A laying hen feeding process using milk as a nutritional supplement

Abstract

The application discloses a laying hen breeding process technology with milk as a nutritional auxiliary material, and belongs to the technical field of laying hen breeding. In view of the technical problems in the prior art, such as single nutrition of plant feed, no standardized pretreatment process of milk auxiliary feed, no precise proportioning system in different growth periods, extensive feeding and environmental control, low utilization rate of nutrition, limited improvement of egg laying performance and egg quality, the application constructs an integrated breeding process system with standardized pretreatment of milk, gradient feed proportioning in different growth periods, precise feeding in different stages, and adaptive environmental control. The application effectively inactivates harmful bacteria and refines fat globule structure by limiting milk selection indexes, pasteurization and high-pressure homogenization synergistic activation process, and significantly improves the digestion and absorption rate of milk-derived nutrition. According to the physiological metabolism characteristics of laying hens in different periods, the proportion of milk auxiliary feed, the feeding frequency and the single feeding amount are gradiently controlled, and the temperature, humidity, light and dynamic regulation and normal disinfection and killing management are precisely controlled, so that the defects of traditional milk feeding, such as easy mold growth, easy diarrhea of chicken, poor nutritional adaptability, short egg laying peak period and high rate of deformed eggs, are solved. The application has the advantages of stable process, controllable parameters and large-scale replication, can significantly reduce the incidence of intestinal diseases of laying hens, prolong the high-yield period, improve the egg laying rate, the content of egg protein and unsaturated fatty acid, improve the eggshell quality and preservation performance, reduce the comprehensive breeding cost, and is suitable for large-scale and family standardization of laying hen breeding, and has good industrial application prospect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of egg-laying hen farming technology, specifically to a process for raising egg-laying hens using milk as a nutritional supplement. Background Technology

[0002] In large-scale egg-laying hen farming, existing systems generally use a plant-based basal feed composed of corn, soybean meal, and wheat bran. While this type of feed can meet the basic metabolic needs of laying hens, it has inherent drawbacks such as a single nutritional structure, lack of animal-derived active nutrients, and low protein digestibility. Long-term feeding of a single plant-based feed can easily lead to high intestinal peristalsis pressure, intestinal flora imbalance, and a high incidence of chronic intestinal diseases in laying hens. At the same time, it can cause insufficient nutritional supply for reproductive metabolism in laying hens, resulting in unstable egg production, a short period of maintaining peak egg production, and a high proportion of deformed and broken eggs. Furthermore, the eggs produced have quality defects such as low protein content, lack of unsaturated fatty acids, thin shells, low structural strength, and short shelf life at room temperature.

[0003] Milk is rich in whey protein, casein, natural milk calcium, B vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids. Its nutritional composition is highly compatible with the metabolic needs of laying hens. Compared with plant protein, milk protein is more easily digested and absorbed by the intestines of laying hens, making it a high-quality animal-derived nutritional supplement for laying hen farming. Currently, only a few small-scale farmers in the industry are making extensive attempts to feed chickens with milk mixed with feed, without establishing a standardized and systematic process. This results in several technical shortcomings: First, the milk is not subjected to standardized sterilization and homogenization pretreatment, leaving the raw material carrying pathogens and large fat globules. This not only fails to improve nutrient utilization but also easily causes diarrhea and feed spoilage in chickens, increasing the risk of disease. Second, the milk is not added in a fixed ratio based on the physiological metabolic differences of laying hens at different growth and laying stages, leading to overnutrition during the rearing period and insufficient nutrition during peak laying periods, resulting in extremely poor nutritional suitability. Third, there are no precise quantitative standards for feeding frequency and amount, leading to chaotic feeding rhythms that easily cause stress in laying hens and affect egg production stability. Fourth, there is no dedicated environmental management system adapted to milk-based feed, with rudimentary control of temperature, humidity, and light, failing to achieve a synergistic effect with nutrient supplementation.

