Broiler Production and Management
Broilers are the most preferred ones under poultry meat category. India produces around 5.3 MT of meat. Poultry is a highly vertically integrated industry in India and match the efficiency levels of many western countries. Broilers are birds of about 8 weeks of age of either sex with a body weight of around 1.5 to 2.0 kg which are reared for meat purpose. The broileris made in a scientific way for producing moremeat, which istender and soft meat. Many Private companies are involved with farmers in contract farming for boiler production. So marketing is no longer a problem. Broilers can be housed on deep litter, slatted or wire floor, or battery cages. Broilers can be reared as either a single batch at a time (all-in all-out system) or multiple batches of brooding and rearing of broilers. All-in-all-out systems have only one batch of broilers, belonging to the same hatch at any time. This system is more hygienic, lesser sub-clinical infections and horizontal spreading of diseases, and thereby lesser mortality rate, better growth rate and improved feed efficiency. However, this system is not suitable for large-scale farming and needs higher fixed and working capital per bird.It is the set of all management practices including housing, feeding, watering, brooding and vaccination from receiving day old chick to day of selling.
Several husbandary practices to successful broiler production
1.Feeding management of broiler
Feeding constitutes the highest variable cost in poultry production, accounting for at least 60% of such costs, especially in an intensive rearing system. Energy intake is an essential factor in broiler production because of its involvement in growth rate, carcass quality as well as its role in the development of certain metabolic diseases. For many decades, farmers and feed manufacturers have been facing the challenge of effectively reducing the cost of poultry production and produce quality products. Several factors such as genotype, diet composition, digestible nutrient content, energy to protein ratio, feed form, feed processing, environment, and disease could affect the cost of production and poultry product quality through influencing feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Dietary management of energy intake has been reported to decrease the cost of production and improve product quality to a greater extent than the abovementioned factors (Ferket and Gernet, 2006)
Limited availability of feedstuffs, including crucial feed ingredients like maize and oil seedcakes, is an important challenge to the sector, since feed still represents a major cost of producing broiler chickens.The improvement in the nutritional status of the young broiler is dependent on a number of mechanisms, all of which rely on the bird metabolising adequate amounts of energy and other nutrients.
Water is the most important nutrient for broilers. The nutritional quality of feed, its safety and delivery form all play a crucial role in ensuring a healthy and regulated feed intake. Excellent microbial and chemical quality in water is important as broilers consume twice as much water as feed. Water is a key factor in thermoregulation and as a carrier for additives, such as medication, supplements, etc.
The quality of poultry meat is determined by multiple factors including genetics, management, processing and animal nutrition. Certain feed ingredients or supplements such as vitamin E and selenium may also impact poultry carcass and meat quality. Traditionally, broiler diets have been formulated to promote maximum animal performance. However, this type of highly concentrated and protein-rich diet can be costly and impact profitability. We recommend a comprehensive approach to formulating diets that ensures the farmer can optimise broiler performance and production while maintaining animal health and welfare and meeting sustainability goals. This includes consideration of raw material costs, market conditions, revenue generated and use of new or alternative feed ingredients.
Animal feed is perpetually at risk of being spoiled or contaminated by pathogenic microbes such as Salmonella, E.coli, mould and yeasts. Signs of contaminated feed include clumped particles, off odours and changes in colour. Poor feed hygiene can lead to reduction of the energy as well as the vitamins A, D3, E, K and thiamine available to the animal; in case of mould palatability can be reduced. To help control the quality of feed, a laboratory analysis can be performed to quantify the level of spoilage organisms in the animal feed.
Trace minerals such as zinc, copper and manganese play a crucial role in broilers’ development and metabolism. Providing trace minerals in the wrong form and amount – either too low or too high – could generate negative outcomes for a broiler’s productivity. Achieving consistent delivery of an optimised level of trace minerals will support multiple essential functions for broilers, including growth performance, immune and oxidative response and health.
2.Housing management of broiler
Broiler can be reared on deep-litter, slatted or wire floor or cage. In deep litter system of management, Broilers can also be reared on battery cages. Broiler cages are like that of grower cages. To prevent the breast blisters, the bottom of the cage may be coated with some plastic materials. The floor space requirement in cages is 75% of the floor space needed in deep litter.
