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
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 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