SMALL SCALE COMMERCIAL BROILER FARMING FOR PRODUCTION OF MEAT

 

Dr. Rambabu.D, Associate Professor

Dept. of Poultry Science, College of Veterinary Science, Korutla

PV Narsimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University

Jagtial dist – 505 326. Telangana State.

e-mail: ram_vetdoc@rediffmail.com

 

Key Words: Broiler, Brooding, Vaccination, Small scale, Health care and Waste disposal.

INTRODUCTION

Chickens raised for meat are known as broilers. Young, immature chicken of either sex that is appropriate for broiling or frying and has tender flesh, soft, malleable skin with a smooth texture, and flexible breast bone cartilage. Do you know that modern broilers, at 42 days (6 weeks) old, may reach a weight of 2 kg? Consider a chick that was 40 g at hatching and gained 1.96 kg in just 42 days. In other words, chicks acquire about    2 g each hour, or 47 g per day. In fact, during the fifth and sixth weeks, the growth rate is so rapid that 4 g will be added every hour. Why do we need this information? The major purpose is to understand how sensitive and quickly growing broilers are. So, it is impossible to anticipate such performance without competent management. Thus, the management of broilers is covered in this section, from preparing the shed for the arrival of the chicks to their marketing and performance evaluation. You can raise 8,000 broilers annually in small-scale broiler production, which would result in revenue of Rs. 12,000, or Rs. 1.50 for each broiler sold at 6 weeks of age. Typically, 1,000 broilers are raised in batches every 7 weeks (1,8, 15, 22, 29, 36, 43, and 50th week) or 500 broilers every 25 days.

Benefits of Farming for Broilers

The following are some advantages of raising broilers:

• Can be done as a side business to your primary profession
• Produces animal protein in the form of broiler meat
• Quick and consistent return on investment through broiler farming
• Manure collected from broiler farms can be used for crops as it is enriched in minerals
• Can alleviate unemployment and malnutrition issues
• Promotes the production of related goods by supporting companies that make fast food, breeding farms, vaccines, medications, appliances, and feed.

Each broiler needs 1 square foot of space. Therefore, a 1,000 square foot structure will be needed to raise 1,000 broilers.

Necessary Inputs

Finance, Land, Electricity, Water, Buildings/Houses, Chicks, Brooders, Feeders, Waterers, Feed, Medicines, Vaccines, Transportation, Manpower, Knowledge, Staff Housing, Security, Store House/Freezer are all necessary inputs.

Breeds and strains of broilers

CARIBRO DHANRAJA, CARIBRO MRITUNJAY, CARIBRO VISHAL, and HITCARI, which were developed by the Central Avian Research Institute (CARI), a division of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in Bareilly.

• The KRISHIBRO and VANRAJA broilers, created by the Directorate of Poultry Research (DPR), Hyderabad.
• Anak 2000, Kegbro, Ross, and Vencob are private hatcheries that produce hybrid broilers.

Systems of Farming

 

Small-scale farming systems

Broadly as Commercial

Rearing Methods

Free range/backyard/scavenging

In these situations, the birds are allowed to roam freely outside and are only given housing or shelter at night. There are no particular guidelines for housing, supplies, eating, or even disease prevention. In our nation, numerous indigenous (Desi) birds are raised in this manner. The majority of these birds are raised as a pastime, and any profits are considered a bonus. The number of birds raised in each unit will be capped at 10 to 15.

Semi-intensive System

In this system, water and some food are provided in a separate nighttime shelter for the birds. The ground is covered with litter. This shelter will have a fence around it, providing the birds with enough space to graze during the day. Obviously, the amount of grazing space depends on the area of the land enclosed by the fence. The approach is more common for raising ducks and turkeys than chickens, though. A pond for ducks to swim in could also be provided. Shelter is built similarly to the deep litter house that you learned how to build in the prior unit.

Intensive System

Extensive and semi-extensive systems are rarely used commercially in our nation due to advancements in the ability of birds to grow and produce. The adjective “intensive” denotes greater intensity, greater concentration, or greater numbers per unit area. As a result, compared to semi-extensive or extensive systems, all of the systems in this category allow for the production of more birds in a given space. No space will be provided outside the house. That indicates that they are confined to a home where they are given access to food, water, and other necessities. The intensive ways for raising chickens are deep litter, cage, slat and slat and litter, and deep litter. Deep litter and cage systems are more frequent in India than the others. In-house system is another name for intensive system.

