BROILER MANAGEMENT GUIDE

BROILER MANAGEMENT GUIDE

BROILER MANAGEMENT GUIDE A broiler is a type of chicken raised specifically for meat production. Broiler Chicken production is one of the most progressive livestock enterprises in Africa today. Chicken broiler production is advantageous as it requires minimal land for housing only, as commercial feeds can be used for the enterprise. Because of their efficient meat conversion, broiler chickens are also popular in small family farms in rural communities, where families raise small flocks of broilers for home consumption and local sale. Therefore the poultry industry began as a backyard enterprise which has grown to contract farming business. Alternative broiler markets which include hotels, institutional buyers, Supermarkets, Butcheries etc should be surveyed before starting a broiler business to ensure ready market at the time of harvest. The most profitable options between selling the birds dressed or live and selling in the market or at the farm gate should be chosen. The objective of broiler management is to achieve heavy birds with uniform weights. The first two weeks in a broiler s life are critical and require attention. CHICK MANAGEMENT BEFORE BIRDS ARRIVE. Houses, surrounding areas and all equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before arrival. Litter should be evenly spread to a depth of 8-10cm.Uneven litter can restrict access to feed and water. Heat the brooder one hour before chicks arrive. For the best results, chicks should be delivered to the farm as soon as possible, and fed immediately. Chicks should NEVER be transported in the boot of a car. They should be placed on a car seat, with adequate ventilation.

Housing The length of the broiler house should run from east to west to prevent direct sunlight. One sq foot floor space per bird is required,. The house should be cat proof, bird proof, rat proof and well ventilated. Chicken house and all the equipments should be cleaned and disinfected in preparation for arrival of day old chicks. CHICK MANAGEMENT UPON ARRIVAL. Chicks should be removed from the box immediately. The longer they remain in boxes, the greater the potential for dehydration. This will result in mortality and reduced growth. For the first seven days, provide 23 hours of light to help the chicks to adapt to their new environment and encourage feeding. Give the birds feed and water immediately after they arrive at the farm, and add vitamins to the water immediately. Arrange drinkers and feeders to enable the chicks to reach the feed and water easily.

Rearing Day old chicks The day old chicks should be purchased from reputable hatcheries with a good track record. Broiler chicks selected should be approximately 33g in weight and healthy. Provide sufficient artificial heat to keep day old chicks warm. Avoid abrupt changes in brooder temperatures during the first two weeks. Provide adequate space for chicks to avoid overcrowding which can lead to poor growth. Good ventilation and good lighting are important to prevent respiratory diseases and encourage the chicks to start feeding respectively. Feed chicks intermittently with good quality feeds other than continuously for better utilization of feeds. However do not leave feed troughs empty for more than 1-2 hours. The chicks should be fed regularly following a definite schedule especially during the first 3 weeks. Ensure that fresh drinking water is always available. Vitamins, minerals and antibiotics may be added to drinking water during the 1 st few days. Keep the brooder clean and dry to prevent disease and parasite contamination. Prevent sudden changes in the environment (e.g. removal of brooder canopy and slamming doors) to prevent stress. Check the chicks every night before sleeping. Immediate burning or burying of dead birds is important for good hygiene. Temperature Buy a thermometer, and place it at the height of the chicks away from the heat source. Record daily temperatures. Normal chick temperature should be between 40-41 oc.a simple way of determining the chick temperature is by placing the feet of the chick against your cheek or neck. The chicks feet should feel warm, if the chicks feet are cold, increase the temperatures in the brooder. The brooder temperatures are very important and should always be closely monitored. (Refer to chart below)

Chick behavior is the best indicator of correct brooding temperature. How are the chicks spread out in the brooding area? Lighting Programme AGE(DAYS) HOURS(DARK) 0-7 0 Chicks between 100-160g 9 22 8 23 7 24 6 5 Days before Slaughter/Sale 5 4 Days before Slaughter/Sale 4 3 Days before Slaughter/Sale 3 2 Days before Slaughter/Sale 2 1 Days before Slaughter/Sale 1 Always weigh birds at 7, 14, 21, 28& 35 Days. Water A big change in water consumption should always be investigated because it could indicate a water leak, feed issue or disease. A drop in water consumption is always the first indicator of a flock problem. Always maintain 4 drinkers per 100 birds, and ensure that the water is always cool and clean and available for 24 hours a day. Inadequate water supply will result in reduced growth rate Feeds Feed should be placed on a clean egg tray, sack, or news paper for first 7 days so that it can be found easily. Gradually introduce them to feeders. Ratio should be 4 Trays per 100 chicks. These should cover 50% of the brooding area. For regular feeders should be 3 feeders per 100 birds. Feed should be kept in a place free of water, sunlight and rodents/rats. Wet or moldy feed should never be fed to birds. Check a sample of birds 8 hours after arrival, and repeat after 24 hours to see that the birds have fed well. Check a sample of about 30-40 birds in different parts of the poultry house. Feel the crop gently. In chicks that have fed well, the crop will be full, soft and rounded. After 8 hours of delivery, 80% should have full crops at 24 hours after delivery 95-100% should have full crops. CHICK STARTER Give 0.5 kg per bird of crumbles/pellets for 2 weeks. GROWER Give 1.5 kg per bird of grower pellets for 2 weeks. FINISHER

