The Effect of Various Types of Brooding on Growth and Feed Consumption of Chickens During the First 18 Days After Hatch

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1 The Effect f Varius Types f Brding n Grwth and Feed Cnsumptin f Chickens During the First 18 Days After Hatch H. G. BAEOTT AND EMMA M. PRINGLE Animal Husbandry Divisin, Bureau f Animal Industry, Agricultural Research Center, U. S. Department f Agriculture Beltsville, Md. INTRODUCTION T} ESEARCH t determine the effect * * f envirnment n grwth and feed and water cnsumptin f chickens was started in 1944 at the U. S. Department f Agriculture Research Center at Beltsville, Md. Fr the purpse f this study three small huses were built within a large air-cnditined rm in the fattening labratry f the Pultry Sectin. These huses were s cnstructed and utfitted that it is pssible t cntrl envirnmental factrs within them. Optimum envirnmental temperature has been established fr chickens up t 18 days f age. Hwever, the chickens were at all times in a unifrm envirnment, and it was nt knwn whether this was mre desirable than ne where a hver was used, the hver being at a higher temperature than the rest f the brder where feed and water were kept. Therefre it was decided t cnduct sme cmparative experiments with ther types f brding nw in use. PROCEDURE Three distinct types f brding were cmpared. In ne the chickens were cnfined t a steel brder with n hver, and the brder and rm in which it (Received fr publicatin Octber 29, 1948) was placed were kept at unifrm envirnmental cnditins thrughut. Fr this type f brding the three small huses previusly mentined were used. A cmplete descriptin f these huses and cntrls was given in an earlier paper by Bartt and Pringle (1947). Figure 1 shws the exterir and Figure 2 the interir f the huses. In the secnd type f brding, cmmercial steel brders with hvers were utilized (Fig. 3). Each brder was 24" wide and 36" lng. The hver ccupied the rear 13" f the brder and was prvided with a thermstatically cntrlled electric heater. The frnt 23" f the brder was at rm temperature (75 F.), and feed and water were available frm this prtin f the brder. The flrs were wire mesh and were lifted t the level f the feed trughs during the first few days and then gradually lwered s that at the end f 2 weeks they were at their riginal psitin abut 1J" belw the level f the feed trugh. In this secnd type f brding the tw brders used differed in an imprtant detail i.e., the arrangement fr feed and water. In ne brder (type 1, Fig. 3), the frnt and sides, made f heavy irn mesh, were hinged at the tp and fitted 450

2 EFFECT OF BROODING ON GROWTH OF CHICKENS 451 int slts in the trugh at the bttm. This arrangement permitted them t be s adjusted that a prtin f each trugh was inside the brder, thus feed was right befre the chicks, inducing them t begin t pick at it at nce and sn they were eating regularly. In the ther brder the psitin f the feed and water trughs was the same (Fig. 3, type 2), but they were shut ff frm the brder by a strip f metal with clsely spaced apertures thrugh which it was necessary fr the chickens t stick their heads t get at the feed and water. This arrangement was nt cnducive t immediate feeding by the baby chicks. The abve tw brders were set n a bench in the same air-cnditined rm in which the three unifrm envirnment huses were lcated. This rm was kept at a temperature f 75 F. Therefre, the FIG. 1. Huses with unifrm envirnment. chickens in the tw brders were in an envirnmental temperature f 7S F. at all times when they were nt under the hver. ' Fr the third type f brding, the chicks were hused in ne f the rms f the nutritin brder huse, which was steam heated. The temperature f the rm was regulated by a thermstatically perated valve n the radiatr and was kept at 75 F. during the experiment. The rm was apprximately 10'X12' and the flr was cvered with 2" t 3" f sawdust. Tw hvers were prvided fr the chicks. As may be nted (Fig. 4), they were circular in frm with cne shaped tps. They were made f metal with 3" clth curtains arund the bttm which were slit at intervals t allw free access t and frm the hver. The hvers were electrically heated and thermstatically cntrlled. Feed and water were prvided in pen tp dispensers which

452 H. G. BAROTT AND EMMA M. PRINGLE FIG. 2. Interir f ne f three huses with unifrm envirnmental cnditins thrughut. were placed clse t the hver fr the first few days and later mved farther away.

