Broiler DOCs

Brooding
Management

Dr Bahsharudin Mohd Sharif

Topics

1. Preparation for chick 6. Lighting

arrival 7. Relative humidity
2. Water and feed 8. Monitoring of early
3. Brooding management chick performance
4. Ventilation 9. Uniformity
Preparation For
Chick Arrival
Preparation For Chick Arrival
✓Litter material (wood
shaving/ paddy straw)
✓Depth of 3–4 in (7.5–10cm)
✓ Assemble the necessary
equipment in appropriate
configuration (i.e., feeders,
drinkers, heaters and fans)
Preparation For Chick Arrival

✓Pre-heat the house for a ✓Monitor temperature

sufficient period to regularly to ensure a
achieve target house & uniform environment
litter temperatures prior to exists throughout the
chick arrival. whole brooding area.
Preparation For Chick Arrival
✓ Arrange equipment in the
house to:
o allow chicks to maintain body
temperature (40.6 – 41.7oC)
without dehydration
o to find feed and water easily.
Body temperature
40.6 – 41.8oC
 Chick Placement
✓The longer chicks are in
transport boxes, the
greater the degree of
dehydration.
✓ This may result in early
mortality and reduced
growth potential.
 Chick Placement
✓If the mixing of chicks from
hatchery is unavoidable,
chicks should be grouped by
breed as much as possible.
✓Ensure light intensity and
duration are set prior to
chick arrival (2.5 foot
candles / 25 lux; 23 hr).
 Chick Placement

✓Chicks must be tipped

quickly, gently and evenly
over the brooding area.

✓ Remove empty boxes from

the house ASAP.
Chick Placement

✓Check birds every 4–6 hr after

placement for the first 24 hr.
✓Reposition and adjust feeders
and drinkers should from 2 -3
days of age
✓Introduce additional ones as
the illuminated area is
increased.
Chick Placement
✓Remove 1/3 of the
supplemental feeders on
each of days 8, 9 and 10.

✓ Chicks should be gradually

trained to the main feeding
system within the first 10
days of placement.
Water & Feed
✓Prior to chick delivery, a final check must be made of
feed and water availability and distribution within the
house.
Water & Feed

✓Drinker lines should be

flushed and sanitized prior to
bird arrival.
✓The water quality, purity, and
temperature must be checked
in advance.
✓Water should be within the
correct temperature range
(18–24ºC).
Water & Feed

✓ Add glucose or electrolytes

to the water (5% solution) for
the first few hours of life to:
o to replenish the depleted
energy
o to stimulate the chicks to
consume feed
 Water & Feed
If
o water & feed
o correct brooding temperature
o air quality

The post-hatch body weight should be

able to quadruple (4x) by 7 days of
age.
Example : DOC = 40g, at 7 Days = 160g
 Water & Feed

✓ To monitor if chicks are

consuming adequate feed, palpate
their crops.

✓ The crops should be quite full.

Brooding
Management
THE CRITICAL POINT
 Brooding Management

✓The objective of proper

brooding is to develop
appetite as early as possible.
Type of heaters
used in open
house
Type of heaters
used in closed
house
Brooding Management

✓Brooder guards – control

early chick movement.

✓Expand from 3 days of

age

✓Remove by 5 -7 days.
Brooding Management
✓Chicks should be placed
evenly throughout the
brooding area.

✓Use of stirring fans

o enhance air quality
o uniformity of temperature
and RH.
Brooding Management
COBB 500 Brooding Temperature
Correct Temperature

Chick behavior is the

best indicator of correct
brooder temperature.
Brooding Management
Ventilation
 Ventilation
✓Air quality is critical
during the brooding
period.
Ventilation

✓Ventilating fans can be used

to ensure fresh air is
supplied to chicks at
frequent, regular intervals.

✓ This to maintain evenness

of air quality at chick level.
Lighting
Lighting Benefits
✓to stimulate early feed intake
✓minimize FCR or reduce
mortality.

Any lighting program should

provide a long day length (e.g.
23 hr light) and adequate
intensity for the first 7 days.
Lighting Intensity
✓Light intensity at placement
should be 2–2.5 foot candles (20–
25 lux) at the feeder level, then be
gradually reduced so that by 28
days it is approximately 0.30–0.50
foot candles (3–5 lux).

✓Light intensity should be uniform

throughout the house.
Light Intensity
Lighting Program
Relative
Humidity (RH)
Humidity

✓RH levels in the first 3 ✓RH within the broiler

days should be house should be
maintained near 70%. monitored daily.
Humidity

✓If RH is out of the target range,

adjust the temperature of the
house at chick level accordingly

✓Monitor chick behavior (too hot

or too cold) at all stages
HIS (Heat Stress Index) for poultry
Monitoring of
Early Chick
Performance
Monitoring Early Chick Performance

✓Brooding is important to
ensure the chicks growth
according to standard and
achieving desirable market
bodyweight.

✓Remember : Chicks must

have a good start !
Monitoring Early Chick Performance

✓A general rule of thumb would

be a 7-day target of 4x day-old
chick weight.

✓ If average weight is <130g

initiate investigation

✓7 days weight lesser 1 gm

resulting 6gm lesser at 42 days.
How to achieve 4x body weight
1. Proper Feed Allocation
 How to achieve 4x body weight
2. Light Intensity at lease
20 lux at feeder level
How to achieve 4x body weight
3. Water available all time
How to achieve 4x body weight

4. Adjust temperature
properly
How to achieve 4x body weight

5. Ventilation :
o A very important factor to
ensure chicks receive
enough oxygen .
Possible Causes of Mortality
Uniformity
Causes of poor early growth
and uniformity
Causes of poor late growth
and uniformity
Factors Affecting Uniformity

1. Egg size variation due to multiple

parent source flocks

2. Hatchery stress
o High hatching temperatures
o Inadequate moisture loss during
incubation
o Bacterial/fungal contamination
 Factors Affecting Uniformity

3. Chick delivery stress

o Overheating/chilling
during transport

4. Excessive stocking density

 Factors Affecting Uniformity
5. Brooding Management
o Improper feed and water access/
management
o Improper temperature and ventilation
oInsufficient light intensity and duration
o Overcrowding leads to feed and water
availability problems
oPoor litter conditions (e.g. wet,
ammonia, dusty)
Causes of poor quality litter
Good quality vs bad quality litter
Record Keeping
Record Keeping
Record Keeping
Record Keeping
Conclusion

Brooding management is
very important!

Performance lost in the 1st day or 1st week will

be reflected in final performance results.
THANK YOU