How to raise 817 broiler chickens? A few practical tips to share

SummarySelection of chicks: Do not pick sick chicks showing symptoms of omphalitis and pullorum disease. Rearing method: Use the plastic-net raised-brooder floor rearing method. Temperature and lighting: The temperature at 1 day of age must be kept stable at 36°C-37°C. Ventilation: Provide proper ventilation. Master the humidity inside the chicken house: Keep the humidity at 65%-70%. Pay attention to chick selection and separate rearing by group: Isolate and rear the smaller chicks separately. Feed restriction and water control: Withhold water for 0.5-2 hours before medication.

1. Selection of chicks

1. Choose chicks supplied by highly reputable breeding farms. When receiving the chicks, be careful to remove sick chicks showing symptoms of omphalitis and pullorum disease, then cull weak chicks and disabled chicks. Do not buy inferior-quality chicks.

2. Brooding at high temperature can effectively reduce the harm of Salmonella. During rearing, maintain a high temperature of 37°C and use sensitive antibiotics to control the spread of the pathogen, such as neomycin, florfenicol, amikacin, and others.

2. Rearing method

Broiler chicks are suited to the plastic-net raised-brooder floor rearing method. Using the ground floor rearing method easily makes the chickens catch cold and develop symptoms such as diarrhea, leading to colibacillosis and coccidiosis.

3. Temperature and lighting

1. The temperature at 1 day of age must be kept stable at 36°C-37°C. Generally, too low a temperature is not conducive to yolk absorption.

2. During the first 2 days of age, maintain 24 hours of lighting, with one 40-watt bulb per 15 sq m.

3. From 3 days of age, maintain 23 hours of lighting, then keep 1 hour of darkness, turning off the lights at 12 midnight.

4. Ventilation

1. In the early stage, do not focus only on keeping warm while neglecting ventilation. In the later stage, while strengthening ventilation, do not neglect keeping warm either, especially during disease outbreaks in the flock, seasonal transitions, and seasons with large day-night temperature differences. Drafts must not occur. In cold winter, when the air inside the chicken house is poor, environmental diseases such as chronic respiratory disease, colibacillosis, and ascites are prone to occur.

2. Generally, proper ventilation can be carried out at noon on clear, warm days, and peracetic acid can be used for disinfection in the chicken house, which can also neutralize ammonia. Adding some microecological preparations to the feed helps reduce the ammonia odor produced by manure.

5. Master the humidity inside the chicken house

1. Chicks are susceptible to respiratory diseases and colibacillosis. If the relative humidity inside the house before brooding is low and the humidity is too low, measures such as aerial spraying, sprinkling water on the ground, and placing water basins on the stove can be used to keep the humidity at 65%-70%.

2. Avoid the phenomenon of high temperature and low humidity to prevent dehydration of the flock, and at the same time also pay attention to ventilation.

6. Pay attention to chick selection and separate rearing by group

1. The first chick selection needs to be carried out when the chicks arrive at the brooding room, then cull weak chicks and small chicks and isolate them for separate feeding.

2. The second chick selection is carried out at 6-8 days of age, or it can be done at the time of the chicks' first immunization, then isolate and separately feed the chicks with poor growth and small size.

3. Male and female broiler chicks differ in sex and also differ in physiological basis, so their requirements for and responses to nutrition, environment, and conditions are also different.

7. Feed restriction and water control

1. To avoid excessively fast growth in broilers, generally before 20 days of age, feed can be appropriately restricted to prevent nutritional metabolic diseases such as ascites syndrome and sudden death syndrome in broilers. In the later stage, 1%-2% garlic can also be added to the feed, which not only prevents enteritis but also promotes feed intake and appropriately advances the marketing age.

2. If the flock does not actively eat, feed can be appropriately withheld. During disease outbreaks in the flock, when treating infections with systemic septicemic diseases such as viral diseases, colibacillosis, and coccidiosis, water can be withheld for 0.5-2 hours before medication. In addition, when the flock undergoes drinking-water immunization, water can also be withheld for 2-4 hours.

8. Feed changing

Feed changing for broilers needs to be gradual. If feed A is currently used and you want to switch to feed B, the following method can be used: mix 2/3 feed A with 1/3 feed B and feed for 1-2 days; mix 1/2 feed A with 1/2 feed B and feed for 1-2 days; mix 1/3 feed A with 2/3 feed B and feed for 1-2 days, then feed only feed B.

9. Pay attention to rearing management during the growing period

1. During this period, determine the time to stop heating based on the season and the health status of the flock. In winter and spring, stop heating after 35 days of age; in summer and autumn, stop heating around 20 days of age.

2. When broiler chicks enter the growing period, manure and litter need to be removed promptly, and hygiene and disinfection should be done well to avoid the massive presence and multiplication of bacteria and viruses.