Preparing for
hot weather
High temperatures and humidity threaten to negatively
impact the egg industry if precautions aren’t taken.
By Dr. Simon Shane
The emergence of corn seedlings
across the Midwest and the basketball and hockey playoffs remind us
that it is time to prepare for the onset of
hot weather which can adversely affect
egg production and quality.
Items which should be considered
include:
✔Con rming that curtain release installations on open-sided houses operate correctly.
✔Testing evaporative cooling pad
systems and high pressure nozzle installations for correct function. Pads
and nozzles should be cleaned and
all piping, connectors, pumps and the
electrical supply to thermostats and solenoids should be checked.
✔Emergency generators should be
run under load for at least 15 minutes
at one or two week intervals. Adequate
supplies of diesel should be held to allow operation in the event of a 48-hour
outage following lighting strikes on
transformers or other climatic events
which interrupt power from a grid.
✔In controlled environment houses,
thermostats, fans, control modules and
emergency alarms should be examined
for defects which could result in high
mortality in the event of failure of the
ventilation system.
Adjust feed and water intake
Dietary formulations should be adjusted to compensate for decrease
feed intake in both rearing pullets and
hens. Special attention should be paid
to the energy content of the diet including supplementation with ingredients
with high energy density such as animal fat or by-product meals.
During hot weather:
✔Critical amino acids including methionine and lysine should be evaluated on the basis of feed intake and egg
mass.
✔Mineral levels should be speci ed
in relation to feed intake and production
level. Nutrient speci cations should be
guided by breeders’ recommendations.
✔Half the calcium requirement
should be in the form of coarse limestone which promotes absorption during the six to eight hours of darkness
when mineral deposition in shells occurs at a high rate.
✔Calcium and phosphorus levels
should be balanced and supplementary
Vitamin D3 should be considered based
on shell quality in older ocks.
✔Increasing the frequency of operation of feeder systems will encourage
feed intake. In the case of suboptimal
consumption due to high temperatures
during daylight hours, a “midnight
feed” of approximately 30 minutes duration can be considered providing that
there is at least 3 hours darkness on either side of the feed cycle.
Monitor water intake
Water intake should be carefully
monitored as hens require additional
water for evaporative cooling which is
the principal mode of heat loss when
house temperatures exceed 80 F.
If water temperature in supply piping exceeds 60 F the lines should be
ushed at frequent intervals to reduce
temperature at the nipples to promote
consumption.
Limited evidence shows that supplementing drinking water with electrolytes
or adding vitamin C to diets has a positive bene t to cost ratio in the context
of commercial U.S. production. Experimental data has been published supporting the use of these additives. EI
