rearing of broilers, shed cleaning, feeding, watering, nutrition and vaccination

1. Broiler production

2. broiler
• meat production
• cross bred of Plymouth Rock and Cornish

3. Advantage of Broiler Farming
• Initial investment is a little
• Rearing Period – 35 days
• More Number of flocks can be taken in the
same shed.
• Broiler has high FCR.
• Faster Return from the investment.
• Demand for poultry Meat

4. Selection of site for poultry farm
• well connected with roads.
• Electricity and water.
• enough space for further expansion.
• located in the open space as it provides good
ventilation.
• Water quality: Hardness-below 750 ppm and
pH-6.0 to 8.
• Foot bath
• death pit

5. Essential equipments:
• 1 feeder per 50 chicks
• Chick drinker: 1 drinker per 50 chicks.
• Jumbo drinker: 1 drinker per 50 birds.
• Weighing Balance
• Raking equipment
• Hover brooder or Gas Brooder: 1 gas brooder
per 1000 chicks.
• Coal Heater: 1 heater per 350 chicks.

6. • Hand or power sprayer.
• Flame gun
• Feeding scoops.
• Measuring cups for medicines.
• Automatic vaccinator.

7. Shed cleaning and disinfection:
• maintaining optimal health status of birds.
• Immediately after the birds are lifted, empty
the feeders, disconnect the drinkers and
remove them out of the shed.
• clean the shed from top to bottom (roofs, side
walls, wire mesh )
• Soak the floor for 12 hours using 2 kg washing
soda with 50 liters of hot water for every 1000
sq. ft.

8. • Clean the equipments with detergents and
remove the scales in drinkers using
hydrochloric acid.
• equipments should be kept outside for sun
drying.
• Formalin spray: 5% solution of formalin spray
for every 1000 sq. ft.(500 ml+10 litres of
water).

9. • White wash the walls and floors using
limestone (Lime+Kerosene+Formalin)
• Clean and mop the bulbs and other electrical
fittings.

10. Procedure for fumigation:
• done 48 hours prior to the chick arrival.
• fumigated with 2 kg bleaching powder and 4
litres of formalin for every 1000 sq. ft.
• after fumigation should not be opened till the
day of chick arrival.

11. Potassium permanganate method
• 2 parts of formalin mixed with 1 part of
KMNO4 for complete expulsion of gas.
1) Single strength concentration: mixing 40 ml
formalin with 20 g kmno4 for each 2.83 m3 of
space
2) Double strength: 80 ml of formalin with 40g
of kmno4 for each 2.83 m3.

12. Preparation of shed to receive chicks
• 1 or 2 days prior to the arrival of chicks,
spread the litter material (paddy husk,saw
dust) about 5 cm thickness.
• Spread old news papers over the litter to
avoid eating the litter.
• Arrange chick guards.
• Arrangement of feeders and waterers under
brooder.

13. • 4 kg of newspaper for 1000 sq. ft. area
• Round brooding is better and more effective
than rectangular brooding.
• For round brooding of 350 nos. of chick, one
40 ft. length plain G.I. sheet of 1.5 ft. height
will be required.

14. Brooding
• Management of baby chicks till 4 weeks in
broilers and around 6-8 wks in layers is called
as brooding.
• The device used for providing artificial heat
during brooding is called as brooder.

15. DIFFERENT TYPES OF BROODERS
• Infra red bulbs
• Heating coils
• Gas brooders
• Kerosene stove
• Coal/charcoal stove
• Centralized heating system
• Battery brooders
• Biogas brooders

16. • Infra red bulbs : heated quickly. They are self
reflecting in nature and can provide warmth
for 200 to 250 chicks, but it is expensive.
• Gas brooding is now practiced particularly in
semi-environmentally controlled and
environmentally controlled houses. These are
costly but can take care of 1500 to 2000
chicks.
• Heater coils may also be provided for warmth
instead of bulbs. These coils are more suitable
for cold climates, because they give more
heat.

