2018 HY-LINE BROWN SCHOOL EGG LAYING COMPETITION

INFORMATION BOOKLETBRANDING GUIDE How to use the supplied image

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On behalf of the RNA Poultry, Pigeons, Birds and Eggs Committee, I would like to welcome your school to the 2018 Hy-Line Brown School Egg Laying Competition.

Your school will receive six (6) Hy-line Brown hens to commence the competition, which is proudly supported by Specialised Breeders Australia and the Australian Egg Corporation Limited.

The competition will see your students raise the hens at your school, in the lead-up to the 2018 Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) in August. This will give your students the opportunity to:

n Learn about biological science

n Learn about the correct handling and caring of poultry

n Consider future employment within the poultry industry

n Understand how to compete in the pursuit of agricultural excellence

All schools competing in the Hy-Line Brown School Egg Laying Competition are required to attend the judging of the competition and the judges debriefing session on Saturday 18 August at 10am.

The RNA Poultry, Pigeons, Birds and Eggs Committee and Specialised Breeders Australia wish your school the very best of luck in the competition.

Philip Sharp RNA Competitions and Events Manager

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WELCOME

Competing schools are provided with six (6) Hy-Line Brown hens and are required to raise the hens to 28 weeks.

The aim is to have the hens laying and ready to compete at the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) in August.

Schools submit their three (3) best hens to take to Ekka, with the competition consisting of three main elements:

n Birds

n Eggs

n Project

All three elements are judged on Saturday 18 August 2018 at 10am. Representation from each school (one teacher and four students) must be present at the time of judging.

The competition is judged by experts from the commercial poultry industry and the birds are judged to a commercial standard. Each component is assessed by industry experts, with ribbons and place cards awarded to all placegetters.

In this booklet you will find a rearing guide with plenty of information on your hens and their needs, along with a worksheet which can be used as a guideline to create your project.

JUDGING CRITERIA1. BIRDS – BEST PRESENTED TRIO OF BIRDSSchools select their best three (3) hens to compete at the 2018 Ekka.

What to look for when selecting your best three (3) hens:

n Trio are uniform - appear to be of similar weights, body condition and maturity

n Birds are sexually mature and producing eggs, evidenced by comb size and colour (large and red), presence of eggs and spread of pelvic bones

n Birds conform to breed standard in terms of general conformation and stance

n No evidence of illness including runny/weepy eyes or nostrils, foot pad lesions and mites etc

n Even feather coverage - no evidence of pecking or feather defects

n Bright eyes - birds are alert and responsive

2. EGGSEggs will be collected on an accumulative basis over the first eight days of Ekka. Stewards in the Poultry, Pigeons, Birds and Eggs Pavilion are responsible for the collection of eggs during this time.

The best 10 eggs will be selected based on the following criteria:

n Number of eggs laid

n Egg colour (brown)

n Egg uniformity - eggs appear to be a similar size (no double yolkers etc), have limited indicators of stress (calcified eggs) and no shell defects

The best 10 eggs will then be checked for internal quality and three eggs randomly tested, with the judges looking at:

n Egg weight

n Yolk colour – greater than 10 on the colour scale is ideal

n Haugh units/albumin height – measurement of egg white quality and freshness

3. PROJECT A worksheet is provided as a guideline for students to complete or they can create their own record of performance.

The best project will be selected based on the following criteria:

n Students have recorded the chickens’ development from when they are received by the school through to the Ekka including weights, feed used, eggs collected, health problems and other points of interest

n Project includes photos and/or diagrams of the chickens and their enclosure set-up

n Some research into poultry is shown - eg industry information, breed information, investigation into nutrition, health and welfare and how this knowledge has been incorporated into caring for the birds

n The information is related in a clear and concise manner, as expected for scientific reporting

n The project can be completed in a book, poster form or similar format, with preference given to those who go beyond fact recording and design a project portfolio

n The project should highlight the schools interest in poultry and pride in their work

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ABOUT THE COMPETITION

KEY DATESChickens to arrive at school

Between 17 – 20 April 2018 (Exact date TBC with your school)

Royal Queensland Show (Ekka)

10 to 19 August 2018

Penning day Wednesday 8 August 20187am to 8pm

(schools own transportation)

Submit project for assessment

Wednesday 8 August 2018

Judging day – Birds/Project/Eggs

Saturday 18 August 2018 from 10am

PRIZES Ribbons and place cards will be awarded to three places from each section:

n Best Hy-line Commercial Layers – (3) Three Hens First: $100, Second: $75, Third: $25 - Sponsored By Australian Egg Corp Ltd

n Best Hy-line Commercial Layers – Project First: $100, Second: $75, Third: $25 - Sponsored By Australian Egg Corp Ltd

n Best Hy-line Commercial Layers – Eggs First: $100, Second: $75, Third: $25 - Sponsored By Australian Egg Corp Ltd

n 2018 OVERALL HY-LINE BROWN SCHOOL EGG LAYING CHAMPION Association sash, annual trophy thanks to the Specialised Breeders Association and $200 as sponsored by Australian Egg Corp Ltd

JUDGES DEBRIEF The RNA Poultry, Pigeons, Birds and Eggs Committee kindly asks all schools taking part in the competition to be represented by one teacher and four students at the judging and debriefing. Judging will be held on Saturday 18 August 2018 from 10am, followed by the judges debrief and awards presentation.

