CHAPTER 4

4. Poultry Production and

Hatchery Management

1
 4.1. Introduction

 The word poultry refer to all domestic birds

kept for the production of meat and eggs for
human consumption.
 It includes domestic chickens, turkeys, ducks,
geese, quails, guinea, fowl ostriches etc.
 Therefore under the present East African
condition, the word poultry is equivalent to
domestic chicken and is synonymously used
with the word chicken.
2
4.2. Origin and biological classification of poultry

 Domestication of poultry is said to have

started in Asia particularly in what is
known now as India .
 Most literatures reveal that usage of
domesticated birds by man was very
different from usage of domesticated
mammals

3
 Right from the start, mammals were
used for food and as work animals.
 But, domesticated birds were used first
only for cultural purposes; like for:
religious, divination, black and white
magic, Entertainment (e.g. cock
fighting) and decorative arts etc

4
 Four species of jungle fowl are known
to modern ornithology.
 One of these the red jungle fowl (Gallus
gallus) has been a major contributor to
domestic fowl.
 It is less certain that whether the other
three species are ancestral to the
domestic chickens.

5
Jungle fowl have been classified as
 Order Galliformes
 suborder Galli,

 family phasianidae
 subfamily phasianinae
 Genus Gallus

6
The four recognised species are:-
a) Gallus gallus - red jungle fowl
b) Gallus sonnerati - grey jungle fowl
c) Gallus lafayeti - ceyion junglefowl
d) Gallus varius - green junglefowl

7
 Commercial classification

Chickens are classified according to their utility

or economic values.
 Egg type – e.g. Leghorn –produce large

numbers of eggs.
 Meat type e.g. synthetic – fast growing birds.

 Dual purpose e.g. Rhode Island Red.

 Ornamentals : they are kept for aesthetic

value e.g. Bantam


8
Types of indigenous chickens

They are divided in to 4 groups based on

feather colour
1. black

2. white
3. red
4. gray

9
Disadvantage of local birds
Low egg and meat production
Male reach 1.52 kg at about 12 months
Broody characteristics,

10
Advantages of local Chickens

• Resistance to certain diseases and parasites.

• Withstand harsh condition such as
• Poor feeding and watering
• Poor housing
• Poor health care
• Need less feed for body maintenance.
• Product quality.
• Better hatchability.
•
11
Factors affecting performance of local birds
o Lack of genetic improvement.
o Unimproved environmental condition.

Improvement of local birds

Improve environmental condition
Improve health condition
Improve genetic capability by Up grading and
Selection

12
 Poultry production systems in
East Africa and its major
constraints
 The type of a given production system is depend on
agro ecological conditions.
 This means that one production system may be
important in one agro ecology, but may not be
important in the other.
 Three production systems can be seen in east
Africa.
 These production systems are characterised mainly
by the objectives of the producer, the input used
and number and types of birds kept on the farm.
13
 1. Traditional (backyard) type of production system

 The traditional production system is practised

almost by every family in the rural, urban and
pre -urban dwellers.
 It is estimated that an average of six
indigenous birds are kept by every family.
 This system is characterised by minimum
input with birds scavenging for most of their
food and no investment other than the cost of
the birds and for simple night time shelter
14
 Broodiness is highly pronounced, egg
production is estimated at 40-60 per
bird per year. Egg weight is low ranging
from 39 to 42 gm. The weight of male to
an age of 12 months is about 1.52 kg
and for female it is much less than this.

15
 2. Commercial poultry production system

 Currently, this sector that involves both

private and government enterprises is
still in its early development stage.

16
 3. Small scale intensive production system

 This is a newly emerging system in

urban and pre-urban areas particularly
along the roads in big cities. It is
characterised by small flock size
(usually 50-500 birds). It is organised
along commercial line.