[0004] Currently, no complete process solution integrating standardized milk activation pretreatment, cyclical gradient nutrient formulation, precise quantitative feeding, and dynamic environmental control has been publicly disclosed. Milk-assisted layer hen farming technology in the industry has long been in a crude, fragmented, and non-standardized state, hindering large-scale, industrialized promotion and making it difficult to consistently improve layer hen production performance and egg quality. Therefore, developing a standardized, precise, and mass-producible milk-assisted layer hen farming process has significant technological innovation value and industrialization implications for the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the technical shortcomings of existing technologies, such as extensive farming practices using milk as a supplementary nutrient, lack of standardized processes, low nutrient utilization, poor improvement in egg production performance and quality, and high disease rates. This invention provides a process for raising laying hens using milk as a nutritional supplement. By constructing a standardized, phased, and differentiated farming system, this invention maximizes the utilization of milk nutrients, precisely matches the physiological needs of laying hens throughout their entire growth cycle, reduces disease rates, stably extends the peak egg production period, and significantly improves egg production rate and egg quality, thus achieving green, efficient, and large-scale laying hen farming. Technical solution

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention adopts the following complete technical solution: A process for raising laying hens using milk as a nutritional supplement includes four core steps: standardized milk pretreatment, cyclical gradient feed formulation, phased timed and quantitative feeding, and standardized environmental management. The specific steps are as follows: (1) This invention grades and selects milk raw materials, strictly limiting the nutritional and hygiene indicators of fresh raw milk and diluted reconstituted milk, thus eliminating the impact of inferior raw materials on breeding results from the source. A low-temperature precision pasteurization process is adopted, maintaining a constant temperature of 60-65℃ for 30 minutes to precisely kill harmful microorganisms such as Brucella and Listeria, while avoiding the problems of milk protein denaturation and loss of active vitamins caused by high temperatures. Continuous stirring and temperature control are maintained throughout the process, keeping temperature fluctuations within ±1℃ to ensure uniform sterilization. After sterilization, a high-pressure homogenization process of 20-25MPa is used to break down large, irregular milk fat globules into fine, uniform particles of 1-2μm, significantly reducing intestinal digestive resistance in laying hens and improving the digestibility and absorption rate of milk protein and milk fat. At the same time, strict temporary storage standards are established. Homogenized milk is prioritized for immediate use, while short-term temporary storage is carried out at 4-6℃ with sealed storage, with a maximum storage time not exceeding 24 hours, completely eliminating the problems of milk spoilage and bacterial growth. (2) This invention provides a specialized basic feed adapted to the entire growth cycle of laying hens, with a reasonable ratio of each component to balance the needs for energy supply, plant protein, dietary fiber, calcium, and trace elements. Combining the differentiated physiological characteristics of laying hens during the rearing period, the reproductive system differentiation and development in the early laying stage, the high-intensity egg production metabolism during peak laying, and the decline in bodily functions in the later laying stage, this invention innovatively adopts a precise nutrient supplementation strategy of gradual increase and decrease: low doses of milk are added during the rearing period to meet growth needs and avoid intestinal burden; the proportion is gradually increased in the early laying stage to adapt to reproductive system development; milk-derived nutrition is maximized during peak laying to compensate for metabolic losses during high production; and the amount is appropriately reduced in the later laying stage to avoid excessive nutrition leading to fat accumulation. Simultaneously, the feed mixing sequence and duration are standardized, with the basic feed mixed first and then milk sprayed in to ensure uniform nutrient distribution, precise control of feed moisture, and prevention of feed mold at the source, ensuring feeding safety and stability. (3) This invention differentiates the feeding frequency, fixed feeding time, single feeding amount, and total daily feeding amount based on the feeding rhythm, metabolic rate, and nutritional needs of laying hens at different growth stages. During the rearing period and late laying period, laying hens have a slow metabolism and low nutrient consumption, so a twice-daily feeding pattern is adopted to conform to the basal metabolic pattern; during the early laying period and peak