CONTACT INFORMATION If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact:

Petrice Dobbin

Competitions and Events Coordinator

Telephone +61 7 3253 3920

Fax +61 7 3253 3988

Email pdobbin@royalqueenslandshow.com.au

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STARTING DETAILSSchool

Hatch Date

Age When Received

Date of Arrival

Time of Arrival

Number of Hens Received

Average Weight of

Hens Received

Description of Heating and Lighting Program

(Photos May Assist)

Feed Types Used

2018 HY-LINE BROWN SCHOOL EGG LAYING COMPETITION WORKSHEET

FEED CONVERSION CALCULATIONSSurvivability % Average Weight Feed Consumption Feed Conversion Ratio

Arrival Zero Zero

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

Week 19

Week 20

Week 21

Week 22

Week 23

Week 24

Week 25

Week 26

Week 27

Week 28Date of Final Assessment

Survivability % from arrival to completion

of competition

Average weight at week completion

of competitionTotal feed consumed

Final feed conversion ratio

Totals

Cost of Feed Table for working out Feed Conversion Calculations:

1. Survivability = number of chickens received – total mortality as a %. 2. Average Body Weight = total body weight / number of birds.

3. Feed conversion = total feed used (kg) / total body weight (kg). 4. Average age = age of hens starting at day zero (day of hatch)

SIMPLIFIED NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS Hy-line Brown hens require a well-structured nutritional program to ensure they achieve development and growth targets to reach ‘egg-laying’ maturity at the appropriate age.

There are a large number of poultry nutrition companies across Australia that provide balanced mash/crumble/pellet/scratch rations to be fed at all stages of your hens’ development.

These feed rations are often identified by an age range including ‘starter,’ ‘grower’ or ‘layer’ etc and most will provide adequate nutrition to your hens. There is much research into pelleted versus whole grain feeding, but for the purpose of this competition it will be your personal preference as to the feed type chosen.

By ensuring your feed ration has adequate protein,

energy, amino acids, vitamins and minerals (using the table below as a reference), your hens should be healthy, happy and ready for egg production.

HELPFUL LINKSn Hy-Line Brown - ‘Feeding the Pullets’

http://www.hyline.com/aspx/redbook/redbook.aspx?s=6&p=52

n Poultry CRC: Poultry Hub - ‘Nutrient requirements of egg laying chickens’

http://www.poultryhub.org/nutrition/nutrient-requirements/nutrient-requirements-of-egg-laying-chickens/

n Australian Egg Corporation Limited

www.aecl.org

n Hy-Line Australia

www.hyline.com

Information provided by Specialised Breeders Australia

Requirement (age/weeks)

Starter (0-6 weeks)

Grower (6-12 weeks)

Developer (12-15 weeks)

Pre-Layer (15 weeks-POL)

Early Layr (POL-50 weeks)

Feed to a body weight of (g) - cage reared

500 1170 1370 1490

Feed to a body weight of (g) - floor reared

480 1050 1290 1430

Age (weeks) approximate 0-6 7-12 13-15 16-17 18-50

Metabolisable energy kcal/kg 2900 2850 2750 2775 2800

Metabolisable energy mj/kg 12.14 11.93 11.51 11.61 11.72

Crude protein (nitrogen x 6.25), %

19.5 17.5 16 16.5 17.9

Calcium % 1 1 1.4 2.5 4.2

Phosphorus (available) % 0.45 0.43 0.45 0.48 0.46

Crude fibre% 3

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RESOURCES

n Handle the hens with care

n Check the weight of the hens weekly

n Monitor feed consumption and water intake. Investigate any discrepancy

n Maintain key performance records so they can be used as an aid to flock management

n Consider perches to improve body weight, uniformity, reduce social pressure and increase muscle development

n Walk the poultry house regularly to socialise the birds and get them used to people

n Keep young birds separate from older birds, always visit younger birds first

n Consult a vet to determine if a worming and/or vaccination program is suitable to your circumstances

n Check to ensure no external parasites (red mite) are present on the birds

n When choosing a diet, be sure to pay attention to the crude protein requirements of the birds at different stages of development

n Ensure the birds have access to water at all times

n Aim to reach the body weight target of 1.5kg, with 80% uniformity before the birds start to lay

BRANDING GUIDE How to use the supplied image

All supplied files are suitable for high quality printing (cmyk, all fonts outlined) and are saved as a JPG file type. Supplied image must not be opened and resaved from any photo editing program. The image name indicates the size the image may be reproduced at ie A4-SBA_HyLine_SchoolCompetition is to be reproduced at A4 only.

The image has a clear space surrounding it and no other logo or image shall encroach on this space.

The image can be resized however all proportions must be constrained so as to avoid image distortion. The image must never be resized any bigger than that supplied.

The image is only supplied on a white background so that it cannot be reproduced on a patterned or dark background.

n Have a minimum of two weeks downtime between flocks

n Have footbaths with disinfectant outside of the poultry house to reduce the risk of disease

n Have rodent control measures to minimise the spread of disease

n Clear the area around the poultry house to prevent hiding places for rodents/snakes. Remove all rubbish

n Wild birds should not have access to the poultry to prevent disease

n Keep a visitors log so you know who has accessed the hens

n Maintain relative humidity at 40-60%

n Maintain lighting at 20 lux

n Try to maintain day length at the level it will be when the birds are 17 weeks old, with artificial lights from 8 to 17 weeks

n Check compatibility of feed and water systems

n Wash and disinfect the poultry house and equipment

n Set drinker heights so the hens can either see water in the bell drinkers or droplets on nipples

n Check the ventilation is working properly, especially during hot weather

KEY POINTS FOR RAISING YOUR HY-LINE BROWN HENS FOR THE SHOW:

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