Influence of ambient temperature on the performance of egg type chicken

The influence of ambient temperature on the performance of layers was studied by adopting 10 commercial layer units at Namakkal, Tamil Nadu. Among different age groups, the influence of ambient temperature was more in aged (more than 60 weeks) and adult birds (41 to 60 weeks). Young layers (21 to 40 weeks) showed better tolerance to heat in terms of egg production but not in terms of livability. For every 1°C rise in ambient temperature, approximately there was a drop of 1 to 4 per cent hen day egg production. The drop in feed consumption was noticed in younger birds from 30°C whereas in aged birds this was noticed from 29°C onwards.