When it comes to Broiler Production, every practical farmer knows that consumers want to buy broiler chickens with big weights, and some are ready to go with the price you are willing to sell them when they are impressed with the broilers’ weight.
This
is why poultry farmers are always looking for ways to increase the
body weight of their broiler chickens.
As
a poultry farmer, I’m sure you’re having a number of broiler
chickens you are raising to sell during festive periods such as
Christmas, Easter, Sallah, etc.
However,
you’re worried about something. Some or all your broilers are not
growing as expected and they have not attained the expected market
weight.
I
understand your worries and how you are feeling right now. It is not
easy raising broilers for over 2 months (as the case may be) but all
looks as if nothing has been done. It kills one’s morale and set
fear in one’s mind….. I also feel the same way, Smiles!
The
truth is that, if your broilers do not grow bigger or have good body
weights, then don’t expect much profit or have it at the back of
your mind that you run at a loss.
Nevertheless,
you can still do something to increase your broilers’ live body
weight or make your broiler chicken grow bigger.
This post would explain how to make broilers add more weight without incurring an additional cost thereby increasing your profit.
Read Also: Vaccination Program for Broiler Birds
Here are five (5) ways to increase broilers weight to make your broiler production a successful exercise:
1. Sort the Broilers According to their Body Size and Weight
The first thing you
need to do is that you should sort your broilers that have similar
body size or weight together, and keep them in the same growing pen.
This will eliminate the factor of inequality.
In addition, they will
be able to feed well without being intimidated or cheated by the
bigger or weightier broilers.
You can increase the
quantity of finisher feeds given to the group with lower weights.
When you do this, you will surely see a difference.
2. Formulate and give them an Excellent Broiler Feed
Another way
to make your broilers grow bigger or have a higher weight is by
producing and feeding them with an excellent feed.
I have
decided to share my special broiler diet formula which includes both
starter and finisher diet.
Here’s an example of a Broiler Starter Feed Formula for Female Broilers, Broiler Starter Feed Formula for Male Broilers and Broiler Finisher Feed Formula.
You
are also encouraged to carry an expert within along when doing the
formulation for your birds as he/she will properly guide you on what
works best within your Location and how it works to avoid minor
mistakes that might end up affecting your birds greatly.
3. Use Broiler Production Growth Promoter or Enhancer
I don’t
usually support farmers using growth enhancers for their animals.
They could be harmful to your animals in one way or the other.
However, if
you must use it, try and research on them and consult your
veterinarian. If you must use any broiler growth enhancer, try as
much as possible to use organic broiler growth promoter or enhancer.
4. Avoid starving the Broiler Chickens
I have
visited the farms of friends and family, and even that of clients.
Some of them starve their chickens in the name of no money to raise
them again. In the first place, why should you commit yourself into
what you won’t finish? So don’t expect any miracle if you are not
giving your broilers the required quantity of feed they need to feed
on.
If you feed your chickens well, they will grow bigger and attract more market prices. Though, there are cases where broilers don’t grow well, irrespective of the quality and quantity of feed given to them.
The major reason for this is related to the broilers’ genetic foundation.
So ensure
you purchase a good broiler breed from a reputable farm or hatchery
if you want to raise broilers for commercial purpose.
5. Procure Quality Broiler Chicks from Reputable Sources
No matter what you do
or give broilers that came from a poorly performing parent stock or
hatchery, they may never do well in terms of adding more weight or
grow bigger. Genes have a lot to do with animals’ growth and
performing.
This is the reason why
you must procure your broiler chicks from a reputable hatchery with
excellent records. You can ask other poultry farmers around you about
the hatchery or vendors they procure chicks from.
If you are
serious about increasing your broilers weight, then using the tips
discussed would do a lot with regards to boosting the weight of
broilers and increase the profit per broiler chicken.
Successful Broiler Production is all about performance and cost, says Matthew Wilson, broiler specialist at Cobb Vantress.
Better performance on your broiler production means lower costs, and is expressed in terms of average daily gain, mortality and feed conversion rate.
In turn, four key environmental factors affect these numbers which include: temperature, brooding, oxygen levels and lighting.
Read Also: How to Increase Egg Production in Commercial Layers
These must be managed carefully to ensure successful broiler production, and it is worthwhile spending money to get them just right. This is an investment that will ensure better profit if properly managed using the following methods:
1. Need for Extra Heating
“When chicks hatch, they can’t control their own body temperature until they’re 14 days old,” says Wilson. Even then, because broilers are not fully feathered until after they are 25 days old, they are highly sensitive to air movement. “Chicks always require extra heating for brooding,” he explains.
The house must be
pre-heated for at least 48 hours for every new batch of chicks. The
recommended temperature is 32°C for furnace heaters and 40,5°C for
brooders.
Heat control sensors
and thermometers should be hung above bird height in the centre of
the room. Because the sensors become less accurate over time, they
should be checked and recalibrated if necessary before every new
flock is introduced, says Wilson. If the sensor reading is out by
1°C, heating cost will increase by 8%.
2. Feeding and
Watering
A chick must consume about 25% of its body weight in feed and 50% of its body weight in water 24 hours after placement. It’s important that farmers get this right, says Wilson.
Failure to do so results in lower weight gain, higher mortality (due to increased culling for small, non-starter chicks) and poor flock uniformity. “Ensure the correct number of nipples for the number of chicks, with a maximum of 12 birds per nipple for high flow-rate systems and 10 birds per nipple for low flow-rate systems. The nipples must be a maximum of 3m apart,” explains Wilson.
Read Also: Feeding Methods for Birds
3. An Efficient Ventilation System
A plentiful supply of fresh air is essential to a chicken’s performance. High levels of carbon dioxide will reduce activity and feed and water consumption, increase dehydration, lower weight gain and increase the chance of heart failure later in life.
It is therefore vital
to install a good ventilation system that can provide a continuous
supply of fresh air and remove the carbon dioxide.
4. Lighting
Birds do not show a preference for any particular type of lighting, and light color also does not seem to affect them, says Wilson.
However, in the case of fluorescent lighting, he recommends that farmers use ‘warm light’ rather than ‘cool light’, because ‘warm light’ is more intense.
The light-bulb packaging will indicate whether the bulb gives off cool or warm light. “Fluorescent lights should be installed at 1W/m² of floor area and incandescent lights at 3,75W/ m²,” he explains. “You can turn down the light intensity when the chicks weigh between 100g and 160g. The birds will cut their feed consumption by 18% for two days after this, but then return to normal.”
I am certain by now you must have picked up few tips on ways you can enhance growth rate and maximize profits on broiler production.
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Frequently Asked Questions
We will update this section soon.
Pls, like when is it good to vaccinate broiler, is it in the morning or afternoon?