Six measures for good broiler chicken feeding management

1. Select excellent broiler breeds. Under local production conditions, strictly follow the broiler feeding technical measures formulated by the Animal Husbandry Bureau.

2. Strengthen management. For meat chickens, adopt the methods of open-sided floor rearing, free feeding, and all-in-all-out. For the first batch, and especially the second and subsequent batches of chicks, before they are introduced into the chicken house for rearing, the walls, floor, feeding utensils, bedding, etc. of the chicken house must be thoroughly disinfected according to disinfection operating procedures, and the bedding must be replaced regularly. After the house is disinfected, it should be left empty for 1-2 weeks, and then the chicks should be introduced into the house for rearing.

3. Scientific feeding. Adjust feed for meat-type chicks according to different days of age: feed No. 1 pellet feed at 1-8 days of age; feed No. 2 pellet feed at 19-35 days of age; after 35 days of age, feed No. 3 pellet feed until after 45 days of age when they reach the standard body weight for market. Add sodium sulfate: starting from 10 days of age, add 0.3% sodium sulfate to the feed until sale, and the weight gain is significant. Add methionine: add 4 grams of methionine and a small amount of vitamins to 5 kg of feed, and after continuous feeding for 6 weeks, broilers can grow to about 1.5 kg. Add fattening chicken powder: prepare fattening chicken powder in the dosage of 50% cinnamon, 20% dried ginger powder, 9% licorice powder, 7% fennel powder, 6% cooked soybean powder, and 8% ferrous sulfate. For each broiler, 0.5-1 gram each time, mix with water into the feed, feed once every two days, and after 15 days of feeding, each broiler can gain 30 grams per day. Add soybean oil: 8-10 days before sale, a little soybean oil can be added to the feed, and according to 2% of the feed amount, add sublimed sulfur powder, which can make the chickens plump and tender.

4. Suitable density, temperature, and humidity.

1. Density: in summer, 8-10 chickens can be raised per 1 sq m; in winter and spring, 13 per 1 sq m; rural township chicken farms and households generally raise 400-500 broilers in a 35 sq m house.

2. Temperature: in the first week, heat the kang and burn a stove for warmth, and raise them on the heated kang. After 7 days, they can be moved to floor rearing, and a layer of disinfected sawdust should be spread on the heated kang and the floor. The indoor temperature should initially be 32-34°C, and the temperature before the chicks enter the house should be used as the initial brooding temperature for this batch of chicks. The room should always maintain good ventilation, dryness, and cleanliness.

3. Humidity: during the young chick stage, the relative humidity in the house should be kept at 60-70%, and during the middle chick stage it should be kept at 50-60%. To keep the chicken house floor dry and the humidity suitable, drinking water utensils should be placed in suitable positions.

5. Sufficient lighting. Regardless of the type of chicken house, 23 hours of lighting are required. In the first week, stronger lighting is needed, and it is suitable to install 2-3 watt bulbs per 1 sq m of chicken house; afterward, the bulb wattage per 1 sq m of chicken house can be appropriately reduced to facilitate lighting for the chickens.

6. Sufficient drinking water. Use vacuum drinkers, or a wide-mouth bottle plus a shallow dish can be used instead of a vacuum drinker. When using it, place a small wooden stick under the bottle mouth, and water can flow out automatically through the gap. Guan Wenquan