 Art and science of rearing the newly hatched baby chicks  Care and management of young chicks for the first 3-5 weeks is called Brooding  Chick embryo immediately after few of hatching – Poikilothermic  Adult birds are Homeotherms  Chicken are PRECOCIAL (Young ones are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth)  Young ones have hair (down feathers), open eyes, developed brain and capable of walking  Average body temperature of newly hatched chick – 103.5ºF Adult chicken – 105-108ºF BROODING EQUIPMENT 1. Brooder – Heat source (gas, coal, IR bulbs, incandescent bulbs, kerosene or electrical stove) 2. Reflectors – canopy or flat type 3. Brooder / chick guard - GI sheet or card board sheet or asbestos sheet of 1.5’ height and 5, diameter is sufficient for 200-250 chicks DEEP LITTER BROODING Materials required  Brooder guard or chick guard  Brooder (heat source) – gas or electric bulbs or coal  Litter or bedding material – 100 kg per 1000 Sq.Ft  Old newspapers  Chick waterers  Chick feeders or trays  Thermometer  Lights  Side curtains CAGE BROODING • Battery brooding cages with electrical bulbs • Gas brooders/ room heaters • Use of circulating fans to distribute the warm air • Gas brooders can be hanged in between the cages at a height of 9’ from the floor level with 3-4’ distance b/w the brooders ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR BROODING Temperature Brooding is carried out 0-8 weeks in case of layers and 0-2 weeks in case of broiler birds. Heating is very much essential to provide right temperature in the brooder house. Too high or too low a temperature slows down growth and causes mortality. During the first week the temperature should be 95ºF (350 C), which may be reduced by 5º F per week during each successive week till 70ºF (21.10 C). The brooder should be switched on for at least 24 hours before the chicks arrive. Hanging of a maximum and minimum thermometer in each house is recommended to have a guide to control over the differences in the house temperature. • 1st Week – 90-95º F • 2nd week – 85-90º F • 3rd week – 80-85º F • 4th week - 75-80º F • 5th week – 75º F The behaviour of chicks provides better indication of whether they are getting the desired amount of heat.  When the temperature is less than required, the chicks try to get closer to the source of heat and huddle down under the brooder.  When the temperature is too high, the chicks will get away from the source of heat and may even pant or gasp.  When temperature is right, the chicks will be found evenly scattered. Ventilation • HDPE curtains should be hanged @ on the mesh • Leaving one feet distance from the roof to provide cross ventilation Humidity Brooder house humidity ranges from 50-60 per cent. High humidity creates the problem of wet litter which leads to coccidiosis and low humidity causes dusty litter resulting in respiratory problems. Lighting • 0 - 14d – 24 hrs • 3 - 5 wks – 22 hrs • 6 –

1. BROODING MANAGEMENT
Prepared by
Dr. Harshini Alapati (M.V.Sc Poultry science)
Contractual Teaching Faculty
Dept of LFC
Veterinary College, Hassan
KVAFSU, Karnataka

2. Art and science of rearing the newly hatched baby chicks
Care and management of young chicks for the first 3-5 weeks is called Brooding
Chick embryo immediately after few of hatching – Poikilothermic
Adult birds are Homeotherms
Chicken are PRECOCIAL (Young ones are relatively mature and mobile from the
moment of birth)
Young ones have hair (down feathers), open eyes, developed brain and capable of
walking
Average body temperature of newly hatched chick – 103.5ºF
Adult chicken – 105-108ºF
BROODING

3. NATURAL BROODING ARTIFICIAL BROODING
In the absence of broody hen
Using artificial heat
Equipment used – Brooders
1. Heating source
2. Reflectors
3. Brooder / Chick Guard

4. HOT ROOM BROODING
 Central heating system provides
heat for the chicks
 Hot water pipe @ 2.5’ above the
floor level, 4-8 hot water pipes
will be placed
 Pipes will be connected to a
boiler placed outside the
brooding room
COLD ROOM BROODING
 Spot heating devices like hover
with gas brooder or electric
bulbs or Infrared bulbs are
placed @ 3-4’ feet above the
floor.
 Battery brooding Cages
containing electric bulbs.
TYPES OF BROODING

5. • Gas, Coal, IR bulbs, Incandescent bulbs, kerosene or electrical stove
BROODER(heat source)
• Flat type hovers or canopy type hovers
REFLECTORS
• GI sheet or card board sheet or asbestos sheet of 1.5’ height and 5’,
diameter is sufficient for 200-250 chicks
BROODER/ CHICK GUARD
BROODING EQUIPMENT

6. BROODING EQUIPMENT

7. FLAT TYPE HOVER CANOPY TYPE HOVER

8. • Charcoal or kerosene stoves are covered with plate or pans to provide
supplementary heat to the chicks
CHARCOAL OR KEROSENE
STOVE

9. • Natural gas or LPG is connected to a heating element to provide heat
for chicks
• Hover is connected @ 3-4.5’ above the ground
• Measure the temperature @ 4” above the litter
• 30 kg of gas is required for 1000 chicks for 14 days
• Provides uniform heat
• If the temperature is high and chicks are feeling hot  increase the
height of hover (i.e., > 5’)
GAS BROODERS