17
 Importance of poultry and improving their productivity

 Poultry play a significant role in the

livelihood of the rural and urban
population of Africa. Besides being a
valuable source of income it has the
following advantages.
 It fits quite well to the condition of small
holder farmers because

18
 Small investment such as feed cost,
space requirement, low cost of the
animal etc.
 make poultry rearing a suitable farming
activity for the poor.
 Stock numbers can easily be increased
as needed due to their fast reproduction
rate.
 Poultry can easily be sold off at time of
economic difficulty.
19
 Although chickens and humans
compete for the scarce carbohydrate
sources, chickens could be maintained
on a limited amount of feed during feed
scarcity.
 Poultry farming do not cause land
degradation i.e. erosion.

20
 Poultry production is more suitable to
areas where there is land scarcity for
grazing than other livestock.
 Poultry rearing creates rural
employment (for women, children and
men) improves nutritional status of the
people, generate family income and
plays a significant role in the social
cultural economic and religious lives of
the society.

21
Methods of improving production:

1. Improve the environment which

comprises – feeding, housing, health,
generally improving management.
2. By selection.
3. By cross breeding.

22
 I. Selection

 Selection is the process by which

certain individuals are preferred
(selected) to others to become parents
of the next generation.
 Selection is of two types that which
occur naturally and that due to the effort
of man.
 Enough number of chickens is needed
to conduct selection. 23
 Steps

 Subjecting enough population size for

selection
 Determine the population mean in terms
of production and productivity
 Select best performing ones and
determine the mean of selected ones.
 Determine the expected production
potentials of the next generation
24
 Methods of selection

1. Individual and family information:-

 When selecting animals from a large

population, there are likely to be

different families of animals within that
population.
 i. Individual selection: On the basis of

their own performance irrespective of

their family (or mass selection)
25
ii. Family selection: By choosing the
best families as a whole and rejecting
the other (also called between family
selections).
iii. Within family selection: By
choosing the best individual from each
family.

26
 2. Breeding systems

i. In breeding: when closely related

animals are mated to produce offspring'.
It often unmasks numerous genetic
defects.
 ii. Cross breeding: is another way to

improve performance of our breed by

producing hybrid through crossing not
only breeds but also lines also within a
breed are used 27
 If two lines do cross successfully and
produce productive offspring, they are
said to ''nick'' 'Nicking'' is a term used by
poultry breeders to indicate that two-
strains or breeds when crossed will
produce offspring' that are superior to
either parent.

28
 iii. New Breed formation (synthetics)

 New breeds formed from two or more

constituent breeds have corporately been
called synthetic breed by geneticists.
 New breeds can be synthesised from
crosses combining breeds in virtually any
proportion.
 First crosses or various back crosses of two
breeds, or combinations of more than two
breeds.
29
Incubation and hatchery operation

 Incubation
 Incubation can be achieved either by natural
means using broody hen or by artificial means.
 Natural incubation
 Natural incubation is practiced under
scavenging system of poultry keeping.
 Selection of the right hen
 When a hen shows the urge to hatch can be
used as a broody hen
30
 Her behaviour shows some specific
characteristics such as:-
Specific broody sound,
 sitting on her nests refusing to leave it,
trying to gather some eggs from
neighbouring nest and pushing them into
her own,
Large hen with good feather can cover up
to 14 eggs, etc

31
 During brooding
 A broody hen may leave her nest once in a
day to drink feed and defecate.
 Place feed and water near the nest box so
that she should not walk away from the nest.
 When the chicks have difficulty in getting out
of their shell, the humidity is probably too low.
 To help the chicks hatch, place some soil with
grass under the wired floor of the nest box
and keep it moist.

32
 Artificial incubation
 The development of a fertile hen egg
into a young chick requires:
 A temperature of 37.5-390c for three
weeks, a supply of fresh air allowing the
embryo to breathe, enough humidity to
prevent the egg content from drying out
and some movement of the egg to
prevent the embryo from sticking to one
side of the egg.
33
Therefore, an incubator must have a:
Source of heat
thermostat to maintain the temperature at
37.5-39oc,
Tray which holds the egg steady but allows
the movement of air around the eggs,
supply of water to humidify of (to moisten)
the air in the incubator,
 ventilator to provide fresh air and to
remove stale air.