Deep litter
In this system the birds are kept in litter floor.Litter materials may be rice husk, saw dust, ground nut hulls, wood shavings etc. Depth of litter should be 3-6 inches.Arrangement for feed, water and nest are made inside the house.Fresh litter materials spread on the floor.The birds are kept on suitable litter material of about 3” to 5” depth.This arrangement saves labour involved in frequent cleaning of faecal matter (droppings), however it needs periodical stirring.The litter is spread on the floor in layers of 2” height every fortnightly till the required drying is achieved.Vit B2 and Vit B12 are made available to birds from the litter material by the bacterial action.The welfare of birds is maintained to some extent.The deep litter manure is a useful fertilizer.Lesser nuisance from flies when compared to cage system.
Cage system
This system involves rearing of poultry on raised wire netting floor in smaller compartments, called cages, either fitted with stands on floor of house or hanged from the roof.It has been proved very efficient for laying operations, right from day-old to till disposal.At present, 75% of commercial layers in the world are kept in cages.Feeders and waterers are attached to cages from outside except nipple waterers, for which pipeline is installed through or above cages.Auto-operated feeding trolleys and egg collection belts can also be used in this rearing system.The droppings are either collected in trays underneath cages or on belts or on the floor or deep pit under cages, depending on type of cages.The floor space requirement in cages is 50% of the floor space needed in deep-litter. The relative advantages and disadvantages of cage rearing of broilers are,
Preparation of brooder house before receive the chicks
- Remove all portable equipments, clean and wash then dip them in any suitable disinfectant as per manufacturer’s instruction and then sun dry for a day.
- Remove all organic material preferably after spraying 5 to 10 % formalin and disposed it off away from farm premises.
- Heat treatment – burning of floor, side wire mesh with blow lamp to reduce coccidiosis.
- Chemical Treatment- Soak floor with strong solution of caustic soda flake for 12 to 24 hrs to kill VVIBD virus. Dose of NaOH-11 -12 gm per lit of water, or 2 kg per 1000 sq feet.
- White wash- Lime stone + 2 to 5 % formalin + 1 % copper sulphate + 1 % kerosene
- Fumigation- 20 gm of KMnO4 + 40 ml formalin for 100 cu feet.
- Keep the shed vacant for 7 to 10 days. Preparation of brooder house 24 hours prior to arrival of chicks
1. Disinfection
1.1 Chicken house cleaning and disinfection procedures
Clean the chicken manure on the ground of the chicken house→Clean the chicken house→Disinfect with disinfectant king spray→Disinfect the ground and walls with caustic soda + quicky apply lime water after drying→Open the window to ventilate→Disinfect the inside and outside of the disinfection king spray house after drying→vacate pending seedlings → spray once with disinfectant a week before seedlings.
1.2 Sports ground disinfection
Sports field cleaning → spray with caustic soda
1.3 Disinfection of utensils (including films, food trays, buckets, buckets, automatic drinking fountains, etc.)
The equipment in the chicken house is soaked with a disinfectant solution for 1 day, washed with water and dried, then put into the disinfected chicken house.
1.4 Disinfection and anti-epidemic work after selling chickens
After the chickens are sold, the person who touches the chickens must wash their hair and take a bath. After changing the clothes and shoes, put them in disinfectant and soak them before washing.
1.5 Disinfection tank
There is a sterilization pond at the door of the chicken coop. Iron appliances cannot be used. According to the regulations, the disinfectant should be replaced once a day to maintain the effective concentration.
1.6 Disinfection with chickens
Sterilization of chickens is one of the important measures for the prevention of disease in medium and large chickens. One day before the vaccine and one day (a total of 3 days) can not be disinfected. Take the chickens to be disinfected no less than once a day, and the surrounding environment of the chicken house should be disinfected no less than two times a week. Winter and Spring disinfection times can be carried out when the temperature is highest at noon (the actual situation is flexible).
2. Feed hygiene management
2.1 Feed must be kept fresh
The storage time should not be too long, preferably 10-20 days.
2.2 Feed preservation
Stacked overhead in a ventilated, dry, cool place, not against the wall.
2.3 Open plate hygiene
The food tray should be used within 1-3 days after entering the chicken, and the chicken manure and other debris should be cleaned before each feeding.
2.4 Small bucket hygiene
Use the small bucket for 4-21 days, gradually add the bucket on the 3rd day, and gradually remove the food tray. Lift the small bucket on the 6th day. The height of the small bucket edge and the size of the chicken back should be high and level. Clean the sanitation of the bucket before each feeding.
