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JUNE 2009 volume 114 number 6

Deviating from low egg prices: Can the cycle be broken? 1 Preparing for hot weather 4 Editorial with Dr. Simon Shane 5 An interview with James M. Nield 6 Biofilm in watering systems 8 Nutrigenomics finds practical application 9 Establishing a focus on sustainability 11 Industry news 12 Product news 13

Deviating from low egg prices:
Can the cycle be broken?

From April to September, egg prices drop. As a result, producers are looking for ways to maintain their pro ts.

molt during periods of high egg prices, they will forgo pro ts.

Molting may prolong periods of oversupply. For example, molted ocks typically peak at levels about 10% greater than their production at the time of molt. Since the period of oversupply may be longer than 10 weeks, when molted hens return to production, total output will be increased, resulting in an increased supply of eggs when producers still need to reduce supply.

The increased production can signi cantly offset some of the bene ts of leaving houses empty. This potential negative effect of molting is often overlooked because of the anticipation of increasing pro ts when egg prices increase. As the persistency of lay increases in modern strains (production up to 90% at 60 weeks), the potential economic bene t of molting for individual ocks may need to be re-evaluated.

In the past, hens have typically peaked 10% higher than pre-molt levels which helped offset some of the eggs lost during molt. Therefore, total production would only be about 5% less than that for non-molted ocks. As production

persistency continues to improve, the increase in peak production after molt will be nearer to 1%. The greater difference in total number of eggs produced by molted hens compared to non-molted hens could signi cantly reduce the economic bene t of molting for individual ocks and increase the bene t of molting in supply management.

David A. Roland, PhD

Breaking the cycle of excess eggs from Easter to Labor Day has proven extremely dif cult. Molting is the most common approach to reduce egg supply. Because the window of molting is at least eight weeks, producers can delay or accelerate the initiation of molting and increase the normal quantity of hens in molt soon after Easter. Although this can quickly get additional eggs off the market, molting does not allow a reduction in overall total supply of eggs due to differences in timing among producers with a variety of molt programs.

If the window of opportunity for molting occurs during a period of low egg prices, losses may be reduced at the same time as egg supply declines. However, molting is much like a two-edged sword. If producers have to

Balancing the scales

The goal of small-scale producers with a high cost structure is to maintain demand at a level higher than their production capacity. Eggs are purchased to meet needs even in periods of reduced demand. During times when prices are low these producers try to time molting to reduce potential supply to the market while at the same time buying in eggs to help ll orders. In many instances they can generate an incremental pro t through marketing purchased eggs at the same time as they may be losing on eggs they produce.