Egg Industry - May 2017 - 6
6 ❙ EggIndustry How to turn marginal pullets into strong adult layers NC State professor Ken Anderson offers tips on how to make underweight, overweight and non-uniform pullets perform up to breeder standards as adults. THROUGH PROPER FEEDING AND management techniques, overweight and underweight pullets can grow into strong, uniform layer flocks. Dr. Ken Anderson, poultry extension specialist at North Carolina State University's Prestage Department of Poultry Science, explained how farmers can address issues with uniformity in layer pullets in order to maintain healthy flocks performing within breeder standards. Anderson spoke as part of the Organic Egg Farmers of America Symposium on March 14. The event took place in St. Paul, Minnesota, in conjunction with the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention. Anderson said there are four main issues farmers typically face when dealing with marginal pullets: underweight pullets; overweight pullets; non-uniform pullets, which causes poor flock uniformity; and untrained pullets, or pullets not ready to live in alternative housing systems. www.WATTAgNet.com ❙ May 2017 Photos courtesy Dr. Ken Anderson, North Carolina State University BY AUSTIN ALONZO