BROODING OF CHICKS

You’ve probably heard of “Broody hens,” who sit on eggs, warm them up, and then hatch them. As a result, the word “brood” has the connotation of warmth or heat. During the first four weeks of their lives, chicks require extra heat. As a result, this time period is known as the “brooding period.” The temperature outside largely determines how long the brooding period lasts. Brooding time extends if it is low and vice versa. Immediately after hatching, chicks are unable to regulate their body temperatures. In the wild, hens also give warmth to the chicks under their wings or breasts. “Brooders” are employed in a business setting for this function. Can you explain what occurs if the chicks are not brooded? Yes; definitely, chicks feel cold if brooding is not done. They gather together and lean on one another to get beyond this. Due to suffocation and trampling, many chicks at the bottom of the mound may perish. They also do not move, which causes malnutrition and death. Consequently, brooding is necessary for chicks. The recommended brooding temperature is 35°C (95°F), which must be lowered by 2.7°C (5°F) per week until it is equal to the desired house temperature. As a result, brooding is required throughout the first four weeks. However, brooding may need to be prolonged in cold weather conditions for up to 6 weeks, whereas in warmer weather, brooding may only need to be confined to 1 or 2 weeks.

Brooder

The Canopy Brooder (Floor), Reflector Brooder, and Infrared Brooder are the three main types of brooders used in chicken farms. A canopy brooder (Fig. 1) is an upside-down umbrella made of bamboo or galvanised iron that has a 2 to 3 foot diameter and 3 to 4 bulb holders with lights for lighting and heating.  Find out the purpose of fixing bulbs in a canopy brooder first. When bulbs are turned on, the air is heated, keeping the birds warm, and the light they create helps the chicks find food and water, especially at night. The quantity and wattage of the fixed lamps need to be known next. By using common sense, you can infer that the quantity and wattage of bulbs are chosen in accordance with the anticipated temperature at the farm in question. For instance, one 25 Watt bulb suffices in hot, humid coastal areas during the summer, whereas three 60 or 100 Watt bulbs are needed during the peak winter months in areas where harsh winters are anticipated. 4 to 5 canopy or reflector brooders are needed to raise 1,000 broilers. A total wattage of 1000 watts is needed for infrared brooding (one watt per chick), which can be provided by four 250-watt or seven 150-watt lamps. Greater infrared lights are desirable because they provide more brooding space for chicks than fewer do. There are 23 hours of light and 1 hour of darkness while brooding.

 

Fig. 1 Canopy Brooder                                    Fig. 2 Brooder

 

 

A guard setting up a brooder

The placement of the brooder guard (Fig. 2) designates a circular region inside which brooding supplies are placed. The area that the brooder heats is known as the “brooding area,” and the space inside the brooder guard that surrounds the brooding area is known as the “run space.” In cases of canopy brooding, the run space will typically be twice as large in locations with warm weather as it is in areas with cold weather. Estimating the area that the brooder guards will cover is the next stage. In fact, when a chick grows in size and weight, the amount of room it needs to grow changes daily. As a result, brooding equipment is elevated and brooder guard is stretched appropriately. For starters, each chick needs a space of roughly 300 cm2 (1 square foot) (brooding + run). The diameter of the area that the brooder guard should encompass can be computed based on the number of chicks within the brooder.

Brooding Chicks

The chicks must be kept in the brooder house after being removed from chick boxes as soon as they arrive. The actions listed below are advised:

• It is a good practise to dip the freshly hatched chicks’ beaks in water and place them into the brooder area.
• It is advisable to check a sample of chicks from each of the chick boxes to determine the quality of the chicks. This also helps to identify mortality, if any, during travel. If not, the chick box can be swiftly turned upside down and all the chicks can be dumped close to the brooding area. At this time, it is crucial to count the chicks.
• It’s important to keep a close eye on the chicks to spot any weak ones and to assist any that can’t reach for food and water.
• It is equally important to watch the chicks to make sure they are all genuinely eating. You might need to keep an eye out for “starve-outs” by randomly catching a couple of them and checking at the base of the neck for the existence of feed in a structure resembling a pouch called “Crop” beneath the skin.
• For the first two weeks, there should be two waterers for every 100 chicks; however, if there are 300 chicks per brooder, there should be six waterers.

About 4 hours prior to the arrival of the chicks, the waterers are filled.

• To aid the chicks in distinguishing between feed and maize grit, feed is sprinkled over paper.

Clean drinking vessels must be provided, and fresh water must be distributed at least twice daily. Feed is provided in a same manner, at least twice daily.

The drinkers need to be placed with caution. They must be maintained in a horizontal position, and water cannot spill onto the trash.

• Broiler starter, a standard balanced ration, must be provided without restriction (ad libitum). For the first two days, 5 kg of cracked grains are fed for every 1000 chicks.
• As the birds get older, bell or nipple drinkers, as well as linear or hanging feeders, can be added, gradually replacing some of the current feeders and drinkers.
• To prevent unneeded competition, cannibalism (eating one another), subpar growth, and feed waste, floor space and drinker space must be sufficient. 450 cm2 (12 sq foot) and 900 cm2 (1 sq ft) are needed for broilers up to 4 weeks old, respectively; the corresponding drinker space needs are 1.5 and 2.5 linear cm.

MANAGEMENT AND CARE OF CHICKS AND BIRDS

Feeding • Broilers are fed ad libitum, or as much as they desire, in linear (Figs. 3 to 5) or circular feeders (Fig. 6).

