 318 cumulative eggs per hen).

    Temperature

    In strong heat: cool water, moving air, part of the feed during the cool hours; 4 to 5 hens per m² on the floor at 30 °C.

    Lighting

    A steady 16 hours, never reduced.

    Feed

    Layer feed: about 111 to 119 g per hen per day, with no sudden change of formula or supplier.

    To do this week

    • ✓Sort eggs even more carefully: at the end of the cycle, eggs are larger and shells more fragile.
    • ✓Count soft-shelled or cracked eggs every day.
    • ✓Keep the laying sheet every day and read it every week.
    • ✓Prepare depletion: find buyers for the hens several weeks in advance.
    • ✓Order the next flock’s chicks taking depletion and downtime into account.

    Watch out for

    • •Rising soft-shelled or cracked eggs: check the layer feed, water and heat, then call the vet in your area.
    • •Egg eating: collections too infrequent, broken eggs left behind, nest boxes too bright.
    • •Mortality rising clearly from one week to the next, even if the figure looks small.
    Read the lesson

13. Depletion (72 to 80 weeks)

    Target

    80.9% at 80 weeks (65.4 g egg, 362 cumulative eggs per hen). Between 72 and 80 weeks, each hen still lays about 44 eggs.

    Lighting

    A steady 16 hours until depletion.

    Feed

    Layer feed to the end; compare what the eggs bring in with what the feed costs.

    To do this week

    • ✓Choose the depletion date using your own feed and egg prices, in the profitability calculator.
    • ✓Sell the spent hens: they are part of the flock’s income.
    • ✓Take all the hens out of the house at once: a single age group.
    • ✓Clean, disinfect and respect the downtime period before the next flock.
    • ✓Keep the records of the whole flock to compare with the next one.

    Watch out for

    • •Laying that no longer pays for the feed.
    • •A new flock placed before cleaning and downtime are complete.
    Read the lesson