1. The primary purpose of this study was to analyse the current status of layer operations in Korea related to management practices and input and output relationship in egg production by surveying 150 egg producers throughout the country. Based on this primary information, this study attempted to illustrate a model layer farming budget.
2. The average size of the layer operations included in this survey was 7,969 hens per farm during the period from September 1, 1980 to August 31, 1981. However, about 80% of the producers started the layer farming with smaller scales than 3,000 layers and less funds than 10 million won during the later half of 1960s and the early half of 1970s. About 72% of the farmers were graduates from high school or college. These egg producers listed that lack of funds and poor production and management skills are the most important problems in the operation.
3. The farmers used to purchase baby chicks from the well-known hatcheries and commercial mixed feeds on one or two months' credit. While the eggs were sold to wholesalers and/or assemblers. Few of the producers market their products directly or cooperatively through the industry organization.
4. On the average, every farmer raised pullets two times a year and approximately 55% of farmers practiced ''All in-all out" system for the replacement of layers. Dubbing was practiced by a few farmers, debeaking and restricted feeding by 70-80% of farmers and artificial molting by 50% of sampled egg producers. Almost all of the large scale operations have kept fairly reasonable records, but only one half of the small producers have recorded information on feed consumption and financial matters.
5. The labor used per 100 hens a year was 106 man hours on the average, which means one man alone can manage approximately 3,400 hens. Of 106 hours, 40% or 42 hours was allocated for feeding and watering, 30% for collecting, grading and packing of eggs, and"16% for cleaning and waste management. The priority for machanization would be put to waste management, feeding, grading in that order.
6. The average size of housing unit was 80-90 pyung (2,850-3,200 square feet) which could accommodate 2,500 hens, and most of the facilities were built without considerations on modernization of management practices including mechanizations and characterized high labor requirement and poor ventilation. The cages were arranged by two or three rows with two steps, on the average.
7. Underground water has been the major source of water supply to the birds on the most of the operations, however, the quality of the water has never been tested yet. Disinfection program was not adequately introduced at the entrance of the barn and inside the housing. CRD, Marek's disease, Fowl Lucocytozoon, Fowl Coccidosis and Newcastle disease were very frequently founded at the layer operation. Farmers used to treat these diseases based on their own experiences.
8. (1) The average cost for raising a pullet up to 20 weeks of age was 2,000 won during the study period, and the cost was significantly decreased as the size of operation increased. It was required about 151 days for the pullet to reach 5% of egg production.
(2) Egg production cost was 398 won per 10 eggs on the average, which was showing a significant variation by the size of operation. The production cost of 10 eggs was 431 won for the group of farms with less than 3,000 hens while that for the large scale operation with 10,000 hens or more was 368 won. during the study period. The production cost was constituted of 72.5% feed cost, 12% depreciation of layer, 7% labor cost and 9.5% of other cost items in total. The rate of egg production and the percent of layer remained in production were considered as the most important factors affecting the cost of egg production.
(3) Income to the management and owned labor and capital per 100 hens a year was 4,400 won on the average, but varied significantly as the size of the operation changed. For example, the income per 100 hens of layer was 3,050 won for the farms with 3,000 10,000 hens, while that was 6,510 won for the operation with 10,000 hens or more. However, an average income to the management alone was negative for all the size groups due to the poor price ratio between input and output.
9. It is recommended that an increase in egg production efficiencies should be achieved through the introduction of modern facilities and equipment, expansion of flock size .and adaptation of advanced management practices such as high potential chicks, all in - all out management systems, dubbing, debeaking, artificial molting, restricted feeding, artificial lightening and the reasonable disease prevention programs. The goals for the rate of egg production should be 260 or more eggs per hen a year weighing 60 gr or more on the average, for the rate of remaining layers at the end of the production 90% or more, and for the. feed efficiency 2.7㎏ per 1kg of eggs.
10. Based on the results of this survey and the recommendations made above, two model budgets for the layer operation were developed for the 6,000 and the 12,000 hens, respectively. The difference in egg production costs was 100 won per 10 eggs and it favored to large operation. It was true because the 12,000 hens operation needed relatively small amount of land and capital per bird.