How can you raise free-range chickens profitably in 2017?
With the gradual development of the farming industry, free-range chicken meat with 0 additives and 0 pollution is increasingly popular among city people, but for farmers, how to use low costs to earn high returns is the issue farmers care about most, so how can you in 2017 raise free-range chickens profitably?
Free-range chickens, also called pasture-raised chickens or chai chickens, are raised for meat production by grazing in natural ecological resources such as woodland, orchards, grasslands, and barren hills and slopes. Because free-range chicken meat has good flavor, a rich chicken taste, and a chewy texture, its market price is considerably higher than that of caged chickens. However, raising free-range chickens is a technical job, and many farmers who have developed the free-range chicken industry have not obtained relatively high returns, and may even lose money when the market is poor.
Selection of breeds
For free-range chicken farming, local chicken breeds are generally selected. First, local chicken breeds grow more slowly; second, local chicken breeds have strong adaptability and good disease resistance. High-quality slow-growing breeds developed by breeding institutions can also be selected.
Site selection for the chicken farm
Choose a place with high and dry terrain, shelter from the wind and facing the sun, a quiet environment, sufficient and hygienic water sources, and convenient drainage and power supply, with suitable woodland belts, orchards, grasslands, barren hills and slopes, or other economic woodlands for free-range raising, meeting sanitation and epidemic prevention requirements.
Layout of the chicken farm
The layout should be scientific, reasonable, and practical, and the relative positions of buildings and facilities should be determined according to terrain, topography, and wind direction; set up an epidemic prevention isolation zone, strictly implement the principle of separating the production area from the living area, and at the same time separate the brooding house from the free-range area, and strictly separate the dirty road from the clean road with no crossing.
Preparation of chicken houses
Free-range chicken farming requires building brooding houses and free-range chicken houses. If you buy chicks that no longer need brooding heat, you only need to build free-range chicken houses. Free-range chicken houses require heat protection and insulation, shelter from the wind and facing the sun, sufficient light, even arrangement, and convenience for sanitation and epidemic prevention.
Preparation of supporting facilities, equipment, and materials
Before the chickens arrive, prepare drinkers, feed trays, veterinary drugs, vaccines, and feed, and at the same time clean and disinfect the chicken houses and items. For feeding and management during the 6 brooding period: the brooding period is 1-30 days of age. The brooding stage is crucial, with special attention to temperature, humidity, density, and ventilation during the brooding period. Grasp these four major factors well, and the chicks will be of good quality and less likely to get sick later. During the brooding period, it is recommended to use complete compound feed throughout.
Feeding and management during the free-range period
Free-range chickens should be released after 4 weeks of age. During free-range raising, the daytime temperature should not be lower than l5°C. In seasons with low temperatures, start free-range raising at 40-50 days of age. The feed uses a mixture of complete feed and coarse grains such as corn. At this stage, pay main attention to attracting insects, eliminating rats, and drinking water, while strictly preventing poisoning.
Attention to timely marketing
Free-range chickens are not tastier the longer they are raised, and of course they are not more cost-effective the longer they are raised. Generally, they are marketed at 120-150 days of age. If
Market conditions for free-range chicken farming
Free-range chickens cannot be farmed on a large scale because the price is too high and the market capacity is small. Free-range chickens are only suitable for use as meat chickens. As laying hens, the feed-to-egg ratio is too high and not cost-effective, and besides, there is no difference in nutritional value between free-range chicken eggs and caged chicken eggs. The free-range stocking density should not be too high. According to our estimate, each mu of land should not stock more than 80 birds per batch; otherwise, the damage to the ecology is great and they are prone to illness.
Feed issues in free-range chicken raising
With the gradual development of the farming industry, free-range chicken meat with 0 additives and 0 pollution is increasingly popular among city people, but for farmers, how to use low costs to earn high returns is the issue farmers care about most. As feed prices continue to rise, adding a certain amount of green and coarse feed to the daily ration of grass chickens is necessary and feasible, but the following issues need attention during the addition process:
1. Adopt different feeding methods according to the different growth stages of grass chickens. Chicks are started on concentrated feed, and from 4 days of age about 20% chopped green vegetables can be added to their concentrated feed. Because their esophageal capacity is small, they should be fed less and more frequently, so that the chicks form a good conditioned reflex to food and lay the foundation for finding green grass-type food on their own in the pasture after they no longer need brooding heat. When grass chickens are 36-80 days old, pasture-based raising can be adopted where conditions permit. During grazing, pay attention to supplementing the grass chickens with complete compound feed in the morning and evening. If there are no conditions for free-range raising, green and coarse feed can be added to their daily ration at a ratio of 1:1. The feeding method is to first feed the flock a single complete feed, and after 1 hour place an equal amount of green and coarse feed in the feed bucket and let the flock eat freely. In the 15 days before grass chickens are marketed, the amount of green and coarse feed can be appropriately reduced to help shorten the fattening period and increase daily weight gain.
2. Use green and coarse feed in diverse combinations to ensure quality. No single green or coarse feed has comprehensive nutritional value. If used in diverse combinations, it can play a complementary role, improve the utilization rate of various amino acids in the feed, and at the same time reduce feed costs. For example, legume feed combined with grass-family feed, aquatic feed combined with sweet potato vine powder or flour, but straw powder must never be combined with chaff, rice husk, or unified bran.
3. Pay attention to the processing and preparation of green and coarse feed. Green and coarse feed is best chopped and pulped, then mixed with concentrated feed for feeding. If it is piled for too long or stewed, it can cause nitrite poisoning in grass chickens and even death. Coarse feed such as sweet potato vine, bitter vine, peanut vine, alfalfa, and champagne grass should be dried immediately after harvesting, and their integrity should be maintained as much as possible. They can be ensiled or processed into dry powder and taken out when needed to mix evenly with concentrated feed.
4. Ensure an even supply of green and coarse feed throughout the year. Affected by seasons, the supply of green and coarse feed in many areas of our province is uneven across the four seasons, but as long as the planning of forage planting is strengthened, this problem can be solved. For example, plant chicory, Rumex, and alfalfa in spring; plant champagne grass and grain amaranth in early summer; plant Chinese milk vetch, winter cabbage, and yellow-heart cabbage in winter. In autumn, some green and coarse feed can also be dried or ensiled for use in the off-season.