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Farm Evaluation of Alternative Molting Procedures

Cooperative Extension, 140C Highlander Hall, University of California, Riverside, California 92521

Correspondence: D. D. Bell, E-mail: don.bell{at}ucr.edu

Recent interest in poultry welfare as it relates to the practice of induced molting in laying flocks has resulted in a request by several organizations to review existing induced molting recommendations and to develop new molting procedures to replace the traditional feed removal programs. Five field tests, using paired houses on 3 California commercial egg farms, were used to study the relative flock performance of flocks molted by traditional feed removal methods compared with using diets with low levels of sodium, calcium, and protein. In general, egg production and BW losses differed between the 2 methods during the first 4 wk of the tests, but performance after the molt period was similar. An economic evaluation favored the low-nutrient method on 1 farm with 2 consecutive flocks but favored the traditional feed removal methods on the other 2 farms with 3 flocks. The problems of evaluating and recommending new management programs on the farm were discussed.

Key Words: induced molt • layer • welfare • nonfasting • farm research

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