A free-range flock of Dekalb White layers, hatched by Joice and Hill and managed by John and Nicola Peate has recorded performance figures of 544 eggs over 105 weeks with a mortality of just 3.8%.
Their poultry site is situated at Cross Farm in rural Mid Wales. The husband and wife team joined the Dekalb White 500 Club in 2022 with their first flock, and their second flock has exceeded expectations again.
“A lot of research was done into the breed type we wanted, and whites seemed the obvious answer – long life cycles, less turnarounds, strong birds and not too many in the market,” said John Peate. “With the potential to keep the flocks in production for up to 100 weeks, three flocks are managed in the same time as four brown flocks, making an overall saving. We give the birds as much attention as possible, keeping diaries of patterns of bird behaviour and working out what may cause changes. We keep a close eye on egg size to know when to adjust the feed rations.”
Simon Bowden, area technical sales manager for mid-west & Wales at Joice and Hill, said: “The amazing back-to-back results are a testament to both the inherent strengths of the breed and the meticulous care taken at Cross Farm. We are now seeing more and more flocks exceeding 500 eggs per cycle and almost without exception producers reordering Dekalb White birds.”