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
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