34
Collection and storage of hatching
eggs
 Hatching eggs should be collected as
frequent as possible at least four times
a day.
 With respect to storage one of the

required quality characteristics for

hatching eggs is freshness.
 In most cases it can not be avoided to

store the eggs for a few days before

putting them in the incubation.
35
 During storage of hatching eggs two
main processes have to be prevented
as much as possible
Development of the embryo
Evaporation of water out of the eggs.

36
 After laying the egg gradually cools
down from 41c0 (hens body
temperature) to house temperature.
 As long as the egg temperature is
higher than 27c0 the embryonic
development continues.
 The embryos have the highest chances
to survive a storage period if they are
cooled down below 27c0 within five to
six hours after laying.
37
 When eggs are stored for a few days to
even two or three weeks it is necessary
to lower the temperature.
 A relationship exists between the length
of the time eggs are stored and the
optimum temperature for best
hatchability.
 So the longer the storage period, the
lower the storage temperature should
be maintained

38
 On the other hand, storage of eggs at
lower temperature may cause
condensation of moist from the air on the
shell when they suddenly taken from the
storage room to a room with a higher
temperature.
 This phenomena is called '' sweating''
sweating of eggs is undesirable because
micro-organisms that are present on the
egg shell surface get the chance to enter
the eggs via the pores due to the moisture
on the shell surface
39
 It is therefore advisable to increase the
storage temperature room 1/2 day
before the hatching eggs are to be
removed (pre warming before setting)
 Therefore if the eggs are to be stored
for 7 days the storage temperature
should be about 16c0.
 If they are to be stored for more than 7
days it should be about 10-12c0
40
 Relative Humidity

 If the eggs are to be stored for more

than 7 days the eggs should be stored
with the small end pointed downward in
order to prevent damage to the air cell
located at the large end.


41
 The RH should be about 75%.
 Effects of storing on hatching eggs: -
Storage prolongs incubation time, it
depresses hatchability and there is a
loss of 0.5-1% per day after the first
period of 7 days, depresses weight
of chicks etc.
 For this reasons hatching eggs
should not be stored for more than 7
days.
42
 Selection of hatching eggs

 Do not include dirty floor eggs.

 Use first class eggs, all eggs with
obvious abnormalities should be
rejected.
 Avoid misformed eggs since they do not
hatch well.

43
 Avoid broken or cracked eggs, because
they do not hatch since they dry out in
the incubator.
 Small and extra large eggs should not
be used.
 Long eggs are usually 'double yolks'
which do not hatch.
 Do not use abnormally coloured eggs
since they are usually the result of
genetic defect
44
 Position and turning of eggs in the incubator

 Eggs should be turned regularly at least

twice a day starting 24 hours after
setting until the 18th day.
 There are two reasons for turning.
To prevent the embryo sticking in one side
For equal temperature distribution. When
turning avoid shocking and jolting.

45
 Regarding position it is important to
place the eggs the small end pointing
down ward.
 If the blunt end is placed down ward
hatchability will be decreased by about
15%.

46
Fundamental points of incubation

 In addition to quality of hatching eggs,

the following factors are major
importance to achieve good result.
Temperature,
humidity,
ventilation,
hygiene,

47
 Temperature: The optimum temperature
for the development of the avian
embryo varies in relation to the type of
incubator. .
 It is very important to keep the
temperature as stable as possible.
 Depending on the duration and level of
under cooling or overheating, the
developing embryo will be more or less
affected.
 In general it can be said that eggs are
more sensitive to overheating than 48
under cooling.
 Relative humidity: The first 18 to 19
days the relative humidity should be 50-
60 for eggs of normal shell quality and
maximum of altitude at 1500 masl.
 As soon as 1/3 of the eggs is piped the
relative humidity should be increased to
75 -80%.

49
 This is done for
To avoid the down of the chicks sticks to
the membrane.
To make it more easy for the chicks to
break the membrane.
To avoid dehydration.

