Many farmers has gotten point of cage (POC) instead of Point of Lay(POL) mostly because they are not enlightened. POC are birds around 10 to 12 weeks which can be moved from the brooding pen to a standard cage.
Point of Lay (POL) on the other hand is the term for pullets that are close to their production stage which is around 16 weeks. Most farmers preferred such to raising chicks from day old, they do that to save time and it is advice able for inexperienced farmer who is interested in egg production to go for POL.
Buying POL is like paying someone to raise your birds for you,and the question is, how sure are you that those birds are well raised?
Some farmers have lost all their investment just because the birds they got are unhealthy and low quality birds.
One way to save guard your investment as an intended farmer who is interested in getting POL is to pay attention to these following factors to look out for in POL
Important Things to Check When Buying Point of Lay Chickens
1. Find out the source of the birds
The source of any bird matters a lot. In the case of POL, you must ask the seller where the birds came from (hatchery). If the hatchery sounds unpopular or lacks proven track records, you must proceed with caution and follow your intuition.
2. Request for the bird’s record book vaccination and medication
Record book will always show the history of the birds from day one till the point you want to buy it, the important things to look out for are, mortality rate (this will help you to know if the birds have experience serious disease outbreak in the past), Vaccination and medication (layers live longer, so they require much vaccination and medication unlike broilers, there are important vaccination that you should check out for and their date of administration)
Read more: Floor Space Requirements For Broilers & Layers
3. Inspect the chicks for signs of good health
This is another vital check that must not be skipped. Be physically present to inspect the birds and confirm their physical well-being. Very healthy point-of-lay chickens must be full of life and show no sign of sickness or disease. No dull look or water eyes and the feathers should be shinny and unrefuttled. The comb and wattles should be red and conspicuous. Check the faeces and ensure they appear normal.
4. Confirm the average live body weight of the birds
One biggest mistake that most farmers make it to buy POL base on age instead of weight. The body weight of a young pullet is a reliable indicator of its age or sexual maturity status. Typical POL chickens are expected to have an average body weight of 1.4 kg at 16 weeks of age. Any figure far below this is a sign such birds are not laying anytime soon. We always have issues with POL owners or sellers in this regard. Most ignorantly claim that weight does not prove age or sexual maturity status. To reduce feeding costs, many breeders underfeed their chickens and this affects their growth performance. So when the birds are expected to be sexually mature, they look or weigh younger than their age. Therefore, endeavour to know the average weight of the flock.
Note: If the combs and wattles look too short and pale, the birds are not ready to lay yet.
The Don’ts of Buying Point of Lay Chickens
1. Don’t pay without seeing the birds physically
2. Don’t ignore biosecurity measures
3. Get the pens or cages ready
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Conclusion
Raising your birds from day one is the best, if you can do that, it will save you from scams.
