BONUS SPRING SUMMER 2025

How to influence egg weight in laying hens Mlungisi Gwala - Technical Advisor: Poultry It is startling to learn that eggs are classified from tiny to giant basedmore onweight than on size. Because of their genetic potential, heavier breeds are characteristically linked to the production of heavy eggs. In addition to a laying hen’s geneticmakeup, several factors can affect eggweight. A bird’s first egg should be laid at around 18 weeks, and as it grows older, its production rate and size increase. To give farmers advice about egg weight and production potential, breeding companies have produced production profiles. However, even within a flock of similar age and parent stock, achieving uniform egg size is still difficult. This demonstrates the significance of managing variables unrelated to a laying hen’s heredity. Now we can see that closely managing birds starts in the pullet house rather than only at the laying house. Egg weight increases within a 20–25-gram range (which is not much), but the time it takes to reach the optimum weight matters. Why does a rearing periodmatter? “If a farmer does not raise his pullets, he will always need to be aware of the producer’s production history,” farmer X said. To manage the flock according to how the birds were bred, you have to purchase point-of-lay birds from a reputable breeder and enquire about Fig. 1: Typical egg laying production and egg weight curve for a laying flock. Spring/Summer 2025 BONUS www.agribonus.co.za 14