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BV-380 brown layer hen

BV-380 is a commercial brown-egg layer strain developed by Venkateshwara Research and Breeding Farm (VRB), Pune, the research and development arm of the Venky's group, which is recognised by India's Department of Science and Technology as a registered research institution. The strain is one of the most widely placed layers in Indian commercial egg production, alongside imported Lohmann and Hy-Line crosses.

Key characteristics

  • Plumage: chocolate brown with darker hackle and tail.
  • Eggshell: uniform medium-brown, average weight above 60 g.
  • Body weight at 20 weeks: 1.6-1.7 kg.
  • 50% production: 140-150 days of age.
  • Peak lay: 92-94% hen-day production.
  • Hen-housed annual egg production: 295-305 eggs in 12 months and 335-345 eggs in 14 months.
  • Feed conversion ratio: 2.1-2.2 (Feed Conversion Ratio).

Husbandry

BV-380 is designed for cage rearing and is adapted to hot, humid Indian climates. Pullets are reared on a starter-grower-developer programme (Starter Grower Finisher Feed) on deep litter until point-of-lay at 16-18 weeks, then transferred to three-tier battery cages (Three Tier Cage System) where they lay for the rest of the cycle. Chick brooding (Brooding Chicks) and inter-batch shed sanitation (Biosecurity Cleaning Between Batches) follow the same protocols as for commercial broilers (Broiler Chicken). Vaccination against Newcastle disease (Ranikhet Newcastle Disease), infectious bronchitis, infectious bursal disease and fowl pox is administered through the rearing phase to protect the long single-cycle production window.

Health profile

Heat stress, depressed feed intake in summer, and water-quality issues such as hardness (Water Hardness Poultry) reduce shell quality and egg size. Coccidiosis and E. coli infections during the rearing phase carry over into pullet uniformity at point of lay.

Adoption and use

BV-380 is the bird of choice in much of the Indian commercial layer belt — Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, the Coastal Andhra cluster, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab — particularly in cage-based units of 10,000 to several lakh birds (Commercial Layer Farming). At the end of the cycle, hens are sold as spent layers (Spent Hen Marketing) into the live-bird and processed-meat markets.

See also: Shed Height Ventilation.

References

  1. BV380 Brown Egg Layer Commercial Stock Management Guide. Venky's / Pashudhan Praharee.
  2. BV-380. KVK Card technology profile.