Spiking

Spiking

“The addition of new males to a breeder flock to compensate for the related age”

     

      ·       Most companies in the world today use some types of “spiking Program”.

      

      

       ·       A spiking program should never become a crutch for poor male management.

      

       

       ·       The recommended feeding program, body weight guide, placement& sex ratio are management practices that should be followed by to enhance mating activity and uniformity of the primary male population

        

       

        ·       Spiking and Intra Spiking program should be    implemented when records dictate a program is          necessary to maintain the desired LOF fertility.

Why do most companies spike flocks?

Ø  In general, males have acceptable Sperm Quality up to 55-60 week of age.

Ø  However there is a natural decline in mating activity after 35-40 week.

This is due to:

·       Lingering effects from the rearing phase.

·       Males getting out of shape (either under or over weight) resulting in reduced mating interest ad desire(libido)

Ø  Couch Potato effect

·       Difficulty in managing “High yielding breeds?”

Ø  High Maintenance Females

·       Injuries / Leg & Feet disorders

·       Disease

·       Male mortality resulting in reduced male to female ratio’s

Spiking Program design

“Have a program in place. Do not wait for hatchability to decline”

 Ø  Define the parameters for spiking

      ·       Fertility

      ·       Male Ratio

      ·       Spike male rearing options

“Better results are obtained if spiking is done prior to reduction in fertility. Spiking is usually not economical beyond 55 weeks of age. Establish when your fertility/hatch is dropping below standards and design program to address this.”

Types of Spiking Program

Ø New male spiking

This method utilizes new young males (25-27 wks old) as the primary spike male.

Ø Intra spiking

This method utilizes older primary males from 2 or more houses, swapping them from one house to the next. Males used to spike with are the same age as the primary males they are introduced to.

Ø  Back spiking

This method utilizes males that were introduced to a hen farm as new spikes initially, and then pulled out prior to the sale of the hen flock to spike another flock.

Types of Spiking Program

Ø New male spiking

·       Spike males are “reared separately” their entire life until reaching a desirable weight @ 25-27 weeks.(Males should be around 8.75 to 9 lbs/3.97-4.08 kg. Light should increase in length and intensity around 22-23 weeks to assure proper maturity.)

·       Extra males are moved to a “spike house” at 20-21 weeks and held until 25-28 weeks of age. (After reaching sexual maturity and proper weight, they are used as spike males.)

·       Extra males are “penned up in a hen house” with a production flock and used to spike that flock when male #’s begin to decline usually at 30-35 weeks of age. (Pens can create issues with nest space, feeder space and density.)

·       Extra males are “intermingled with the original flock” until removal to spike a second, older flock when they are 25-27 weeks of age. (Problem-high male density until removal can create over aggression toward the hens and each other.)

Ø Intra spiking

   ·       Spike males are actually primary males taken from one house on a two house farm and swapped with primary males from the other house.

    ·       This method of spiking is useful if a shortage of males is present and no new males can be obtained.

    ·       These older primary males will not be as active as new spike males, especially if they are not in good shape.

    ·       For Intra Spiking to be effective the primary males need to be kept uniform, in good working condition, with proper weight control.

·       Issues of disease are reduced with this method because you only using the males that are presently on the farm.

Ø Back spiking

·       This method of spiking utilizes the use of spike (not primary) males that have been used previously to spike another production flock.

·       These spike males will be from 35 to 45 wks old when utilized again the second time.

·       Spikes are pulled out from a production flock that is ready to sell. Males are hand selected from the male population and placed in another flock.

·       Only the better fleshed males are selected to use as spiking in this method.

·       This method is very labor intensive and time consuming to walk the house and hand select the desired males.

Ideal Male Spiking design

“Spike males must be uniform, good quality, and able to compete with older males”

·       Separate reared on 2.5-3 ft² or 0.76-0.92 square meters of floor space per male

·       6 inches/0.15 meters of feeder space per male, on chain, or 8-9 males per pan

·       25+ weeks old with a minimum weight of 9.0 lbs. (4.08 kg) at spiking

·       Must be sexually mature. Proper light intensity and increases are important.

·       Proper floor and feeder space are essential so spikes can be reared on proper feed amounts that will be close to the primary males feed amount

Do not cull spike males while in spike house

·       Cull Primary Males prior to spiking

·       Presently done by ~ 25% of our customers.

·       Culling gives a better idea of the number of healthy males remaining, and how many spike males are needed.