3 452 H. G. BAROTT AND EMMA M. PRINGLE FIG. 2. Interir f ne f three huses with unifrm envirnmental cnditins thrughut. were placed clse t the hver fr the first few days and later mved farther away. The feed trughs were set in metal trays s that all spilled feed culd be recvered and its weight determined. During the first few days the run was limited by a wire fence which was later remved, permitting the chickens the run f the whle rm. The temperature under all hvers and in the huses with unifrm envirnment was the same and was that fund t be ptimum in the earlier wrk, i.e., 94 F. the first day and reduced apprximately 0.8 F. per day t becme 80.0 F. n the 18th day (Bartt and Pringle, 1948). The chickens used were frm a selected flck f Rhde Island Red hens. The breeding birds were maintained and the eggs hatched at the Agricultural Research Center at Beltsville, Md. All chicks were frm the same hatch. They were nt sexed but later prved t be fairly evenly divided between males and females. Tw hundred ten chicks were selected as nearly identical in appearance and weight as pssible, with the result that the average riginal weight f the chicks used in the huses with unifrm envirnment was 41.2 grams; thse in the cmmercial brders, 41.0 grams; and thse in the nutritin brder huse, 41.1 grams. Thirty chickens were placed in each f the unifrm envirnment huses; 30 in each f the cmmercial brders; and 60 in the nutritin brder huse rm, 30 under each hver. They were weighed individually and en masse each day 4 hurs after the last feeding perid. The rutine was the same fr all chickens and was that fllwed in the wrk n temperature f envirnment (Bartt and Pringle, 1947). All chickens were supplied with feed and water ad libitum and had 12 hurs f light fr feeding. The diet was the same as that fed in the abve wrk. Numerus experiments were perfrmed in the huses with unifrm envirnment and six using brders with hvers, but nly tw experiments were cnducted in the nutritin brder huse. These tw gave nearly identical results fr grwth and feed cnsumptin. In rder t make a fair cmparisn f the three methds f brding, results frm nly the tw experiments cnducted with each methd at the same time and with chicks frm the same lt were used.

E F F E C T OF BROODING ON G R O W T H OF C H I C K E N S 453... ip*,.i i M ' -trm FIG. 3.

4 E F F E C T OF BROODING ON G R O W T H OF C H I C K E N S ip*,.i i M ' -trm FIG. 3. Cmmercial brders used: type 1, feed inside brcder; type 2, feed utside brder. FIG. 4. Nutritin brder huse rm.,'%-

5 454 H. G. BAROTT AND EMMA M. PRINGLE 3S0 H X U> Ul * _J < z ex iii X H- u. K Z 111 us a. < in < Y- X (9 111 s CURVE 1-HOUSES WITH UNIFORM ENVIRONMENT CURVE 2-BROODER WITH FEED INSIDE CURVE 3-BR00DER 1 1 ^^L**" ^"\J«^^ WITH FEED OUTSIDE y ^^^^^^^ j T s^^ i X II IS AGE OF CHICKS IN DAYS Yfy\ x^s- FIG. S. Grwth f chickens brded under different cnditins. RESULTS Grwth and feed cnsumptin were determined fr each grup f chicks frm hatch t the 18th day. Frm the results n grwth the curves, (Fig. 5) were cnstructed. These curves shw the weight at any time up t the 18th day as the percentage f the riginal weight. As may be nted, the chickens brded in the huses with unifrm envirnment made the best grwth. The weight f these chickens n the 18th day was 340% f the riginal weight. Chickens brded in the cmmercial brders with feed, and water trughs inside had a greater increase in weight than thse with feed and water utside. On the 18th day the weight f the first grup was 310% f the riginal weight while the weight f the secnd grup was nly 280%. The chicks in the latter grup CURVE 1 V\ CURVE 2. 1 V~y A As 1! 'CURVE 3 CURVE 4 had a pr start due t placement f feed and water trughs, and never caught up with thse in the first grup. The prest grwth f the three grups was made by the chickens in the nutritin brder huse. The weight f this grup n the 18th day was nly 250% f the riginal weight. The first few days after hatch appeared t be f great imprtance with respect t grwth. Table 1 shws hw each grup respnded in grwth in the first days. The chicks in the brder with the feed utside had nt begun t grw by the 3rd day and thse in the nutritin brder huse actually had a lss in wieght up t this time. The feed was nt s easily accessible in the brder with the feed utside and in the nutritin brder huse it was even less available. An analysis f the amunt f feed eaten

