CONTENT
Culling of Layers: Characteristics of Good and Poor Layers
Culling plays an important role in maintaining the productivity and efficiency of a commercial poultry flock. As the laying cycle progresses, the performance of individual birds can vary considerably. Regular flock management helps maintain an efficient laying population and supports better use of available feed, housing, and other resources.
Culling is an important management procedure practiced in layers and breeder females. It is a continuous operation once laying starts because all layers and breeders, despite a good start, may not persist in laying throughout the complete laying period. Therefore, monthly culling is usually practiced to improve economic efficiency by removing unproductive birds.
Most of the characteristics used to assess productive features are evaluated during culling. If the productive characteristics are up to the required standards, then general defects considered during judging are not given any weight for culling. The characteristics that distinguish poor layers from good layers are given in the table below.
Condition of Birds
| Character | Good Layer | Poor Layer |
|---|---|---|
| Health | Healthy, vigorous, and well fleshed but moderately fatty. | Appears sick, sluggish, thin or debilitated, or extremely fatty. |
| Feathering | Tight and close feathering, with the tail and wings well carried up. | Loose and scattered feathering, with the tail and wings droopy. |
| Plumage | Initially bright and dark-colored but faint and dull in the later stage. | Always bright and dark-colored. |
| Comb and Wattles | Large, glossy, red, and warm. | Small, dry, scaly, pale, and cold. |
| Eyes and Expression | Bright and alert. | Sunken and dull. |
| Abdomen | Well developed, soft, and pliable. | Contracted, hard, tight, and fatty. |
| Pubic Bones | Soft and flexible, well spread, with a distance of 2 to 3 fingers between the two pubic bones. | Hard and brittle, with a distance of less than 2 fingers between the two pubic bones. |
| Keel Bone and Distance | Soft and flexible; the distance between the keel and pubic bones is more than 4 to 5 fingers. | Hard and brittle; the distance between the keel and pubic bones is less than 3 to 4 fingers. |
| Skin | Soft, thin, loose, and silky. | Rough, thick, tight, and underlaid with fat. |
| Vent | Large, oval, dilated, and moist. | Small, round, contracted, and dry. |