laying period, laying hens have a vigorous metabolism and high egg production loss, so a midday feeding period is added to achieve balanced nutritional supplementation throughout the day. A small, frequent feeding method is adopted, with complete feed intake within 30-40 minutes as the quantitative standard to prevent feed accumulation, waste, and mold growth. At the same time, the feed troughs are cleaned daily, the feeding status is dynamically monitored, and the feeding parameters are fine-tuned in a timely manner according to the amount of feed remaining, forming a closed-loop feeding management system. In view of the nutritional characteristics of milk supplement farming, a special environmental control system is provided to dynamically adapt to the growth needs of laying hens at different stages. Precisely differentiate temperature and humidity parameters between the rearing and laying periods, strictly control temperature fluctuations, and avoid decreased feed intake and egg production fluctuations caused by environmental stress. Differentiate light duration and intensity settings to match the growth and development rhythms of laying hens, preventing production disruptions caused by sudden changes in light intensity. Establish a routine cleaning, disinfection, and deep maintenance system, including regular manure removal, regular comprehensive disinfection, and quarterly deep descaling, to comprehensively reduce the bacterial population in the chicken house, enhance the immunity of laying hens, and create a synergistic effect with milk nutrition supplementation, further reducing the incidence of intestinal diseases. Beneficial effects Compared with existing traditional extensive milk feeding technology and conventional egg-laying hen farming technology, this invention has significant technological innovation and beneficial industrial effects, as detailed below: (1) High nutrient utilization and significant disease resistance: This invention uses pasteurization + high pressure homogenization synergistic pretreatment process to kill more than 99% of harmful microorganisms in milk, increase the digestibility and absorption rate of milk protein and milk fat by 15%-20%, greatly reduce the digestive burden on the intestines of laying hens, reduce the incidence of intestinal diseases by 60%-70%, reduce the use of antibiotics, and achieve green and ecological farming. (2) Significantly improved egg production performance and strong production capacity stability: This invention pioneered a graded milk nutrition supplementation mode based on growth cycle, which accurately matches the physiological metabolic pattern of laying hens, effectively extending the peak egg production period by 4-6 weeks, increasing the overall egg production rate by 8%-12%, maintaining the peak egg production rate at 92%-96%, reducing the incidence of deformed eggs and broken eggs by 5%-7%, and increasing the average annual egg production of a single laying hen by 25-30 eggs, resulting in a significant improvement in production capacity for large-scale breeding. (3) The quality of eggs has been comprehensively upgraded and the added value of the products is high: continuous gradient milk-derived nutrition supply increases the protein content of eggs by 2%-3%, the unsaturated fatty acid content by 10%-15%, the eggshell thickness by 0.02-0.03mm, the eggshell structural strength by 8%-10%, and the shelf life of eggs at room temperature by 3-5 days. The nutrition, taste and storage resistance of eggs are all superior to ordinary farmed eggs, which can meet the market demand for high-end fresh eggs. (4) High degree of process standardization and large-scale mass production: The entire process parameters of this invention are quantified and standardized, eliminating the randomness and uncertainty of traditional small-scale farmers' extensive feeding. No large-scale special equipment is required. It is simple to operate and highly replicable. It is suitable for small-scale family farming and fully meets the industrial application needs of large-scale and standardized farms. (5) Low overall breeding cost and excellent economic benefits: precise formulation and quantitative feeding greatly reduce feed waste, reducing the feed waste rate from 8%-10% to 3%-5%, maximizing the utilization rate of milk raw materials; at the same time, the incidence of diseases is greatly reduced, reducing veterinary drug and labor costs, and the average annual breeding cost per laying hen is reduced by 10%-12%, coupled with the premium for egg quality, resulting in a significant improvement in the overall breeding economic benefits. Detailed Implementation Example 1: Laying hen feeding technology during peak egg production (1) Milk pretreatment: Fresh raw milk was selected with the following parameters: protein content 3.2%, fat content 3.6%, and total bacterial count 2×10⁻⁶. 4 CFU / mL; pasteurize at 62℃ for 30 min with stirring and temperature control throughout, with temperature fluctuation ≤ ±1℃; homogenize under 22MPa pressure, with fat globule size controlled at 1-2μm; store temporarily at 5℃ after treatment, and use within 2 hours. (2) Feed formulation: The basic feed is formulated by