6 EFFECT OF BROODING ON GROWTH OF CHICKENS 455 TABLE 1. Grwth f chicks first few days after hatch Type f brding 0 days *Weight f chicks at age f 3 days 4 days 7 days Huses with unifrm envirnment Brder, feed inside Brder, feed utside Nutritin brder huse gms * All weights crrected fr undigested feed and ylk in system. by the three grups f chickens during the first week (Table 2) shws clearly that TABLE 2. Feed eaten by chicks first week Type f brding Huses with unifrm envirnment Brder, feed inside Brder, feed utside Nutritin brder huse Feed- chick 1st 2 days st 7 days the different grups did nt begin eating at the same time. Table 3 summarizes the data n grwth, feed cnsumptin and efficiency f feed utilizatin up t the 18th day. SUMMARY Cmparative experiments were cnducted with Rhde Island Red chickens frm hatch t 18 days f age using three distinct types f brding: huses withut Type f brding TABLE 3. Gain in weight, feed eaten and efficiency f feed utilizatin f chickens first IS days Weight n 18th day as percentage f riginal weight hvers but with unifrm envirnment; cmmercial brders with hvers, ne with feed inside and ne with feed utside f the brder; and a rm in the nutritin brder huse with hvers, The temperature thrughut the huses with unifrm envirnment and under all hvers was 94 F. n the first day and reduced apprximately 0.8 F. each day thereafter t becme 80 F. n the 18th day. The temperature utside the hvers in the cmmercial brders and in the nutritin brder huse rm was 75 F. Rutine fllwed and diet fed were the same in all cases. Greatest increase in weight and efficiency f feed utilizatin was nted in the huses with unifrm envirnment. On the 18th day, the chickens brded in these huses weighed 340% f the riginal weight while the chickens brded in xthe cmmercial brder with feed inside weighed 310%, thse in the ne with feed utside the brder weighed 280% and Gain in weight per chicken Feed eaten fr 18 days Efficiency f feed utilizatin Huses with unifrm envirnment Brder, feed inside Brder, feed utside Nutritin brder huse percent

7 456 H. G. BAROTT AND EMMA M. PRINGLE thse in the nutritin brder huse weighed nly 250% f the riginal weight. The efficiency f feed utilizatin ver the whle perid was 0.40 fr chickens in the huses with unifrm envirnment, 0.39 fr thse in the cmmercial brders with feed inside, 0.37 fr thse in the cmmercial brders with feed utside and 0.36 fr thse in the nutritin brder huse rm. REFERENCES Bartt, H.G., and Emma M. Pringle, Effect f envirnment n grwth and feed and water cnsumptin f chickens. 1. The effect f temperature f envirnment during the first nine days after hatch. J. Nutritin 34: , Effect f envirnment n grwth and feed and water cnsumptin f chickens. 2. The effect f temperature and humidity f envirnment during the first eighteen days after hatch. J. Nutritin. J. Nutritin 37:

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