Rearing the pullet (6 to 18 weeks)

The pullet growth table

This table is the roadmap of rearing. The “feed” column says how much a pullet eats on average per day; the “weight” column says where she should be. Between 6 and 18 weeks, the pullet more than triples her weight, while her ration rises from 47 to 85 g a day.

Source: Novogen (Novogen Brown management guide, 2024).

The 18-week weight (1,480 to 1,580 g) is the most important: it is what allows, or not, the increase in light that starts laying (lesson 3).

Weighing about a hundred pullets every week

Weighing three or four pullets that are easy to catch tells you nothing: they are often the calmest or the heaviest. You weigh about a hundred pullets every week, taken at random throughout the house.

• Always the same day of the week and the same time, before the feed is distributed.
• Catch pullets in several places: near the walls, in the centre, near the feeders and far from them.
• Weigh each pullet one by one and record every weight, not just the total.
• Calculate the average weight and compare it with the range in the table.
• Count how many pullets are clearly lighter than the average: this measures uniformity (benchmark seen in level 5).
• Plot the average weight on a curve, next to the curve from the table.

Uniformity: all the pullets eat at the same time

A uniform flock comes into lay as one block. A non-uniform flock mixes pullets that are ready with pullets that are behind: you cannot set the light and feed for both at once.

• Enough feeders for all the pullets to eat at the same time: this is the key to uniformity. If the strongest eat first, the weakest fall behind.
• Floor density: about 20 pullets per m² up to 4 weeks, then 10 per m² up to 17 weeks.
• Feed distributed quickly along the whole length of the feeders, so that nobody waits.
• Height of feeders and drinkers raised as the birds grow.
• Clearly smaller pullets are put apart, with more space at the feeder.

Ref. Lohmann, hot climate

Example calculation: a 100 m² house takes at most 1,000 pullets from 5 to 17 weeks (10 per m²). Putting in more pullets means paying for the same feed for a less uniform flock.

Pullet feeds

During rearing, the feed goes from starter to grower, then pullet feed and pre-lay feed before the first eggs. Each feed matches a need: building the skeleton, then the body, then preparing for laying. You change feed according to age and weight: a flock that is behind must not be pushed on to the next feed.

The on-farm vaccinations are also done during this period. Brown layers are vaccinated against Marek’s disease at the hatchery (certificate on request). All other vaccines follow the protocol of your area’s veterinarian: record each vaccine, its date and the batch used.

The weight is behind: what to do?

When the average weight is below the range, look for the cause before changing anything.

• Water: are there enough drinkers, clean, at the right height? Is the water cool in the hot hours?
• Feeder space: can all the pullets eat at the same time? Is the density respected?
• Feed: does the quantity match the table? Is the feed of good quality, mould-free, well stored?
• Light: do not reduce it too quickly when the weight is behind.
• Health: diarrhoea, coughing, rising mortality? Call the area’s veterinarian.

Source: Novogen (Novogen Brown management guide, 2024).