Broiler Management

Broiler Management

Better management results in better productivity! You could be an experienced farmer or venturing newly into the poultry industry. But effective poultry management is essential for the overall development and health of the bird. Shanthi Feeds and its team of experts will help you throughout the relationship providing valuable guidance and management tips.

While you are considering joining our successful family of farmers, we encourage you to read through some basics of Broiler management.

Brooder Management

The overall broiler performance is dependent on several management practices. Brooder management is one of the important aspects of broiler rearing and management. The early / developmental stage becomes critical for the overall result and growth of the bird. Hence, care should be taken right from day one.

Following are the objectives for brooding management:

• To ensure strong growth progression from day-old through to 7 days
• To develop appetite and promote feather growth
• To achieve target bodyweight by 14 days / 2 weeks and maintain a smooth curve through to 28 days / 4 weeks

To maintain uniformity across the flock

Effective brooding management includes providing the chicks with the right temperature, relative humidity, air quality, good quality feed and water. Key points in brooding management are:

• Clean, disinfect and fumigate the shed and equipment well before the arrival of the chicks
• Check for the right temperature and humidity levels 24 hours prior to the arrival of the birds
• Ensure chicks have immediate access to fresh water and feed
• Use chick behavior as an indicator of satisfactory temperature levels
• Replenish feed constantly during the brooding period
• Monitor and ensure chicks feeding by crop fill scores
• These activities when followed collectively will result in good early development of skeletal size, immune system and cardiovascular system and also improves appetite.

Grower & Finisher Management

The grower stage is between the 14th and 28th day of the birds life cycle. During this stage, the management objectives are to help the birds develop their immune system, uniform growth, sexual maturity and production. The important functions of this stage is grading of the birds on the basis of their weight, check and maintain body weight on a weekly basis, feed and water management and vaccination. The birds above 28th day of age till lifting are termed finisher.

Resource Requirements

The environment in which the birds are reared becomes critical for their performance. In addition, it would help if the farm is located closer to the production and marketing centers. A farm that has access to good roads and easy transportation has an added advantage.

While setting up a farm, there are a set of must have requirements to be adhered to. Below is a list of the requisites to setting up a poultry farm:

• Water availability throughout the year. Water quality : Hardness below 750 ppm, pH 6.0 to 8.5
• Shed breadth should be 25 feet and shed floor should be at least 2 feet above ground level
• E.B service, Tube light @ 1No for every 400 sq. ft, is essential
• Foot bath / dip with disinfectant for better bio – security
• Separate feed room near to the shed with stacking arrangement for feed bags
• Water tank - 2 Nos (One for medication and another for drinking water) with capacity of 500 litres for every 1000 sq. ft
• Side Curtain for the entire length of the shed for both sides, inside and outside
• Partition for every 500 sq. ft
• Provision of death pit for disposal of dead birds
• Plat farm Provision for placing weighing scales 3 feet X 3 feet