50
 Candling of incubated eggs

 After 5-6 days of incubation it is

possible to differentiate between
unfertile and fertile eggs.
 Most hatcheries candle their eggs at 18
days when the eggs are being
transferred from the Setter part of
incubator to the Hatcher part.

51
There are several reasons for candling
Early detection hatchery problems
Estimation of humidity.
Possibility of utilizing infertile eggs.

52
 Quality of day old chicks

At take off chicks have to be separated from

their debris and graded into first quality and
culls the weak once.
The reasons of separating them into good and
poor quality chicks are:
 to avoid high mortality rates during the first 3-5
days
 weak chicks are more susceptible to diseases
and could contaminate the other birds as well
 Poor quality chicks perform less well.
53
Hatching and delivery of day old chicks

 When the chicks hatch they are rather

wet, chicks must be allowed to dry in
the hatcher and to fluff out their down.
 To speed this process the humidity
should be reduced again when about
2/3 of the chicks have come out of their
shells
 And allow about 4-5 hours for the drying
process after which the chicks are
removed from the Hatcher. 54
 Do not leave chicks in the hatcher too
long, this would tend to dry them out.
 Too much dehydration would lower their

vigours and vitality.

 Never help 'late' chicks to hatch by

cracking their shells, such chicks are

too weak and many of them would
probably die during the first week.

55
 Chick Sexing

There are 3 sexing methods

 Colour sexing can be conducted by
observing the feather colour of the day old
chicks.
 Feather sexing: This can be conducted by

observing the wing feather.

 In the case of female the bottom raw of the

feathers are always longer than the top row.

 In male either both rows of feathers have

same length or the bottom row of the feathers

is shorter than the top row.
56
 Cloaca sexing: This method requires
special training and experience.
 It can be used to sex all types or
breeds of chicks.
 It can be done by looking at the vent in
which the cloaca protrudes in which
sexual parts of the chicks can be
recognized.

57
 Feed and water requirement after hatching

 The chicks draw the yolk sac with the

body at hatching and these acts as an
additional source of food for the first
week after hatching.
 It is the presence of this yolk sac that
enable the chicks to be transported over
a distance including several days travel
without the need to provide them with
food and water. 58
 It means that the chicks should not be
used in nutrition experiments for the first
week after hatching because the
absorption of nutrients from the yolk sac
will influence the results obtained.

59
 If the chicks are brought from far away
hatcher it is evident that they are
exhausted, weak and dehydrated, in
order to rehabilitate, the addition of 8%
sugar to the first drinking water will keep
them to recover.
 To get 8% solution, dissolve about 1.4
kg sugars in about 11.3 litters of water.


60
 Poultry houses

 A properly constructed poultry house,

regardless of its size and the materials
used has certain essential features
such as
A watertight roof,
 Proper ventilation,
 Inner surfaces which are easy to clean,
 Rat and wild bird proof floor,
 walls and roof,
 Correct location etc 61
 Location
 Sometimes there is no choice, but if
there is a choice features for a good
location are:
Well drained land, this is especially
important where litter systems are used.
Within sight of owner / supervising
personnel.
Away from other chicken houses to
reduce the spread of diseases,
generally the more the distance the
better. 62
 Noisy areas should be avoided.
 No direct sunshine entering the
house, placing the house in an east-
west direction is best.
 Think of transport of birds feed and
eggs.
 Residential areas should be
considered

63
 Housing systems
 Poultry housing systems vary from the
small backyard flock only having simple
night shelter to modern poultry houses
with thousands of birds in controlled
environment houses.
 In more intensive systems in hot
climate zones there are two options,
open houses in hot climates and closed
(environmentally controlled) houses in
wet regions. 64
Basic systems for keeping poultry:
A/ Floor system
Within this system one can distinguish the
following type
Free range with only a shelter for the night.
Poultry run with night shelter.
Litter floor system.
 In this system the poultry birds are kept
in large pens, on floor covered with
litters like straw, saw dust, wood
shavings or leaves up to depth of 8-12
inches. 65
Disadvantages of litter floor system

