Livestock Production Management- ICAR JRF/SRF 2024

• Assertion (A) is Correct: Day-old commercial female layer chicks (pullet chicks) sell at a significantly higher price than straight-run commercial day-old broiler chicks.
• Reason (R) is Correct: In egg-type commercial hatchery production, auto-sexing or vent-sexing discards the male chicks (cockerels, which represent $\approx 50\%$ of the hatch) because they have zero commercial meat value. Thus, only female chicks are saleable, effectively doubling the incubation cost per saleable layer chick compared to broilers where both sexes are reared.

• Broiler Starter Ration Specifications (BIS: 1374 standards):
• Feeding period: 0 to 21 days (0–3 weeks of age).
• Crude Protein (CP): Minimum $23\%$
• Metabolizable Energy (ME): Minimum $2800\text{ kcal/kg}$ (or $2900\text{ kcal/kg}$ for high-density diets)
• Essential Amino Acid (Lysine): Minimum $1.2\%$
• Methionine: Minimum $0.50\%$

Correct option: (4) Minimum 23 % protein , 2800 Keal/kg metabolizable energy and 1.2 % lysine

• Width of Conventional Poultry Housing:
• In open-sided, naturally ventilated poultry sheds under tropical Indian climatic conditions, the width of the shed should not exceed 25 to 30 feet ($7.5\text{ to }9.0\text{ meters}$).
• Aerodynamic Rationale: A width exceeding 30 feet severely impedes transverse natural air circulation, causing stagnant heat pockets, ammonia accumulation, and thermal mortality in caged layers or broilers.

Correct option: (2) 25 feet

• Nest-Building Behavior: Sows display vigorous rooting and nest-building behavior 12 to 24 hours prior to farrowing, mediated by a surge in prolactin and decline in progesterone. (True)
• Piglet Farrowing Interval: Normal interval between consecutive piglet expulsions averages $15\text{ to }20\text{ minutes}$ (ranging from 10 to 30 minutes). (True)
• Expulsion of Afterbirth: Fetal membranes (placenta) are commonly expelled in batches during labor, with the final mass delivered after the birth of all piglets. (True)
• First Piglet Viability: The first-born piglet is typically among the largest and most vigorous, not the weakest (runts often emerge late or last). (False)
• Conclusion: Statements (A), (B), and (C) are correct.

Correct option: (2) (A), (B) and (C) only,