9. Brooding
• Good quality chicks can be hurt by poor
brooding.
• Poor quality chicks can be made worse.
• Good management may turn a flock
around.
• House conditions can begin to affect
chicks starting on day one.
10. Brooding
• Brooding management is critical to the
future performance of a flock. It may
impact:
* Vaccination-reaction and effectiveness
* Weight gain, feed conversion, and
uniformity
* Ability to withstand leg problems
11. Due to genetic progress in growth rate, first 10 d of life is
steadily increasing as proportion of total flock life…
Brooding as a Percentage of Total Flock Life
17
20
29
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Year
%oftimeinbroodingperiod
….There is also less time to get
out of trouble afterwards
….There is also less time to get
out of trouble afterwards
16. Weight
Gain
+ 10 g (.02 lb) + 50-70g (.11-.15 lb)
7 days
Live weight correlation (ad libitum)
42 days
17. Increased Emphasis on Achieving
7 day Weights
• 180 g at 7 days is achievable and can be
exceeded
• 7 day weights should be monitored routinely
to monitor the effectiveness of brooding
management
• Watch the chicks at placement to make sure
that they find food & water
• React positively if they do not
18. Achieve 7-day bodyweight
•Target: 180 g (0.35 lb) or 3.7 - 4x placement weight
• Potential is >
•Field Range: 160-190 g (0.32 - 0.38 lb)
•<160 g (0.32 lb) is a concern
• Brooding management
• Nutrition – density and quality
• Temperature and humidity
• Parent source flock age
• Disease challenge / vaccination
• Hatchery management
VARIATIONVARIATION
20. Day Old Chick Weight vs 7 Day Body Weight
y = 2.1014x + 38.841
R2 = 0.0934
0
50
100
150
200
250
25 30 35 40 45 50 55
Day Old Chick Weight - gm
7DayBodyWeight-gm
21. 7 Day Body Weight vs 17 Day
y = 3.5775x - 11.827
R2
= 0.6721 p< 0.001
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
50 70 90 110 130 150 170 190 210
7 Day Body Weight - gm
17DayBodyWeight-gm
22. 7 Day Body Weight vs 35 Day
y = 7.4245x + 671.38
R2 = 0.3794 p<0.001
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
50 70 90 110 130 150 170 190 210
7 Day Body Weight - gm
35DayBodyWeight-gm
23. 7 Day Body Weight vs 38 Day Body Weight
y = 8.1533x + 791.53
R2 = 0.3533 p<0.001
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
50 70 90 110 130 150 170 190 210
7 Day Weight - gm
38DayWeight-gm
For every 1 gram of 7 day body weight, 38 day body weight will increase 8.15 gm
e.g. 10 grams increase in 7 day weight = 81.5 grams or .18 lbs!
26. PrePre--brooding & Broodingbrooding & Brooding
Receiving and starting chicks
– one of the most difficult, and important, stages in
growing broilers
Important - producer must take
special care during this period to
ensure chicks are started properly
– houses must be ready BEFORE chicks arrive
– exploit genetic potential of chicks
27. PrePre--broodingbrooding
Hatchery processing & transportation
– temperature 80-85 º F (26-29.5 C)
– good air movement
Brooding facility
– pre-heat
summer min. 24 hr
fall/winter min. 48 hr
Avoid chilling and inadequate quality air
exchange
28. PrePre--broodingbrooding
Pre- brooding Checklist
– Proper air and litter temperatures
• no < 2 hr before chick arrival
– Air quality
• free of ammonia
– Drinker system
• turn on prior to arrival to allow water to warm up
– Ventilation system
• timers and thermostats set properly
– Feed
• lids must be in place with feed added
– Lights
• min. 3.0 ft candles (30 lux) evenly dispersed
29. Litter Depth
• Absolute minimum of 10cm (4 inches).
• Built up litter programs require cake removal
and most likely a litter amendment.
• Critical to dry houses and good paw quality.
30. House EquipmentHouse Equipment
Feeding equipment
min. 2 lines of pan feeders should be in place
max. 120 birds/pan (based on half-house)