Give 1.5kg per bird of finisher pellets for last 2 week. However, most birds fed on pellets are depleted at 5 weeks. Chick Starter.)0.5kgs/chick 14 days or 2 weeks Grower 1.5kg/Bird for 14 days or 2 weeks Finisher 1.5kgs/Bird for 14 days BROILER FEED USAGE GUIDE. 50 Chicks 70 Chicks 80 Chicks 25 kgs 35kgs 40 kegs 100 200 400 500 1000 Chicks Chicks Chicks Chicks Chicks 50kgs 100kgs 200kgs 250kgs 500kgs 75kgs 105kgs 120kgs 150kgs 300kgs 600kgs 750kgs 1,500kgs 75kgs 105kgs 120kgs 150kgs 300kgs 600kgs 750kgs 1,500kgs Please note that the above computations are subject to change for finisher. The usage will be less for finisher if birds are off layed at 5 weeks BENEFITS OF PELLETS COMPARED TO MASH PELLETS You need 3.5kgs to grow a bird from day old to depletion. There isn t any feed wastage. When a pellet falls on the floor, it is still eaten. Birds sell in 5 weeks with uniform weights. Each chicken consumes all the required nutrients in one pellet. This explains why all the birds are sold at once weighing uniformly. MASH You need 7-8kg to grow a bird from day old to depletion. There is feed wastage. When mash falls on the floor, it mixes in litter and hence wasted. Birds sell in 7-8 weeks with no uniformity. Each Bird doesn t consume all the required nutrients because mash isn t evenly mixed. This explains why birds are not sold at the same time. Each bird usually weighs differently. Performance Indicators Some important performance indicators for chicken broiler enterprises include feed conversion ratio (FCR), Mortality rate, average body weight and Harvest recovery rate. Feed conversion ratio= Total kg of feeds total body weight of the whole flock at harvest The lower the FCR the better as it refers to Kilograms of feed consumed to

gain 1 kilogram of meat. Mortality rate = Average body weight = Harvest recovery rate= Birds that died during growth cycle and should not exceed 5 % Total Kg marketed total number of birds A good average is 1.6 kg-2.0 kg achieved within 45-60 days % of total birds that were marketed which should not be lower than 90% COSTING FOR 100 DAY OLD BROILERS FEEDING ON PELLETS COMPARED TO MASH. BIRDS FED ON PELLETS Starter: Each kg is 2,000/=,&Each bird consumes 0.5kgs for 2 weeks,times 100 Birds=50kgs*2,000/= gives you 100,000/= Grower:Each kg is 1,850/=,& Each bird consumes 1.5kgs for 2 weeks, times 100 Birds= 150kgs*1,850/=gives you 277,500/= Finisher:Each kg is 1,750/=& Each bird consumes 1.5kgs for 2 weeks times 100 birds= 150kgs*1,750/= gives you 262,500/= The total Expenditure onfeeds is640,000/= BIRDS FED ON MASH It takes 8 bags of 70kgs to feed 100 birds from day old to depletion when maize prices are low.each kg of feeding is usually 1,200/= per kg. GOOD TIMES: 8Bags*70kgs= 560kgs*1,200/= gives you 672,000/= In times when maize is high, feed is usually poor quality and it requires 9 bags to feed those same 100 birds. BAD TIMES: 9 bags*70kgs= 630kgs*1,200/= gives you 756,000/= There is a saving of between 32,000/= to 116,000/= for every 100 birds by using pellets. VACCINATION PROGRAM AGE DISEASE VACCINATED METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION 1 DAY New castle disease Already vaccinated 1 week New castle disease Drop in eyes/ Mix in Water 11 DAYS Gumboro disease Drop in eyes or nose 16-18 DAYS Coccidiosis. Give Amprolium in Water for 3 days. 19 Days New castle, Infectious Bronchitis Drop in eyes. Combined& Gumboro. 25 DAYS Coccidiosis Give Amprolium in Water for 3

days 28 Days New Castle disease Drop in eyes/mix in Water On vaccination day, tap water should be mixed with skimmed milk. Mix 50mls of skimmed milk to 1 liter of Water. If using powdered skim milk, mix 2.5g (2 tea spoons) per liter of water. Don t use full fat milk or semi skimmed milk. (Skim milk is sold in supermarkets). Water vaccinations should be drank within 1-2 hours of administration/mixing. Turn off the water source for one hour before administering the vaccine. Come with a flask with ice. A day for collection of vaccines is as follows; Monday and Thursdays at 09:30 am.-02:00pm. Tuesday and Friday at 08;30am.-02:00pm De-worm at 16 Days. Keep the chicken house clean Broiler Chicken Business Returns Calculation for 300 Birds in 6-8weeks Item Number of units Cost per unit Total Cost(sh) Remarks Expected sales 270 birds Kshs 280 120,960 1.6 kg per bird Chick purchase 300 chicks Kshs 70 Kshs 21,000 10% may die Feeds required 1350 kgs Kshs 50 Kshs 67,500 5kg feeds per bird Labor& others 15 man days Kshs 200 Kshs 3000 Veterinary N/A N/A Kshs 4000!0% of the cost Total Cost Kshs 95,500 Returns Kshs 25,460 When Making starter broiler chicken business plan, determine the total amount of initial investment capital you need for:- Housing construction for a beginner Purchase of equipments Purchase of day old chicks Chick booster feed 10g /chick /day for the first 7 days Broiler starter feed 60g/chick per day for 3 weeks Broiler finisher feed 90g/chick per day for 2-4weeks

Operating expenses (labor, electricity etc) Medication and veterinary services