10. GAS BROODERS

11. • Thermostatically controlled heating
system connected
• Spreads uniform heat to a large area
• Avoids crowding of chicks under
brooder directly
• One brooder for – 300-400 chicks
(Or)
Use of electrical bulbs connected to a
hover
Placed at a height of 2-3’ above the
ground level
ELECTRICAL BROODER

12. • Self reflecting bulb
• One 250 watts bulb is
sufficient for 150-250
chicks
INFRA RED BULBS

13. • Earthen pots of 6-10 litres capacity closed mouth pots are used
• Holes of uniform size are made at 1-2” distance leaving 1/3 from top
• One pot is sufficient for 600 chicks
• Pots are filled with burnt coal (0.75-1kg) before placing inside the
brooder
• Additional pots are placed at a distance of 7-10’ depending on number
of chicks and season
• Illumination the room with light of 40-50 lux
POT BROODING / COAL BROODING

14. POT BROODING / COAL BROODING

15. Materials Required
Brooder guard or chick
guard
Brooder (heat source) –
gas or electric bulbs or coal
Litter or bedding material
– 100 kg per 1000 Sq.Ft
Old newspapers
Chick waterers
Chick feeders or trays
Thermometer
Lights
Side curtains
DEEP LITTER BROODING

16. CART WHEEL SHAPE ARRANGEMENT OF
FEEDERS AND WATERERS

20. • Battery brooding cages with
electrical bulbs
• Gas brooders/ room heaters
• Gas brooders can be hanged
in between the cages at a
height of 9’ from the floor
level with 3-4’ distance b/w
the brooders
CAGE BROODING

21. CAGE BROODING

22. Age
(wks)
Space (per chick)
Feeder space(per
chick)
Waterer space (per
chick)
Deep litter
(Sq. ft)
Cage (Sq.
inches)
Circular
(Sq. inches)
Linear
(inches)
Circular
(Sq.
inches)
Linear
(inches)
0-3 0.3-0.4 20-30 0.5 1.0 0.125 0.25
3-6 0.4-0.5 30 1.3 2.0 0.25 0.5
>6 1 30-40 2.0 3.0 0.5 0.75
SPACE ALLOWANCE DURING BROODING

23. TEMPERATURE
1st Week – 90-95º F
2nd week – 85-90º F
3rd week – 80-85º F
4th week-75-80º F
5th week - 75º F
HUMIDITY 60-70%
LIGHTING
0-8d – 24 hrs
2-4 wks – 22 hrs
4-8 wks – 12 hrs
VENTILLATION
HDPE curtains should be
hanged @ on the mesh
Leaving one feet distance from
the roof to provide cross
ventillation
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS FOR BROODING

24. • After the sale of adult birds DOWN TIME of 2-3 weeks
• Cleaning of the shed  removal of litter
• Cleaning of equipment (detergent followed by disinfectant KMnO4)
• Cleaning of house (ceiling and walls)
• Repairing of the house (if any cracks)
PREPARATION OF SHED FOR BROODING

25. • Cleaning of floor detergent followed by disinfectant
• Fumigation with Formalin & KMnO4 @ 1X conc (20g KMnO4 + 40
ml of formalin) per 100 cubic feet or 2.83 cubic metre

26. Canopy type of hover fitted with incandescent bulbs or IR bulbs can be
directly hanged @ 2.5’ height
Form a circle with brooder guard of 5’ feet diameter &1.5’ height around the
hover
Spread litter material uniformly up to 2” height
Check the temperature and humidity of the brooder house
Spread news papers over the litter material
Sprinkle ground maize over it for 2-3 days
Arrange feeders and waterers in a cart-wheel fashion
After 5 days remove the papers and burn them

27. Automatic feed hoppers
Nipple drinker

28. Provide electrolytes, glucose and vitamins in drinking water for
first 5-6 days
Preferably 8% glucose is added to stress and dehydration
Avoid feeding for first 6 hrs, make sure of enough water provision
 observe the behaviour of chicks and adjust the temperature

29. CHICK WATERER CHICK FEEDERER
CIRCULAR LONGITUDINAL

30. • Beak trimming (formerly debeaking) is the removal of approximately one-
quarter to one-third of the upper beak, or both upper and lower beak, of a bird.
• Beak trimming is performed as part of an overall strategy to reduce peck
injuries and death when raising groups of poultry.
• Beak trimming may be performed on many species including laying
hens, turkeys, ducks, and quail.
• Feather pecking, peck injury and peck mortality (cannibalism) in poultry
occurs at variable rates and may unpredictably become severe and cause high
rates of distress, injury and death in a flock.
• Beak trimming is acutely painful, as nociceptors are present in the tip of the
beak.
• Methods of beak trimming - hot-blade, and infra-red
BEAK TRIMMING

31. Vent pecking & Cannibalism
Feather pecking

33. Hot blade beak trimming

35. INFRARED BEAK TRIMMING

38. • Unhealed navels
 Leaky vents
Common in the chicks offered feed
immediately after hatch
Yolk sac is not absorbed into the body
properly
Seen in E.coli infections

39. Dubbing
• Removal or trimming
of comb
• Usually done in male
birds
• To prevent frost bite
and fighting behaviour