• For instance, you could make a broiler starter ration with 40 kg of maize, 14 kg of bajra/jowar, 18 kg of groundnut cake, 7 kg of sunflower cake, 10 kg of fish meal, 7 kg of soybean cake, 3 kg of mineral mixture, 500 gm of salt, and 500 gm of vitamin premix to provide 22% crude protein and 2,800 kcal ME/kg.

Feeder Space requirements for broiler chicks

 

Age of chick (weeks)	Long feeder (cm)	Circular feeder (cm)
0-3	2.5	1.2
4-6	5.0	2.5
7 and above	7.5	5.0

 

Waterer and Feeder

• Ratios for the starter (1–14 days), grower (15–28 days), and finisher (29–42 or 49 days) stages of broiler production.
• A kilogramme diet for broiler starter should contain 2700–2800 kcal ME and 22–23% crude protein.
• In the finisher, lower the protein content to 20–21% and raise the energy level to 2900–3000 kcal ME per kg diet.
• During the ages of 0-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 weeks, the average feed consumption of broilers will be 25, 60, 110, and 160 grammes per bird per day.

The feed conversion ratio (FCR) measures how much food is needed to gain 1 kg of weight.

Fig. 3 Linear feeder with grill and lips Dimensions of linear chick feeder:

A = 60 to 75 cm, B = 2.5 cm, C = 7.5 cm, D = 10 cm, E (lips) = 8 to 10 mm and F = 2.5 cm

 

Dimensions of linear broiler feeder:

 

A = 90 to 150 cm, B = 7.5 to 10.0 cm, C = 15 cm, D = 25 cm, E (lips) = 20 to 25 mm and F = 5 cm

Watering

• You should remember that birds can tolerate starvation but not
• Watering is usually done in a waterer/drinker (Fig. 7)

Fig. 7 Fountain drinker

• As a guide, the broilers will consume 50, 120, 200 and 250 ml water per bird per day during 0-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8 weeks period.

HEALTH CARE AND WASTE DISPOSAL

Health care

• A number of illnesses, including those of bacterial, fungal, parasitic, metabolic, and viral origin are common in broilers.
• Affected birds exhibit dullness, reduced feed intake, decreased productivity, weakness, weight loss, etc. during illness.
• Controlled management, good sanitation, and cleanliness will unquestionably slow the spread of infections.
• Because broilers are only raised for 42 to 49 days, they must be protected from two serious diseases: Ranikhet Disease (RD), also known as New Castle Disease, and Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD). The suggested immunisation regimen is shown in the following table:

Vaccination schedule for broilers

 

Age (days)	Disease	Vaccine	Route
3-5	ND   (Newcastle  or Ranikhet Disease)	LaSota or F1 Strain	Ocular or Nasal or Water or Spray
14-16	IBD            (Infectious Bursal or Gumboro Disease )	Georgia strain Kive virus	Ocular or Nasal or Water or Spray
35
0-1	MD           (Marek’s Disease)	Serotype 3 MD Live virus	Subcutaneous injection on neck
14-28	Fowl Pox	M strain Live virus	Subcutaneous     or intramuscular injection

 

Disposal of Broilers Birds and dead birds

 

Broilers are sold to poultry meat sellers while they are still alive. Although there aren’t many wholesale marketplaces for live birds, there are some in major cities. From these markets, local store owners in nearby communities can purchase live birds through agents, brokers, or intermediaries. In some parts of the country, the outdated practise of selling chicken at auction by Kori (20 birds per kori) without taking into account their weights or grades is still in use. The retail poultry meat shop owner sells the live birds by count in mandi, but on a live or dressed body weight basis. The primary criterion for price fixing is the live broiler’s body weight.

 

• In rare circumstances, you can also get rid of them by killing them. 25% of the dressed chickens are sold as raw or marinated cut-up portions, de-boned meat, fillets, and further processed value-added products like burgers, kababs, nuggets, patties, samosas, sausages, and soups. The remaining 75% of dressed chickens are sold as hot dressed, chilled, or frozen whole carcasses. Only 5% of the chicken produced by the nation’s largest poultry producers is sold through their retail locations as value-added goods; they sell 40% live broilers and 55% chilled or frozen chicken. About 30% of the population of consumers are from metropolitan areas, while 70% are from rural areas. Most locations operate a similar small- and large-sized market for eggs and chicken meat. The proper disposal of deceased birds is another crucial factor.

 

Today, there are many stockists who trade poultry and its product across the nation. The least that can happen if deceased birds are not properly disposed of is that bacteria will attack on them and a bad odour will be created. Therefore, it is required that corpses of dead birds be properly disposed of. There are essentially two methods for getting rid of the corpses: cremation and burning (incineration). Both are permissible as long as the proper protocol is followed. It is customary to place a carcass disposal facility next to or next to a manure dump.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Broilers are raised on a small scale to produce edible meat for human use, and because they are raised for only 7-8 weeks, you may expect quick returns on your investment. You can choose broiler farming as a side business, but you should first receive the necessary skill training from a local KVK or poultry training facility.