 There is a greater chance of worm and tick

infestation and coccidiosis (internal protozoan
parasites) than with cages or raised floor systems.
 The deep litter system is inappropriate for very
humid area. (80- 90% humidity--damp litter
spreads diseases.
 The litter must be turned often particularly in
damp weather and this requires more labour than
other enclosed systems
 Some times adequate litter is difficult to obtain

66
B/ Slatted floor system (Raised floors):

 Floors raised to about 1 m above the

ground are made of wooden slats, wire
mesh or expanded metal.
 The chickens dropping should be
collected frequently from under the
house and composted

67
Advantages of slatted floor system

 In very humid climates:

 This is a healthier system for chickens
than is deep litter, because disease
transmission through fecal matter is
minimal.
 This system often is better suited for a
few birds than is a deep litter.
 In some areas, it costs less to build a
raised-floor house than deep-litter 68
 C/ Battery system (Cage system

 This is the most intensive type of

poultry production and is useful to those
with only a small quantity of floor space
at their disposal. In the battery system
each hen is confined to a cage just
large enough to permit very limited
movement and allow her to stand and
sit comfortably
69
 The floor is of standard strong
galvanized wire set at a slope from back
to the front, so that the eggs as they are
laid roll out of the cage to a receiving
gutter.
 Underneath is a tray for droppings.
 Both food and water receptacles are
outside the cage.
70
 Advantages of Battery/Cage system

 Cages can be placed under the

existing roofs; thus, a special building
may not be required.
 Less labour per bird is needed than

with other systems.

 Poor layer can be identified

immediately and culled thus saving

feed.
 Problem with parasites are reduced 71
 When properly constructed cages last many years.
 Fewer disease problems are caused by transmission
through fecal matter.
 Cages are a cheaper investment in the long run due to
ease in care and feeding of the birds.
 Simpler handling.
 No floor eggs.
 Cleaner eggs.
 Less feed. –
 No brooding behaviour.
 Increasing crowdedness.
72
 Disadvantages of Battery/Cage system

 They involve very high initial

investment per bird.
 Requires constant and excellent

ventilation.
 There are more broken eggs than with

deep litter system

 The feed must contain all necessary

vitamins and minerals needed by birds.

 Broken bones. 73
 In hot climates at least 3 sides should
be open (wire netting) in order to have
enough fresh air (ventilation).
 By means of boards or mats the sides
may be temporarily and partially closed
when there are young chickens in side.
 The climate in a chicken house has a
great influence on the health and
production level of the birds. 74
 Especially young and highly productive
birds are sensitive in this respect.
 Even if it is difficult to control climate, in
the tropics three things are very
important to control
Proper insulation of the roof (in closed
chicken house),
good ventilation is of utmost
importance, 75
Proper hygiene, an ambient temperature
When layers are exposed to high temperatures
we can expect the following to happen:-
The birds are looking for cooler places (e.g. cement
floor)
There is less activity
The birds start panting and spreading their wings in
order to increase body surface
Water consumption increases and feed intake drops
 Egg production drops egg weight
 decreases Shell quality and strength decrease
 Lower fertility and lower hatchability of the eggs

76
 Optimal temperature

 Chicks/pullets/broilers 30-20c0
(decreasing with age)
 Layers 20-25c0

77
 Lightening chicken house

 Reproduction in chickens is influenced

by light effects.
The start of sexual activity (the laying eggs)
The start of egg laying after a rest period

Light also has a physiological effect, it

stimulates activity, the birds eat more
and this affects body weight and
production 78
4.6. Poultry management
 Good poultry husbandry and
management are essential
for profitable egg and meat production,
growth rate
 egg weight
 feed intake proportion of second class
eggs,
egg shell quality
percentage production and mortality rate
are the key factors that determine
79
profitability for the farmer.
 Good poultry management needs that
the poultry man should have
 a wide knowledge of feeding
 housing
 disease control
 record keeping
 breeds and breeding.
 For seek of easily management,
poultry management is classified80
based on the age and production
 Brooding Management

 Brooding refers to the period when

young chicks require a lot of care.
 Great care must be taken during
brooding.