supplement 1 lid/100 chicks during brooding peri
at chick placement, pans or trough should be
manually charged with feed
monitor eating behavior of birds
Pan Feeder-whole house: 30-50 birds/pan
Trough Feeder-5.0cm/bird
33. Does the Effect Persist with Older Chicks?
- 15 hour Delay in Feeding After Delivery
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Flock Age (d)
bodyweight(g)
No Delay
15h Delay
.04 lb
.16 lb
34. Feeding chicks within 6 hours of their
clearing the shell will:
• increase the rate at which yolk is utilized
• improve villus growth to increase food
absorption (gut health)
• increase satellite cell proliferation (breast
meat yield)
• improve growth to marketing age and
breast meat yield (growth rate)
35. When there is feed in the digestive tract:
• residual yolk will be used more quickly
• digestive tract develops faster
• gut immunity develops faster
Results
• faster growth, increased robustness
• improved breast meat yield
36. Practical Steps
• Feed birds as soon as they arrive on farm
• Place the chicks near feeding area
• Check crop fill 12 and 24 hrs after placement
• 12 hrs 80% with feed and water in the crop
• 24 hrs, >97% with feed and water in the crop
37. Water
Objective- To supply an adequate, easily
accessible source of clean, bacteria-free
water. It’s the most important nutrient that
we supply to the chicken. It represents
approx. 70% of the total body wt.
38. Water is an Essential Nutrient
• Important to achieve optimum flock results
– Water:feed 1.6:1
• Good management practices for water line
management include several procedures &
monitoring processes.
• Used for the transportation of nutrients, chemical
reactions, osmotic balance, body temperature
regulation and lubrication of joints and organs.
39. House Equipment
• Drinker Types:
• Trough- 2.0cm/bird
• Bell 10-12/1000 birds
• Nipples 8-12 birds/nipple
• Supplemental Drinkers 10/1000 chicks placed
evenly throughout, so chick move no more
than 2m to drink.
40. House EquipmentHouse Equipment
Drinker Systems
– Nipple drinkers
• 360 º type
• min. of 1 nipple/25 chicks (based on half-
house)
• day 1 height should be at eye level of chicks
• Trigger or activate each nipple
• > 1 day height should allow chicks to drink at
45 º angle
41.
42. House Equipment
• Bell Drinkers
• Whole House Brooding-Min.10 bell drinkers
per 1000 chicks.
• Water Level- 19mm until 7-10 days and 13mm
thereafter- Adjust to prevent spillage.
• Check and adjust daily-bell lip is level with
broilers’ back from 7 days onward.
43. Flow Rates for Nipple Drinkers
• During each grow-out, flow rate checked;
– Placement
– 3 weeks
– 6 weeks
• Equation of weeks of age times 7 plus 20
Example: 3 week broiler. Flow rate
should = 3 x 7 + 20 = 41 ml/minute.
46. Water Management
Available at all times ?- air locks, too high or low,
leaks, stuck nipple, volume, space, etc.
Test the water supply regularly for bacterial and
mineral problems. No coliforms.
Treat water with an approved sanitizer on a routine
basis (e.g. chlorine-2-3ppm tested at furthest
point from source).
47. Growth of bacteria in open
water in cup drinkers
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
after
clean
out
day old 5 days
old
Total Count
S aureus
E coli
48. Water Management
Water-Common chick quality problems
associated with cool floors or poor
access to water: “starve-outs” or
dehydration.
* Sluggish chicks are often cold; loud,
excited chicks are often short of water.
49. Can they physically get to the water?
• Is it the proper floor temp. where the water
is?
• Was the nipple drinker line “triggered”?
• Are the water lines the right height?
• Can even the smallest chicks reach
water?
• Is pressure set properly for chicks to
drink?
51. House EquipmentHouse Equipment
Heating Equipment
-Brood end - Radiant or jet brooders (with
option of forced-air heater back-up)
- min. of 90 BTU/ft2
– Off-brood end - Radiant, jet brooders or
forced-air heaters
- min. of 50 BTU/ft2
52. House EquipmentHouse Equipment
Controllers
– Capable of operating lights, feeders,
heating, cooling and ventilation
– Monitoring capability - min. of 5 sensors
– Must have a back-up system tied into the
controller in case of failure
53. BroodingBrooding --TemperatureTemperature
Electronic sensors and thermostats will
become inaccurate over time
If the sensor is incorrectly placed,
temperatures across the house can vary
excessively
– place sensor at bird head level in a location around
feeders and drinkers
Do not rely exclusively on the computer
control - cross-check regularly
54. Brooding
Environmental and litter temperature are
critical for bottom-line performance
– especially during the brooding period
Remember - the chicken is most efficient at
1 day-of-age
– performance in terms of growth and FCR
seems small in absolute terms, but FCR
is most efficient and economical during
this period
55. What is the ProperWhat is the Proper
Temperature?Temperature?
