HERFS/AUTUMN BONUS TYDSKRIF 2026

T he Hy-Line Silver can reach 50% production (Graph 5) earlier than the other breeds (133 days). The Amberlink Silver reaches 50% production at 140 days, slightly earlier than the remaining breeds (between 143 and 145 days). The production percentage at 100 weeks (Graph 6 below) indicates the persistence of lay and at what age you should consider culling your flock. The optimum culling age changes depending on the egg price, the demand for eggs, and the cull price. Producers may choose to cull earlier or later depending on what is more profitable for their system. The Lohmann breed, in general, has a lower production percentage at 100 weeks of age compared to the other breeds. This suggests that it may be better to cull the Lohmann breed earlier. The Hy-Line has a production of 70% at 100 weeks of age, and the Amberlink has 77%, which suggests that these breeds could be kept for longer and culled at an older age, depending on the market. Graph 6: Production percentage at a 100 weeks of age per breed Feed and feed efficiency The Hy-Line breed appears to have a lower intake when compared to the other breeds (Graph 7). It must be noted that feed intake can be affected by many factors such as climate, feed delivery system, feed trough fill, frequency of feeding, and stocking density. Graph 7: Average daily feed intake per bird per breed Herfs/Autumn 2026 BONUS www.agribonus.co.za 84