Spike back to proper males/female ratios

·       9 males/100 females at 35 wks

·       10 males/100 females at 45 wks

Note: Minimum number of males to add is 1% of hen population.

Cull Unproductive Male

Unproductive males

Vent check for mating activity

(Check color moistness feather coverage)

Leg and feet check

(Examine shank color, condition of feet, foot pads, and toes)

Comb and Beak check

(Examine comb size & color, beak trim)

Spiking Program

                            Expected Results

   ·       Peak fertility response is reached approximately 2-3 weeks post-spiking

   ·       Generally, spiking results in a 1-3% increase in fertilityover a 5-10 week period.

   ·       Spiked flocks should maintain good fertility (>90%) through 60 weeks of age.

   ·       Male aggression increases for 2 weeks post-spike.

   ·       Male mortality increases (1% > 2-4%). May also see increase in hen mortality for 1-2 weeks.

    ·       Mating interference increases

Fertility may decline slightly the first week post spiking

Positives of a Spiking Program

·       Spiking stimulates the old males to increase mating activity (lasts for ~6 weeks). Primary Males are what always carry the load.

“This reactivation only occurs when existing males are physically able. The result is increased short term fertility.”

·       As young males gain experience (takes ~ 4 -6 weeks), their mating efficiency increases.

·       The optimum mating efficiency for spike males occurs around 9 weeks post spiking.

·       The combined effect from both the old and spike males produces the desired response in flock fertility 

Negatives of a Spiking Program

             Biosecurity

               The greatest threat (disadvantage) to any spiking        program comes from the biosecurity standpoint.

• ·       Cholera, mites, mycoplasma, different vaccination program.
• ·       I would not recommend a multi age spike farm.
• ·       Spike males should always be all in all out
• ·       Always bleed and have negative results “in hand” before moving spikes
• 
  

 Extra Cost

• ·       Getting males reared on ample floor an feed spacing cost
• ·       Getting the spikes moved can add extra cost from labor and equipment.
• ·       Spike house reared males are not always ready when a flock needs to be spiked

Rodenticides

Rodenticides

Related topics 

Control Commensally Rodents In Poultry Houses

Controlling Rat and Mouse Populations 
Diseases Rats and Mice Spread
Rodenticides

Rodenticides are efficient in destroying rats and mice. Full 

advantage should be taken of the particular characteristics) of each rodenticide to select those most likely to produce the desired results under existing conditions. Many chemicals used as rodenticides require that the applicator possess a certified applicator permit prior to purchasing the chemicals. Additional rodenticide information pertaining to brand names is available. 

1.Zinc Phosphide

Of the single-dose (quick kill) poisons, zinc phosphide may be the most satisfactory, readily available material. It has an offensive odor and is unattractive in color. Rats and mice seem to be attracted by the odor of zinc phosphide, and all species accept it.

Zinc phosphide is not absorbed through the skin while mixing, and only seldom are animals killed from eating the carcasses of rats or mice that have been killed with zinc phosphide. Zinc phosphide is, therefore, listed as mildly hazardous in its use as a rodenticide. Cause of death is heart failure

2. Vacor Vacor

                              A a single-dose, acute rodenticide; death normally occurs in 4 to 8 hours after ingestion. Little or no bait shyness develops, and it is recommended to be effective against most species of rats and mice. Vacor is most readily available in a formulated ready-to-use bait mixture but is also available to licensed professional applicators in the form of a tracking powder.

Strychnine Strychnine is a highly toxic single-dose poison that is effective for mouse control only. It has a bitter taste that causes many rodents, including rats, to avoid it. Therefore, it is not effective against rats. For best results, do not use strychnine more often than at six month intervals.

3. Strychnine

                             Usually mixed with canary seed, some cereal grain, or other bait that mice prefer. Cause of death is respiratory failure.

4.Arsenic

               Arsenic is a single-dose rodenticide. It is slow acting and toxic to all animals. It is classified as extremely hazardous. Mice will not accept it. Less hazardous and more effective poisons are available; therefore, arsenic is seldom used any more as a rodenticide.

5.Red Squill

               Red squill is another good quick-kill poison. There is even less hazard in using red squill than with zinc phosphide because it causes animals other than rats and mice to vomit and eliminate the poison. 

The drawbacks to red squill, compared to zinc phosphide, are that it is effective only against the Norway rat, is generally less acceptable by all rats, has poor reacceptance after sublethal intake, has less overall killing effectiveness, and is not readily available for purchase.