Methods of brooding
 There are two methods of brooding

chicks namely
81
 Natural brooding
 1. Natural brooding

 This is the method whereby a broody

hen takes care of the chicks she
hatched.
 The local fowls are more suitable for
natural brooding.
 A good sized broody hen can brood up
to 12 chicks in colder weather and up to
15 during hot weather.
 The system is suitable for small number82
 2. Artificial brooding

 In this case use is made of equipment

and facilities which provide conditions
similar to those of the broody hens like
adequate
warmth
protection against harsh conditions and
predators.
 Proper feeding watering and veterinary
care are provided.
83
Management of chicks from 1 day to 8 week of age

 Poor management as well as disease

can result in high mortality.
 Therefore, it is essential to provide
proper growing conditions for the
chicks.
 Every time check the temperature under
the brooder canopy.
 In the absence of thermometer it is
possible to estimate the intensity of heat84
 When the temperature is too high we
see that:
The chicks sit with spread out wings and
open beaks
The chicks sit as far as possible away from
the heat source
There is less feed intake: the chicks drink
more water and this often cause wet litter.

85
 When the temperature is too low we see
that the chicks:
Come close together are less active
Will raise their feather cover
Will stay close to the heat source

86
 Light: The chicks will eat when there is
light. As eating must be stimulated
especially early in the brooding period
artificial lighting is a must.
 However gradual reduction of the light
is recommended.

87
 Feeding

 When the chicks are day old flat feeders

cut out from chick boxes egg trays and
flats can be used.
 As they grow up the feeders should be
changed to deeper and longer
containers. Shallow drinkers must be
used during this period

88
 Confinement: To confine the chicks
around the source of heat source, feed,
and water and to prevent drought it is
necessary to erect a so called brooder
guard around them. A cardboard or any
similar material with a height of about
45 cm can be used.

89
 Grower management

 Growing period is between 8 and 22

weeks of age.
 Growers are the future laying birds and
the way they grow up will largely
determine how well they do in the laying
house.
 Therefore proper management during
the growing period is important.
90
 After the brooding period, the birds are
transferred to a growing house and from
there (at 18 weeks of age) to a laying
house.
 Feeders and drinkers should never be
more than 3m apart to avoid
competition among them.
 To avoid feed wastage, feeders should
be filled at about one-third. 91
Breeder Management- On Litter Floor

 In this management, chickens which are proposed for

breeding purpose transferred from grower house to
Breeder house after the age of 18-20 weeks.
 Breeder house should be isolated in order to minimise
risk of diseases.
 They also require more floor space than laying hens.
 At about 18 weeks of age place males with females.
 This should be done before dark in order to reduce
fighting among males.

92
 Avoid placing less and too many males
in the pens as both reduce fertility.
 The ratio should be 1:8 for light breed
and 1:10 for heavy breed.
 A few extra males should be placed in
the pens.

93
 Maintaining hatching egg quality and
good clean nests must be used as well.
Generally,
– Place nests in the pen before the birds
start laying.
– Provide sufficient nests.
– Place good quality nest material in the
nest.
– Disperse broody hens when they
94
gathered in the nests.
 Cull males often: During breeding
watch males very carefully and any
inferior males must be removed.
 There is a proof that males mate with
certain females and if a particular male
becomes unable to mate, his matching
females will not take another male until
he is removed.
95
 Feeding breeders

 The dietary requirement of breeders is

corresponds to those of layers.
 However, breeding birds need higher
levels of certain nutrients such as
essential amino acids like methionine,
minerals, vitamins (A, E, D) riboflavin
and biotin.

96
 Layer Management

 In country where poultry industry is well

developed, the hens start laying when
they are about 20 weeks of age.
 The production of the whole flock then
rises rapidly to a peak after another 8
weeks.
 At that point most of the hens lay eggs
almost every day.
 Each day there are as almost as many 97
 The general characteristics of poultry
stock which is productive are the
following:
Production rises to a peak quickly
Peak production is high.
The peak production is maintained for
some times and then only slowly decreases.