• Manuals say 90 F (32 C) Floor Temperature
• Rectal Temperature of 104 to 105.5 F (40 –
40.8 C)
• Humidity 50 to 65%
Birds act like Cold Blooded Animals for first
two weeks of Life. Just like Reptiles
56. BroodingBrooding --TemperatureTemperature
Too Cold:
– chicks will huddle and not start well
– chilled chicks will die
Too hot:
– depressed appetite, dehydration and
slow feathering
Variation from target temperature will
hurt uniformity
57. Brooding Temperature
TEMPERATURE TOO HIGH TEMPERATURE CORRECT
TEMPERATURE TOO LOW Draft
Chicks make
no noise,
Chicks pant,
head and
wings droop.
Chicks away
from
Brooder
Chicks evenly
spread. Noise
level signifies
contentment
Chicks crowd
to brooder.
Chicks noisy,
distress calling
This distribution
requires investigation.
Influenced by draft-
uneven light
distribution - external
noises.
63. • Summary:
– Broiler strains differ in their growth responses to
light restriction.
– Aviagen broilers have been selected to have slower
early growth to minimize metabolic disease and
improve feed conversion.
– Limitations to early growth:
• early light restriction
• low nutrient density
• nutrient intake
– Over-limiting early growth reduces market weight,
lowers uniformity, and can depress breast yield.
Broiler Lighting Programs
64. • Summary:
– The type of housing affects our ability to control light
intensity:
• Clear-sided: Control primarily with light duration
• Dark-sided: Control primarily with light intensity
– The nutrient densities of the rations fed impact early
growth rate and therefore affect the type of lighting
program that should be used:
• High Density Rations/Fast Growth Rate:
More Light Restriction
• Low Nutrient Density/Slow Growth Rate:
Less Light Restriction
Broiler Lighting Programs
65. Broiler Lighting Programs
• Make certain foot candles are correct!
• Use a light meter-don’t eye ball it!
• Brood Period>chick activity
• Grow-out> do not restrict too much hurting
growth rates.
66. Light ManagementLight Management
Keys
Light intensity
Duration of light
Light distribution in the barn
Uneven patterns could cause bird
flightiness, incidence of skin scratches /
cellulitis, and bird weight variation
Shadows and pockets of light or dark will result
in uneven bird weights
67. Questions to ask yourself when you
into a house of chicks:
• What is the pattern on the floor?
• What is the activity level of the chicks?
• Can they physically get to the feed and water?
• What is the air quality?
69. Successful Brooding
• Ventilation, Ventilation, Ventilation
– A broiler chick excretes about 0.06 ounces (2ml)
of water per hour in the first week and .11 ounces
(3.5ml) per hour the second week
• 20,000 2 week chicks = 70 liters/hour or 18.5
gallons/hour
70.
71. NATURAL VENTILATION
• “Curtain ventilation”
• Allows outside breezes and inside convection
currents to flow right amount of air into and
through house
• Ideal when temperature outside is close to
temperature birds need
• Exchange rates depend largely on outside
winds
72. NATURAL VENTILATION
• Works best when outside temperature is = or >
10-15ºF (5.6-8.4ºC) colder than target
temperature
• Problem in cold weather
– with small curtain openings, heavy outside air
comes in at low speeds and drops immediately to
floor
– chills birds and cause moisture condensation -
creating wet litter
73. NATURAL VENTILATION
• Curtain machines operated on thermostats at
bird level are essential during cooler weather
• Circulation or stirring fans controlled with
timers help mix incoming cold and in-house
warm air
74. NATURAL VENTILATION
• On warm to hot days with little wind,
circulation fans needed to get wind chill
cooling of air moving over birds
• Foggers or misters used with circulation fans
add second level of cooling capability
• Curtain ventilation requires constant
management
76. POWER VENTILATION
• Two types
• Positive pressure
– Pushes outside air into house
• Negative pressure
– Fans pull air out of house
• Creates a partial vacuum
• outside air is pulled into house through cracks or
inlets
77. NEGATIVE PRESSURE
VENTILATION
• Three major setup configurations
• Minimum ventilation
– Used for cooler weather and/or smaller birds
• Tunnel ventilation
– Used for warmer weather and/or larger birds
• Transitional ventilation
– Used for “in-between” conditions
79. MINIMUM VENTILATION
• Provides fresh air to exhaust excess moisture
and harmful gases during cold weather or
when birds are small.