2.5 Large bucket hygiene
From 18 days to the harvest period, use large buckets. Gradually add large buckets on the 18th day, and gradually reduce the number of small buckets. Lift the large bucket on the 25th day. The bucket edge height and medium-sized chickens should have a back height that is equal, and the hygiene of the bucket is cleaned before each feeding. 26 Refilling method – refer to this procedure for each refilling. Day 1 chicken feed 23. Middle chicken 1/3: Day 2 chicken feed 12. Medium chicken feed 1/2: Day 3 chicken feed 13. Middle chicken feed 23. Mixed feeding: all the chicken feed on day 4.
2.6 Refueling method
Refer to this procedure for each refill. Day 1 chicken feed 2/3, medium chicken feed 1/3; Day 2 chicken feed 1/2, medium chicken feed 1/2; Day 3 chicken feed 1 /3, medium chicken feed 2/3, mixed feeding; on the 4th day all medium chicken feed is used.
2.7 Chick feed management
After the chicks are purchased, they must be adapted for 3 to 5 days. They are to be fed 4 times a day and 2 times in the evening. The temperature is controlled and set at 28to 30 degrees. The feeding conditions of the chicks should be carefully observed every day when feeding. Anorexia is the result of chicks that do not like to eat, and other phenomena should be paid attention to. Adjust the feed formula in time, add a small number of digestive drugs to the feed to help the chicks increase their appetite, put a small amount of sugar in the drinking water every day, increase the chick’s physique and let the chicks as soon as possible so that they can adapt to the new environment.
3. Drinking water hygiene management
- The best water for chicken breeding is tap water or deep well water
- Use a small water bucket within 15 days after entering the seedling. On the 12th day, you can replace the automatic drinking fountain and gradually reduce the small water bucket.
- Use a small kettle to clean the inside of the bucket every time you add water. The use time of each bucket of water is about 8hrs: the automatic drinking fountain is washed every morning, the water level is 2/3 of the bucket depth, and the height of the bucket edge and the medium-sized chicken back are high and level.
- The water tower is placed in the chicken coop and must be covered and cleaned once a day. After feeding the medicine, it must be cleaned immediately.
- The water pipe is rinsed once every 15 days, and it is thoroughly disinfected and cleaned when empty.
- Every 1000-day-old chicks should have 20-25 water dispensers of about 4 liters containing fresh and clean drinking water. Some customers often have different levels of drinking fountains, resulting in different levels of water shortages for chicks, and “dry foot chickens” occur. Such chicks grow slowly later, which also affects the evenness of the flock. The drinking fountain should be placed near the heat source and alternately placed with the feeder.
- Water cannot be stopped, and drinking water is required to be clean and hygienic, free of pathogenic microorganisms. The drinking fountain should be cleaned and disinfected before filling.
- Excessive waterline when using automatic drinking fountains, 5-7 days old, should gradually move the drinking fountains to become automatic. At 8-10 days of age, the drinking fountain should be gradually removed several times a day so that the chicks can discover new water sources. If necessary, leave the waterer for 14 days, so that the chicks have enough time to fully adapt to the automatic waterer.
- If using a water tank, each chicken must have at least a 2cm straight drinking water position (including the positions on both sides of the drinking water tank when calculating).
- The height of the waterer should be adjusted appropriately as the chicken grows. The edge of the waterer is the same as the height of the back of the chicken. This can reduce the overflow of water, keep the litter dry, and help the birds drink water easier.
- The drinking fountain should be placed so that the chicken can drink water within a range of 2.0m.
- Rearing the system of rearing refer to either single batch at a time (all-in all-out system) or multiple batches of brooding and rearing of broilers.
All-in all-out system
Under all-in all-out system, the farm will have only one batch of broilers, belonging to same batch at any time. Sufficient chicks will be purchased to accommodate the entire farm capacity, reared and marketed in a single lot. This system is more hygienic, lesser sub-clinical infections and horizontal spreading of diseases and thereby lesser mortality rate, better growth rate and improved feed efficiency. However, this system is not suitable for large scale farming and needs higher fixed and working capital per bird.
Multiple batch system
The multiple batch system consists of rearing of more than one batch of chicks at any time, with a batch interval of 1 to 4 weeks. Here, the farmer is buying day-old chicks and selling grown up broilers at weekly, fortnightly, once in three weeks or at monthly intervals. The chicks are reared for five to six weeks of age, or until they attain the desired body weight and sold for table.
The ideal system for India at present is having 5 to 6 batches of broilers at any time, with weekly interval between batches and “direct retail marketing”. Here, the birds will be marketed daily, from 40 to 54 days of age, based on their body weight, i.e. heavier birds will be sold earlier; giving a chance for weaker birds to have a compensatory growth.
Dr. Ranjana Sinha.
B.V.Sc & AH,