98
 Laying house equipment

 Layers kept on litter floor use laying

nest to lay their eggs.
 There are two types of laying nest
namely individual nest and communal
nest.
 Laying nests should be placed at about
0.50m above the ground

99
 The following points are most important
to prevent floor eggs.
Place laying nests, at least one per 5 laying
birds.
Place enough nests on time, at least 2-4
weeks before the onset of egg laying.
Collect floor eggs as frequent as possible.
Keep nests as dark and cool as possible.

100
 Feeders: Make sure that there are
enough feeders in the house.
Place a stick (spinner) above the feeder
to avoid birds from sitting on the feeder.
Feeder should be filled about 2/3 to
avoid feed wastage.
Construct lips around the edges of the
feeders to catch spilt feed.

101
 Place feeders at different places so that
hens can get feed every where in the
house.
 Stale feed should be removed when
offering fresh feed.
 Feed should always be available in the
feeder.

102
 Drinkers Suspend
 Provide clean cool water, it should be
always available.
 Place drinkers on elevated place and
avoid water spillage, which can cause
wet litter.
 Drinkers should be cleaned every day.
 Drinkers should be available at all
points throughout the house 103
 Lighting: Provide a laying flock natural
or artificial light of 16 hours per day (min
12, maxim, 16 hrs). Age of moving to
laying house: pullets can be moved to
permanent laying house starting from
18 weeks of age. Change of ration to
layer diet can be done just before the
first egg is laid.
104
 Culling: Culling of birds is picking out
and removing anomalous
(unproductive) animals. They are found
in any flock. The purpose of culling is to
make the flock profitable.
 Culling can be done in a number of
time like:
 Just after hatching, during rearing, at
the times of vaccination, at moment of 105
 Advantage of culling

 High level of egg production can be maintained.

 The extra cost for feeding of unproductive birds
can be saved, because an adult hen eats about
3.3 kg of feed per month whether she is laying
or not.
 More space is provided for the remaining birds.
 Incidence and spread of poultry diseases is
much reduced from a flock when the sick birds
are regularly removed.
106
 Broiler Management

 The term broiler is applied to chicks of

the species Galus domesticus that have
been bred especially for rapid growth so
that they will on average reach a weight
in excess of 2 kg at eight weeks of age
having consumed only 2 kg of feed for
each kg of live weight increase.

107
 The main guiding principle of broiler
rearing is the "all-in, all-out" principle so
that only birds of the same age are kept
on the same site.
 The birds can be reared to slaughter
weight in eight weeks, and two weeks
are needed between each batch.
 So, five batches can be reared in each
house each year. 108
 Receiving the chicks
 At the time the chicks arrive on the farm
everything should be done to comfort the chicks.
 Note that the first 24 hours on the farm are very
important; mistakes made during this period will
never be corrected completely without side
effects.
 Therefore make sure that the chicks get all the
extra attention possible during the first day.

109
 Stocking density
 During the first few days 50-60 chicks
per m2 may not create problem, but
later on the number should be reduced,
depending, on the age and weight of
marketing.
 High density increase disease risk,
mortality, feed competition, and reduces
growth and meat quality.

110
 Feed Ration formulation for poultry

 Formulation of rations needs three

major in putes, first, the nutrient
requirement of the birds must be known.
 Second, nutrient content of the different
feed ingredients to be used should be
known.
 And lastly, since a least-cost situation is
desirable, the current market prices of 111
Steps in formulating a ration are:-

 1. Start by satisfying the protein requirements both

for quantity and quality.
 2. Next balance the protein and energy content. It
is better to exceed the protein minimum than fall
short.
 3. Balance for calcium and phosphorus. If Ca and
P are low, add limestone, dicalcium phosphate or
bone meal for balancing.
 4. Add about 0.35% salt.
 5. Balance vitamins and / or minerals.
112