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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SUBJECT: Shenandoah Brooders
RELEASE NO.: #040612
DATE: June 17, 2004
MEDIA CONTACT:
Larry Cripe/Susan Hight
Phone: (574) 658-4191
Fax: (574) 658-3700
E-Mail: ctb@ctbinc.com
READER INQUIRIES CONTACT:
Debbie Armstrong
READER INQUIRIES PHONE:
417-845-6065
READER INQUIRIES E-MAIL ADDRESS: sales@agilemfg.netAGILE ANNOUNCES A NEW LINE OF SHENANDOAH® HEATING SYSTEMS
ANDERSON, Missouri, U.S.A. Agile Mfg., Inc., a subsidiary of CTB, Inc. of Milford, Indiana, has announced a new line of SHENANDOAH® Heating Systems. The new line incorporates all the best features of Agile's previous lines of brooders and heaters, plus some additional innovations. SHENANDOAH heating systems have been recognized for their quality and performance since 1924.
Included in the new line are the SHEN GLOW{TM} Infrared Brooder with a stainless steel burner and an output of 42,000 BTUs as well as the SHEN BEAM® Infrared Brooder with an output of 25,000 BTUs. Also included are the SHEN VEC{TM} Convection Brooder with a 31,000 BTU output, a new 17,000-BTU, high-pressure brooder called the SHEN HP{TM} and the SHEN TURBO{TM} Space Heater with output of 225,000 BTUs when operated using LP or 200,000 BTUs with natural gas.
Agile's new line of SHENANDOAH brooders is easier to assemble and features increased floor heat, reliable ignition, and a patented horizontal pilot. Additionally, the new line of brooders and heaters is fuel efficient and durable, and has been designed to be easy to clean.
SHENANDOAH heating systems are part of Agile's line of brand name products for the poultry industry, which include ROXELL® feeding and drinking systems; SHENANDOAH® nests, incinerators and heating systems; PROTERRA® Systems ventilation equipment and INTELLIGRO{TM} Controls, and SIBLEY® brand heaters.
With Agile's variety of trusted brands, the poultry grower can choose one brand, or choose them all, and feel confident of getting equipment that is well known for its quality and performance. The Web site for these products is www.agilemfg.net.
Interested in increasing productivity and minimizing labor and management time with Shenandoah's poultry nests? Read on.
Shenandoah... Your Partner In Breeder Egg Productivity We're pleased to share this informational article from the August/September 1998 issue of Poultry Digest.
Our goal is to help breeders and growers increase their productivity, with good information and effective equipment.
Breeder eggs are a specialty of Shenandoah Manufacturing Co. We’ve been researching the laying habits of hens for decades, and have designed our equipment to maximize your productivity. Our Side Belt Egg Gathering System not only minimizes labor and management time, it has also produced some of the best results in the industry in reduced floor eggs, slat eggs, and damaged eggs. Hatchability increases along with total production. If you want to see results like this when you remodel or build a new breeder house, see your Shenanodah distributor.This article is reprinted with permission from Poultry Digest magazine, the August/September 1998 issue:
Floor and Slat Eggs in the Breeder House
by: R. Keith Bramwell, Extension Poultry Scientist, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
The occurrence of potential hatching eggs laid on the floor or slats of the breeder house can present a significant problem for the hatching egg producer. Most eggs laid on the floor or slats are unacceptable as hatching eggs because of the increased likelihood of broken and/or contaminated eggs. A few contaminated eggs placed in the setter can then contaminate all the eggs in the setter or at least those placed nearby. Therefore, the incidence of floor and slat eggs are not only costly to the contract breeder grower, but these eggs that somehow ‘slip in’ with the rest of the hatching eggs can also be costly to the integrator. The incidence of floor and slat eggs can range from moderate to severe with reports of floor and slat eggs exceeding 20 percent in some cases.
The basic biology and nature of the breeder hen tells her to find a nesting site where she can feel comfortable, safe and somewhat protected where she feels she will be able to incubate and raise her chicks. Obviously, they will never incubate and brood young, but their basic instincts tell them they should find an appropriate site to do so.
In a commercial breeder house these criteria are not fully provided. Therefore, the hen will find an area that best fits her needs. Hens, being creatures of habit, will generally choose the same nesting site day after day to lay her eggs. That is why many times multiple hens will pile in one nest box when a neighboring box is empty because each of them feels that box ‘belongs’ to them and it is the same place they were the day before.
Recently, an integrator began addressing this problem and a list of possible reasons for the increased incidence of floor eggs was developed. As these areas were addressed, the percentage of flocks with floor egg problems was reduced by more than one half and it continues to improve. Some of the areas identified as problematic in causing increased floor eggs were:
Poor training of the birds by the grower.
1. Rapidly ‘walking’ the breeder house and not ‘training’ the birds to use the nests and get up on the slats. Rapid walking tends to startle the hens and scare them away from the nests. Walk the hens slowly, especially during the training period.
2. Pattern of grower traffic which forces birds into corners, thereby introducing them to improper potential nesting sites. Walk the houses in a pattern that will force the birds towards the nesting sites, not away from them.
3. Growers ‘resting’ after house preparation until the first eggs appear because they never had a floor egg problem before (late training the of birds). It is important that the birds be ‘walked’ several times each day to encourage hens to find the nests and acclimate them to the breeder house and grower.
Poor nest sanitation and preparation.
1. Poor condition of nest pads. Worn nest pads tend to be uncomfortable to the hens and may discourage the hens from using the proper nesting sites.
2. Dirty belts and manure buildup on nest pads may also discourage hens from entering the nest hole.
Poor feeding methods and equipment problems that cause birds to be ‘glued’ to the feeders.
1. Too much time between feeder run times.
2. Feed spills.
3. Too little feeder space for the number of hens housed.
4. Male feeders running for long periods of time attracting hens to the scratch area.
5. Feed spills in the scratch area.
Dark spots in the houses near Kool cells, mechanical nest rows, rooster feeders and other areas.
Extra lights can be added to help reduce the dark spots, and rooster feeders can be raised after the males clean up the feed.Transferring pullets to breeder house later to assure proper fleshing when light stimulated.
Although waiting for a minimum body weight and fleshing will improve uniformity of sexual maturity, the pullets will have a shorter period time in the hen house before egg production starts, increasing the likelihood that some hens will choose alternative nest sites.Placing too many hens in the breeder house, thereby limiting each hen’s access to proper nesting sites.
Although the nest manufacturers’ suggested number of hens per nest hole will vary, the industry average is 5.5 hens per nest hole.In addition to the above list of causes for increased floor/slat eggs, other contributing factors may include high slats, limited slat area around nest sites, over hanging slats causing dark spots, and foot and leg problems. If floor and slat eggs are a problem, evaluate your management practices and housing conditions. Observe your birds to try and determine the cause of them not choosing the provided nesting sites.