weight percentage: corn 58%, soybean meal 22%, wheat bran 6%, stone powder 9%, premix 2%, total weight 100kg; add 14kg of pretreated milk, first stir the basic feed for 4 minutes, then add milk and continue stirring for 7 minutes, the moisture content of the mixed feed is 20%. (3) Feeding management: 1,000 healthy laying hens at 28 weeks of age were selected and fed three times a day at 6:30, 12:30 and 18:30. Each hen was fed 85g of feed at a time. All feed was consumed within 35 minutes with no residue. (4) Environmental control: The chicken house is kept at a constant temperature of 23℃ and relative humidity of 55%; the daily light exposure is 16.5h and the light intensity is 28 lux; the manure is cleaned in a concentrated manner every Tuesday and Saturday, and the whole area is sprayed with 0.3% peracetic acid solution for disinfection on the 10th of each month, followed by ventilation for 40 minutes. (5) Breeding effect: After 30 days of continuous breeding, the average egg production rate of laying hens increased from 89% to 95%, the incidence of deformed eggs decreased from 5.8% to 1.2%; the protein content of eggs increased from 12.6% to 15.1%, the eggshell thickness increased from 0.32mm to 0.35mm, and the shelf life at room temperature of 25℃ was extended from 7 days to 12 days. Example 2: Laying hen rearing process (1) Milk pretreatment: Reconstituted milk diluted with raw milk and purified water at a ratio of 1:9 was selected. After dilution, the protein content was 0.36% and the fat content was 0.4%. The milk was pasteurized at a constant temperature of 65℃ for 30 minutes and homogenized at a pressure of 20MPa. The milk was then immediately added to the feed formulation. (2) Feed formulation: The basic feed is formulated by weight percentage: corn 55%, soybean meal 25%, wheat bran 8%, stone powder 7%, premix 1%, total weight 80kg; add 6kg of pretreated reconstituted milk, stir the basic feed for 3 minutes, then add milk and stir for 5 minutes, the moisture content of the mixed feed is 18%. (3) Feeding management: 500 healthy laying hens aged 10 weeks were selected and fed twice a day at 6:00 and 18:00. Each hen was fed 55g at a time and was completely consumed within 30 minutes. (4) Environmental control: Chicken house temperature 20℃, relative humidity 52%; daily light exposure 11h, light intensity 22 lux; manure cleaning every Wednesday and Sunday, disinfection with 0.2% sodium hypochlorite solution on the 20th of each month, and ventilation for 35 minutes after disinfection. (5) Breeding effect: After 45 days of continuous breeding, the weight of the laying hens reached the standard evenly, the growth was excellent, the incidence of intestinal diseases was only 0.2%, which was far lower than the 1.8% of the traditional breeding control group. The flock had good feather luster and vigorous vitality. Example 3: Laying hen feeding process in the later stage of laying. (1) Milk pretreatment: Fresh raw milk with a protein content of 2.9% and a fat content of 3.1% was selected; pasteurized at 60℃ for 30 min, homogenized at 25 MPa, and stored at 6℃ for 18 h for later use. (2) Feed formulation: The basic feed is formulated by weight percentage: corn 60%, soybean meal 20%, wheat bran 7%, stone powder 8%, premix 2%, total weight 90kg; add 9kg of pretreated milk, stir and mix well, the feed moisture content is 21%. (3) Feeding management: 800 healthy late-laying laying hens aged 75 weeks were selected and fed twice a day at 7:00 and 19:00. Each hen was fed 70g at a time and finished eating within 40 minutes. The amount of feed remaining was <3%. (4) Environmental control: Chicken house temperature 22℃, relative humidity 58%; daily light exposure 16h, light intensity 25 lux; manure cleaning every Monday and Friday, full area disinfection on the 5th of each month, ventilation for 45 minutes. (5) Breeding effect: After 20 consecutive days of breeding, the egg production rate of laying hens increased from 65% to 72%, the rate of broken eggs decreased from 8.5% to 4.1%, the average weight of eggs increased from 58g to 62g, and the color of egg yolks improved from Roche grade 7 to grade 9, and the quality of eggs was significantly improved. Industrial applicability The feeding process disclosed in this invention has all parameters quantified and standardized, and is simple and convenient to operate. It does not require complex special equipment and is suitable for various scenarios such as large-scale farms, small and medium-sized breeding bases and family-run farms. The process has excellent stability and repeatability, and can reliably achieve the effects of improving the quality and production of laying hens, reducing costs and resisting diseases. It has strong industrial applicability and broad prospects for industrialization and promotion. Attached Figure Description Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall process flow of the present invention. The process nodes marked in the diagram include: milk processing and sterilization (pasteurization at 60-65℃, homogenization at 20-25MPa, and temporary storage at low temperature), mixing ratio of milk and basic feed (milk added at a ratio of 5%-15%), and phased planned feeding.