Mix red squill with baits at the rate of 10 percent red squill. Cause of death is respiratory failure.

6.Sodium Fluoroacetate (1080)

               This material, commonly known as 1080, is one of the most effective rodenticides known. It is virtually tasteless and odorless and kills in one to eight hours. No tolerance or bait shyness develops.

The drawbacks are that it is highly toxic to all animals, has no antidote, and has a high degree of secondary poisoning for animals eating rats or mice killed by 1080. As a result, 1080 is classified as extremely hazardous and is available for use only by licensed professional applicators. Cause of death is heart paralysis.

7.Phosphorus

            Phosphorus is used little today because better, safer rodenticides are available.

8.Norbormide

 Norbormide is not presently available as a rodenticide.

9.Antu

Antu is used to a limited extent to control Norway rats. It is not considered effective enough for house mice or roof rats 

Anticoagulants

      ""Brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, diphacinone, fumarin, pival, PMP, warfarin, and prolin (warfarin plus a vitamin K inhibitor) are all anticoagulant-type poisons""

                                At recommended concentrations, repeated feedings are normally necessary to cause death. One dose is seldom lethal. Therefore, anticoagulant baits must be made available continuously for 5 to 14 days. Reasonable control of rats may not always occur within two weeks, and it may require as long as a month to control mice. The necessity for repeated doses is a built-in safety feature of the anticoagulants for most animals.

Anticoagulants are, in general, classified as a low-hazard method of rat and mouse poisoning because of the multiple feeding requirement. They are effective against both rats and mice and, when used at the recommended level, bait shyness is not developed. The drawbacks to anticoagulants are that bait placements have to be made for several days, there is danger to animals feeding on the carcasses of rodents killed by anticoagulants (cats and dogs are very susceptible to anticoagulants and may be killed by a single feeding of poisoned bait), and resistance to anticoagulants may develop in a population of rats or mice 

best to change anticoagulants periodically). Some rat and mouse populations have become resistant to warfarin.

You may use anticoagulants with any of the baits or bait mixtures rats and mice accept. However, since the anticoagulant poison bait must remain available for several days for rats and mice to feed on, anticoagulants are usually mixed with some type of cereal grain or dry-feed-type bait as opposed to baits like apples and prunes.

Anticoagulants and single-dose poisons are available in concentrate form for use in custom mixing and in commercially prepared poison and bait mixtures. You can get these mixtures in wax-impregnated-pelleted or block form, in small bags or boxes, or in oil-soaked bait form, all of which help protect the bait and poison from breakdown from the environment until rats or mice eat it.

Tracking Powders

There are no chlorinated hydrocarbons approved as a tracking powder. Antu is effective only for Norway rats. Rozol is an anticoagulant registered for rat and mouse control. Warfarin is registered for mouse control.

Vacor is classified as a quick-kill poison and is available to licensed professional applicators as a tracking powder. Tracking powders are not recommended where rodents can track the poison onto food destined for consumption by other animals. Therefore, be careful when using tracking powders in occupied poultry houses.

Fumigation
Fumigants such as methylbromide and others are fast and effective controls for rats and mice in burrows or tightly closed buildings. Be extremely careful; leave the application of

Control Commensally Rodents In Poultry Houses

Controlling Rat and Mouse Populations 
Diseases Rats and Mice Spread
Rodenticides

Controlling Rat and Mouse Populations

Controlling Rat and Mouse Populations 

The best way to control rats and mice is to close all access routes into buildings, but this is difficult to do in poultry houses.

                 The second best control method is to remove all shelter, food, and water, which again, poultry farmers are not able to do. That leaves using one or a combination of poisoning, trapping, or using cats.

 Using Cats

                  Some poultry people consider cats a nuisance and a possible host for disease. However when properly managed, cats do control mice in cage laying houses but cannot be relied upon to reduce rat populations severely, although they will restrict a population buildup. Cats work best when they are not permitted to leave the house. During flock changes it is best to catch and confine the cats until the new flock is in place.

Cats should be kept working. Use one cat per 5,000 laying birds, up to a total of five cats per house. More than five cats per house may reduce hunting activity. Young (less than five years old) female cats make the best hunters.

Trapping

                                          Trapping is a practical way to remove rats and mice on relatively small poultry farms, but in commercial operations you need too many traps and it takes too much attention to remove dead rats and re-bait the traps to be practical.