17. • Centralised heating system - environmentally
controlled
• Battery brooders –Bulbs or heaters with
thermostats are used to provide warmth to chicks
in the battery cages.
• Bio-gas brooders – Certain farms use the cage
droppings and cow dung to generate bio-gas;
which will be used to provide light and heat to
the birds.
• If kerosene stoves or coal stoves are used, a
metal vessel with sand is placed over the stove to
dissipate heat properly.

18. • Brooding area - 0.22 sq. ft per chick.
• Newspaper
• Switch brooder to pre heat the brooding area
6 hours before chick arrival.
• Fill the chick drinkers with water about 4
hours before chick arrival.
• Add sanitizer, electrolytes, antibiotic powder
and B-complex to water

19. • First 72 hours paper feeding
• Put plenty of feed on the paper for the chicks
(20 gm/day/chick) on paper.
• tyre feeders
• Dip the beak of the chicks in the chick drinker
for 10% of the chicks to learn to drink.

20. • monitored closely for first three days
• Examine the crop

21. Temperature
• Maintenance of correct temp is essential.
• Its varies as per atmospheric conditions
• During 1st week – 33oC (95oF) good
• To be reduced by 2.6oc (5oF) each week till it
reaches to room temperature of 21oC (70oF).
• Temp is measured 6 cm above the litter.

22. • Too high or too low temp results in
- slow feathering
- retarded growth
- pecking and mortality
• Behaviour and distribution of chicks under
and around brooder is the best guide for
judging correctness of temp instead of
thermometre.

23. • When Temp is less – chicks will try to hurdle near
the source of heat
• If temp is too high - chicks will go away from
source of heat, near to the guard and remain
there with dull movements. Even may show
panting also.
• If birds congregate themselves in masses in
brooder space it indicates draftiness of weather.
• If temp is favourable: evenly spread under and
around brooder with alert and pleasant
movements.
• Based on chicks position and movement, adjust
temperature.

26. • The height of the brooder at day old stage -
15-30 cm above the litter level.
• As the chicks grows, the height will be
gradually increased and the number of bulbs
gradually reduced.
•

27. lighting
• 24 hrs. Lighting first 3 days
• increase the feeding time, increase weight gain, and
improve feathering in broiler.
• Measured Lux units using Lux meter.
• For day old broiler chicks, an intensity of 100 lux units at
bird’s eye level
• This can be achieved by providing one 100 watt round bulb
at 2 ft height from the floor level for every round brooding.
• After brooding an intensity of 20 lux is required for birds
which can be achieved by providing 40 Watt tube light at 6
ft. height.
• Light intensity should be uniform throughout the farm.
• A tube light emits around 60 lux for 400 sq. ft. at 6 ft
height.

28. Space management:
Age (days) Space/bird (Sq. ft.)
0-3 0.22
4-7 0.22-0.30
8-14 0.30-0.45
15-21 0.45-0.60
22 onwards Full space

29. • Expand the brooding area gradually
• Overcrowding leads to huddling, dampness of
litter, multiplication of disease causing
organism.
• Less space give away to competition, which
causes to become weak and die due to
starvation.
• Inadequate space and improper equipments
alignment will decrease the bird performance.

30. Curtain Management:
• Generally in brooding period the side curtain
should be more tightly sealed to preserve
heat.
• This closed environment to the broiler farms
may result in reduced air circulation.
• In such circumstances when you feel
uncomfortable open side curtain and give
fresh air.

31. Nutrition
• Broiler starters ration - 22-23% protein and
3050Kcal energy.
• Broiler finisher - 20-21% protein and 3150 Kcal
energy

33. Vaccination schedule
1) O day – Marek’s disease, HVT strain, strictly sub
cutaneous.
2) 5 – 7 days of age- Ranikhet Disease, Lasota strain
to be given by occulo-nasal method ( one drop
each in the eye and nostrils) or drinking water.
3) 14th day – IBD or Gumboro Disease live georgia
vaccine (intermediate) by eye drop or drinking
water method.
4) 25-28 days of age: RD lasota vaccine through
drinking water.