How to solve common problems in the use of laying hen premix feed?

Common problems in feeding premixes to laying hens

1. The eggshell color becomes lighter

The quality stability and nutritional balance of feed processed by premixes in farms cannot be guaranteed, which will affect the intestinal health and stress resistance of laying hens, thereby reducing the efficiency of pigment synthesis and deposition. Therefore, the eggshell color of the eggs produced is lighter than that of eggs fed with complete compound feed.

2. Decreased eggshell quality

In the later stages of egg production, laying hens’ calcium absorption and deposition efficiency decreases, and the eggshell quality decreases with age. This is more obvious when using premixes, because farmers do not pay much attention to the quality of stone powder, which has a low calcium content. The calcium in the diet is unlikely to meet the egg-laying needs of laying hens, leading to an increase in the rate of soft-shelled eggs and broken eggs.

3. Diarrhea in laying hens

When using premixes, more soybean meal and stone powder are usually added. The potassium ion concentration in soybean meal is relatively high, which can easily cause an imbalance in intestinal osmotic pressure and cause watery stools. The excessively high magnesium ion content in stone powder can also cause diarrhea in laying hens.

4. Feather shedding

When the intestines are unhealthy, the efficiency of digestion and absorption of nutrients will decrease, and the amino acids absorbed by the body may be unable to meet the needs of feather growth. Insufficient methionine added to the premix, environmental or disease stress that makes it difficult for laying hens to maintain normal physiological functions will all cause feather shedding.

Measures

1. Ensure the quality of the vertical mixer

The mixed feed should be highly uniform, and equipment with a small coefficient of variation should be purchased as much as possible. The appropriate mixing time should be determined. The farm should not arbitrarily change the mixing time each time it uses premixes to process finished feed products to avoid imbalance in the nutrients in the feed consumed by laying hens due to equipment and human factors.

2. Purchase corn, soybean meal and rock powder of qualified quality

Do not buy corn with excessive moisture or mold, adulterated soybean meal, or rock powder with low calcium content just because the price is low. These will directly affect the production performance of laying hens and the quality of eggs.

3. Ensure the accuracy of material weighing

Weighing equipment should be calibrated regularly and production should be carried out according to the manufacturer's recommended formula to avoid nutritional imbalance in the finished feed due to inaccurate weighing and incorrect formula.

4. Feeding and management

Details in terms of biosecurity, ventilation, temperature, humidity, etc. are also very important to ensure that laying hens are produced in a safe and comfortable environment.

5. Use functional products This is also an effective solution to improve the above problems.