• Timer driven
– 5 minute timers ideal
• Minimum vent fans should be equipped with a
thermostat which overrides timers as birds
grow and/or weather warms
80. MINIMUM VENTILATION
• You must create proper partial vacuum so air
comes in with sufficient speed through all inlets
• Inlets should be distributed evenly along entire
length of house
• Static pressure should be ran at .10 in to .12 in
(2.0 to 2.5 mm) of water with sidewall vents
open 2 - 3 in wide (5.1 - 7.6 cm), ceiling vents 1
inch wide
– Allows air to come into house with enough volume
and speed to mix with warm in-house air above the
flock
– Incoming air doesn’t drop directly onto chicks
• No chilling
89. RULES FOR MINIMUM VENTILATION
• Seal all house air leaks
– a non-air tight house cannot be properly
ventilated
• Insulate before you ventilate
– proper growing conditions cannot be
maintained in cold weather
• Set the fan timer for correct minimum ventilation
rate
90. RULES FOR MINIMUM VENTILATION
• Increase fan timer settings as needed -
minimum ventilation rate
• Bring cool outside air into the house high above
the birds, with enough velocity to mix with warm
inside air
• If wet litter and/or ammonia becomes a problem,
increase the minimum ventilation rate
91. RULES FOR MINIMUM VENTILATION
• If increased minimum ventilation rates doesn’t
solve wet litter problem, add heat
• If house gets too dry and dusty, reduce the
minimum ventilation rate
• If a house gets too warm, check the thermostat
settings, not the timer settings
92. MINIMUM VENTILATION
• Curtain cracks and fixed board inlets more
likely to allow too-wide openings and dump
cool in-coming air onto birds
• When using curtain cracks or fixed board
inlets:
– Stirring fans recommended
– Static pressure decreased to .03 - .05 in (0.8 - 1.3
mm)
93. MINIMUM VENTILATION
• DETERMINING TOTAL VENTILATION RATE
NEEDED
– If we have 20,000 birds 2 weeks of age, and
we need .25 cfm per bird
– 0.25 cfm x 20,000 = 5,000 total cfm needed
94. MINIMUM VENTILATION
• DETERMINING FAN ON/OFF DUTY CYCLE
NEEDED
– Fan duty cycle = cfm’s needed ÷ fan cfm’s
– If we use a 20,000 cfm fan
– 5,000 cfm ÷ 20,000 fan cfm = ¼ or .25%
on/off cycle
95. MINIMUM VENTILATION
• DETERMINING TIMER SETTING NEEDED
– Timer ON setting = Fan duty cycle X timer
minutes
– If we use a 5 minute timer and fan duty
cycle is ¼ or 25%:
– ¼ or 25% X 5 minutes = 75 seconds on
– Timer setting is 75 seconds on
96. TRANSITIONAL VENTILATION
• Begins when higher than minimum air
exchange rate is required
– outside air should not contact birds directly
• To be successful, requires sidewall inlets
linked to a static pressure controller so heat
can be removed without switching to tunnel
ventilation
100. TRANSITIONAL VENTILATION
• Rule of thumb
– transitional ventilation may be used when
outside temperature is +/- 10ºF (5.5ºC) of target
house temperature
101. TUNNEL COOLING
• Turn on the right number of fans for
cooling needs
– effective temperature must be estimated
– wind chill is greater with cooler air, and
less with warmer air; greater for smaller
birds, less with larger birds
102. TUNNEL COOLING
• Wind Chill Effect
– Easy rule of thumb
• 4 week and younger birds- 2.5 degrees per 48” fan
• 4 week and older birds- 1.5 degrees per 48” fan
103. GUIDE TO TUNNEL
VENTILATON
• Watch the birds, not just the thermometer, to
see how much cooling is needed
– the temperature the birds experience is not the
same as the thermometer reading
– birds sitting down usually indicates too much air
movement
– birds panting, lifting wings and not eating
usually indicates birds are too warm
104. TUNNEL COOLING
• Monitor and maintain adequate
airflow
– Keep tunnel inlets fully open
– Partly closing tunnel inlets does not increase air
velocity, it reduces needed airflow
– Keep fans and shutters clean and belts tight
– Close all doors and seal all leaks or other
openings, so all incoming air enters through
tunnel inlets only
116. The small bird market holds around 1.8 kg and
the tray pack and large bird deboning
companies keep increasing weights.
Average Weight by Processing Type
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.0020011
20016
200111
20024
20029
20032
20037
200312
20045
200410
20053
20058
20061
20066
200611
20074
20079
Year Month
kg
Debone/Parts
Large Debone
Small Bird
Tray Pack
Whole Bird/Parts
117. Improvement in adjusted FCR can be seen
across all weight categories.
Adjusted FCR by Weight Category
1.50
1.60
1.70
1.80
1.90
2.00
2.10
2.20
2.30
20011
20015
20019
20021
20025
20029
20031
20035
20039
20041
20045
20049
20051
20055
20059
20061
20065
20069
20071
20075
20079
Year Month
AdjustedFCR
<2 kg
2 - 2.36 kg
2.36 - 2.72 kg
2.72 - 3.08 kg
3.08 - 3.40 kg
>3.40 kg