If you use traps, many foods make good baits-peanut butter, meat of nuts, doughnuts, cake, fresh crisp-fried bacon, cheese, raisins, strawberry jam, milk chocolate, apples, gumdrops, prunes, and pineapple.

Enlarging the trap trigger with cardboard makes it more effective.

Place the traps across or near paths rats or mice normally use. Both rats and mice, because of their poor eyesight and for protection, like to run close to walls. Because mice travel only short distances, set traps every 10 feet. With rats, place traps every 25 to 50 feet.

Rats and mice are accustomed to human odors. Therefore, you don't need to boil or handle traps with gloves. Remove dead animals from the traps regularly.

Using a Rodenticide

                                    Rodenticides are usually mixed with some bait material or materials. Selecting the right bait is important, especially where a plentiful supply of good feed is available, as in poultry houses. Also, the Norway and roof rats and the mouse each have bait preferences. Therefore, it is important to know which of these rodents you plan to poison so you can choose the right bait material. Remember: If you use rodent control for rats only, mice will multiply rapidly once the rat population is under control. (The mice do not have to compete with the rats.)

 Using Anti-fertility

                          Agents Research is being conducted to develop chemosterilants (anti-fertility agents) for rats and mice. Once developed and marketed, these drugs will probably be a follow-up to a rodenticide.

Using Chemical and Mechanical Repellents Chemical and mechanical rat and mouse repellents have been tried, but neither seems to control rats and mice in and around poultry 

Bait Preferences and Care

House Mouse

                      House mice prefer canary seed (bird seed), prunes, pineapple, jelly beans, peanut butter, chopped apples, corn, wheat, oatmeal, Milo, doughnuts, cookies, and sweet chocolate candy. They also like the juices of prunes and pineapple.

House mice are nibblers and like to try new foods. Using baits different from the usual food source often works well on mice, with two or three choices of baits in small amounts.

Roof Rat

                     The roof rat is a finicky eater, wary of everything new in its environment, including food, and does not readily accept meat or fish. The roof rat likes cereal grains, chopped apples, sweet potatoes, melons, prunes, pineapple, cookies, doughnuts, sweet chocolate candy, peanut butter, and tomatoes.

Norway Rat

Norway rats readily accept fresh meat and fish. They usually prefer a bait higher in protein and fat than their normal diets. Also, they like peanut butter, sweet chocolate candy, lettuce, tomatoes, apples, carrots, bananas, corn, milo , wheat, and doughnuts. Norway rats are gluttons and accept a greater variety of baits than do roof rats. Also, they are not as wary about new objects or food in their territory as is the roof. This makes them a little easier to bait and trap.

Suggested Dry and Water Bait Mixtures

Dry Bait Mixtures

                                       These are some dry bait mixtures rats and mice accept: (Note: With each mixture listed, reduce    percentage level of the major ingredient to allow adding the proper level of rodenticide.)

1. A good, high protein bait mixture is 60 percent poultry offal meal, 5 percent sugar, and 35 percent poultry mash. (Reduce poultry offal meal to allow for rodenticide.) This is a good Norway rat bait, since they prefer high protein baits. Roof rats and mice may also accept it. Because of its high protein content, this mixture is suggested for poultry houses with or without chickens in them.

2. Mix 90 percent poultry mash, 5 percent sugar, and 5 percent peanut or corn oil. (Reduce poultry mash to allow for rodenticide.) Rats and mice should accept this mixture. It is more effective just after you remove chickens and feed from the house.

3. Canary grass seed (80 percent), 10 percent poultry mash, 5 percent sugar, and 5 percent peanut or corn oil. (Reduce canary grass seed to allow for rodenticide.) This mixture is probably best for mice.

4. Corn meal (90 percent), 5 percent sugar, and 5 percent peanut or corn oil. (Reduce corn meal to allow for rodenticide.) Both rats and mice will accept this bait, but acceptance may be limited where poultry feed is available for the rats and mice. Acceptance of this bait is usually best when used in the absence of poultry feeds.

5. Use the same mixture as in #4 bait except substitute cracked corn, soybean meal, milo, rolled oats, wheat, or a mixture of these for cornmeal. Because soybean meal has a higher protein content, rats may prefer soybean meal to cornmeal, while mice may prefer cornmeal or a mixture.

