(4) BROODING OF BROILERS

(4) BROODING OF BROILERS


This is the most difficult aspect in the management practices in broiler production. Birds should be kept warm with artificial heat from the day they arrived till 4th week of age. Provide enough clean water, floor space, feed non-stop and allow some fresh air inflow during hot days. It is recommended that the temperature of the brooder house should be maintained at about 32 degree centigrade and relative humidity of 55 – 70% during brooding period. An average time temperature of 23 – 26 degrees centigrade in Nigeria for broiler is recommended by some authorities and the night temperature of about 20 degrees centigrade. However, the most relevant authorities in broiler production recommended a temperature of 30 degrees centigrade in the Harmattan period. The relative humidity of 50 – 80% in Nigeria was recommended in the south and 30 – 60% in the north, but an optimum range is 50 – 57%.

In practice, it is advisable to allow the general weather condition to guide you in brooding stage of your chicks. Feed the chicks all day and all nights. As earlier mentioned in part 1, broilers are genetically superior birds with specialized characteristics. To maintain this superiority, they are fed broiler starter throughout the four weeks of brooding. The broiler starter can be obtained from, any commercial broiler compound feed dealer. Keep the chicks under close observation for 3 – 4 days, regulate the heat source following any of the observations below:-

(a) If the birds cluster or gather to the heat source, this implies that the heat is not enough. Therefore, the heat should be increased.

(b) If the birds move away from the heat source and are found at the edge of the brooding house, it implies that the heat is too hot for the chicks, therefore, the heat should be reduced.

(c) If the birds are found to distribute or spread evenly in the brooding house, this implies that the heat source if good for the birds and should be maintained.