Claims

1. A process for raising laying hens using milk as a nutritional supplement, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Milk pretreatment: Select qualified milk raw materials with a protein content ≥2.8%, fat content ≥3.0%, and total bacterial count ≤5×10⁻⁶. 4 Fresh raw milk (CFU / mL) or reconstituted milk diluted with purified water at a ratio of 1:8 to 1:10, with a protein content ≥0.3% and a fat content ≥0.3% after dilution; pasteurize the milk at 60-65℃ for 30 minutes, stirring continuously during the pasteurization process, with temperature fluctuations controlled within ±1℃; after pasteurization, homogenize the milk under a pressure of 20-25MPa to break the milk fat globules to a size of 1-2μm; feed the homogenized milk within 1 hour, and store it at 4-6℃ for a maximum storage time of ≤24 hours; (2) Graded feed formulation: The basic feed for laying hens is formulated by weight percentage, including 55%-60% corn, 20%-25% soybean meal, 5%-8% wheat bran, 7%-9% limestone powder, and 1%-2% premix. Pretreated milk is added according to the growth cycle of laying hens: 5%-8% milk is added during the rearing period from 1 to 18 weeks, 10%-12% milk is added during the early laying period from 19 to 24 weeks, 13%-15% milk is added during the peak laying period from 25 to 72 weeks, and 8%-10% milk is added during the late laying period after 73 weeks. When formulating, the basic feed is stirred for 3-5 minutes first, and then the pretreated milk is slowly added and stirred for 5-8 minutes. The moisture content of the mixed feed is controlled at 18%-22%. (3) Feeding in stages, at fixed times and in fixed quantities: During the rearing period and the later stage of egg production, feed twice a day at fixed times of 6:00-7:00 and 18:00-19:00; During the early stage of egg production and the peak of egg production, feed three times a day, with an additional feeding period of 12:00-13:00 on the basis of the morning and evening feeding periods. Feeding amount per feeding: 50-60g / bird during the rearing period, 65-75g / bird during the early laying period, 80-90g / bird during the peak laying period, and 70-80g / bird during the late laying period. The feeding amount per feeding should be based on the hens finishing the feed within 30-40 minutes. The feed trough should be cleaned daily, and the feeding amount should be adjusted in time when the remaining feed accounts for more than 5%. (4) Standardized environmental management: The temperature of the chicken house is controlled at 18-25℃, of which 18-22℃ is used during the rearing period and 20-25℃ is used during the laying period. The temperature fluctuation is controlled within ±2℃. The relative humidity of the chicken house is maintained at 50%-60%. If the humidity is too high, ventilation is strengthened to reduce humidity. If the humidity is too low, spraying is used to increase humidity. The daily light duration is 10-12h and the light intensity is 20-25lux during the rearing period. The daily light duration is 16-17h and the light intensity is 25-30lux during the laying period. The light parameters are kept stable without sudden changes. The chicken house is cleaned twice a week. The entire chicken house is sprayed with 0.3% peracetic acid solution or 0.2% sodium hypochlorite solution every month for disinfection. After disinfection, ventilation is carried out for 30-45 minutes. The chicken house is thoroughly cleaned once a quarter.

2. The process for raising laying hens using milk as a nutritional supplement according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (1), the uniformity of milk fat globule size after homogenization is ≥95%, and the denaturation rate of milk protein is ≤3%.

3. The process for raising laying hens using milk as a nutritional supplement according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (2), the basic feed ingredients are corn with a moisture content of ≤14%, soybean meal with a crude protein content of ≥43%, and stone powder with a particle size of 1-2mm. The premix contains vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, and trace elements such as iron, zinc, and selenium.

4. The process for raising laying hens using milk as a nutritional supplement according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (3), the total daily feed amount for each growth stage is strictly controlled: 100-120g / bird during the rearing period, 195-225g / bird during the early laying period, 240-270g / bird during the peak laying period, and 140-160g / bird during the late laying period.

5. The process for raising laying hens using milk as a nutritional supplement according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (4), the disinfection operation covers the entire area of ​​the chicken house floor, walls, feed troughs, and waterers. Normal feeding can only begin after ventilation is completed and there is no disinfectant residue.

6. The application of the egg-laying hen breeding process with milk as a nutritional supplement as described in claim 1 in the large-scale breeding of high-end, high-nutrition eggs.

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