6. Poultry feed (mash or pellets) 100 percent. (Reduce level of poultry feed to allow for rodenticide.) You may use this bait for both rats and mice. Acceptance will be good if you use it just after you remove chickens and feed. Otherwise, rats and mice pass by the bait stations and go to the fresher, less contaminated feed in the feeder lines and pans.

Water Bait Mixtures
                              

                               Water baits are effective for rat control in certain situations, and some rodenticides (quick kill and anticoagulants) are sold in water soluble form. Water baiting works best for rat control where water has been available but is unavailable at the time of poisoning. Such a situation can exist just after you have removed the chickens from a poultry house and have cut off and drained all the waterers.

Chick drinkers make good water bait dispensers. Clean well after each use. You may use water bait poisoning along with feed bait poisoning for a more effective total population kill.

You may improve rodent acceptance by adding sugar to the water at the rate of 5 percent. In addition, you may add 5 percent prune, pineapple, apple, or grape juice to help increase acceptance. If you add sugar, use unsweetened juice. Since mice can live on little water, water baiting is normally more effective with rats because they need moderate amounts of water daily. However, mice will accept water baits reasonably well when you add sugar and juice.

Establishing Bait Stations

When dispensing poison bait or establishing bait stations, consider these points:

1. Because rats and mice have poor eyesight, they tend to run beside walls or other stationary objects and use their keen sense of touch in their whiskers and the guard hairs on their bodies to help guide them. These sensitive hairs help them travel in the dark, in their burrows, and in search of food and water. They do not often leave their established pathways unless the environment or food and water supplies change.

2. Neither rats nor mice travel any farther than necessary to reach food and water.

3. Place baits where rats and mice live and travel-not scattered at random or just where placement is convenient.

4. Rats are social animals and, within the same species, will use the same food, water source, and runways-and might even nest close together. They range, if necessary, as

far as 150 feet to get food and water but prefer to travel much shorter distances if food and water are available. Therefore, you should put rat baits every 25 feet.

Related topics 

Control Commensally Rodents In Poultry Houses

Controlling Rat and Mouse Populations 

Diseases Rats and Mice Spread

Rodenticides

Diseases Rats and Mice Spread

Diseases Rats and Mice Spread 

Related topics 

Control Commensally Rodents In Poultry Houses

Controlling Rat and Mouse Populations 
Diseases Rats and Mice Spread
Rodenticides

                                      Rats are known to spread 35 diseases to humans and animals. Some human diseases rats spread are

Salmonellosis    Rabies, 

Tularemia,  Leptospirosis

Amoebic   dysentery

Trichinosis,  Rickettsial pox  Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Ray fungus
 Ringworm etc……….

                  Also, they transport and host ectoparasites, especially mites. Mites living temporarily on rats and mice in their nests and burrows can, following treatment of the house and birds for mites, quickly rein fest the premises with mites. When you sell birds on mite-infested farms, migrating rodents can transport mites to adjacent farms. Rats can transport 18 different kinds of mites, lice, fleas, and ticks.

When you market poultry at the end of a production cycle and clean the poultry house, rats tend to migrate to other places where they can get feed and water. There are cases, of course, where feed is left in the feeders or spilled around feed bins and water remains available in the house or in a stream or pond nearby during cleanout time. Then, most of the rats will not move elsewhere. But it is believed a lot of rats do migrate between poultry farms during cleanout or down time, and the rats may spread some poultry diseases and ecto parasites as they travel.

Using disinfecting foot pans for poultry caretakers and service persons is good and should be encouraged, as should other sanitation measures, but you should remember migrating rats do not use disinfecting foot pans when they enter and exit the house. Also remember that rats, in most cases, get directly in a feed trough to feed, and they drink directly from the waterer the chickens use. Therefore, rats can be an ideal means of transporting diseases from farm to farm.

Estimating Your Rat and Mouse Population Use this thumb rule to determine your rat population. If you never see rats but see signs of them, there are from 1 to 100 on the premises. If you see them occasionally at night, there are 100 to 500. Occasional daytime and numerous night sightings indicate 400 to 1,000. Seeing several in the daytime may indicate a presence of as many as 5,000. When one farmer sold his laying flock he decided to get rid of the few rats in his hen house. The score at the end of his extermination program was 1,800 dead rats.

Control Commensally Rodents In Poultry Houses

Controlling Rat and Mouse Populations 

Diseases Rats and Mice Spread

Rodenticides