Editor's note: This article is an excerpt from the Cobb Breeder Management Guide and additional articles will follow. The Guide was designed to highlight critical factors that are most likely to influence flock performance. The management recommendations discussed were developed specifically for Cobb products. The recommendations are intended as a reference and supplement to your own flock management skills so that you can apply your knowledge and judgement to obtain consistently good results with the Cobb family of products. To read or download the complete Guide or to view Cobb's other management guides, click here.

Keeping complete and accurate records is an essential part of managing Cobb parent stock. For example, feeding during production is based on the rate-of-lay, egg weight and flock bodyweight. These records must be accurate and up to date in order to make correct management decisions and to achieve good production.

In addition to individual records per house or per flock, it is important to accumulate the data in a summary template that integrates the basic management procedures with the technical results. Cobb has this summary template in spreadsheet forms for females and males and it is highly recommended to consolidate the data.

To read or download the complete Cobb Breeder Management Guide or to view Cobb's other management guides, click here.