Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Free-Range Local Broiler Chicken Raising in Greenhouses

I. Technical Introduction. Local broiler chickens refer to local chicken breeds and their crossbred improved chickens, such as Chongren Partridge Chicken, Ningdu Yellow Chicken, Taihe Chicken, Guangfeng White-Eared Yellow Chicken, Yuyu Black-Feathered Silkie, etc., as well as the crossbred improved synthetic lines of these local chicken breeds. Local broiler chickens have the characteristics of tolerance to coarse feed, wide adaptability, strong foraging ability, strong stress resistance, strong disease resistance, beautiful body appearance, and excellent meat quality. Both local chickens and their crossbred chickens are suitable for greenhouse free-range raising. Greenhouse free-range technology has the characteristics of low investment, quick results, easy relocation, and being beneficial to ecological environmental protection. Greenhouse free-range technology is suitable for chicken farmers of various regions and various scales.
II. Technical Operating Procedures
1. Greenhouse Construction
(1) Chicken shed site selection. It can be built in hilly areas, orchards, or woods. Site selection should consider the size of the chicken flock and factors such as the terrain of the chicken shed, the exercise area for the chickens, and drainage. Therefore, the chicken shed should be located on dry, flat, or slightly sloping hilly terrain. The terrain inside the shed should be slightly higher than the terrain around the outside of the shed. The chicken shed should preferably face south with a slight southeast orientation, which is favorable for ventilation and lighting. It should not be built on mountaintops with too large a temperature difference between day and night or in low-lying areas with poor ventilation and inconvenient drainage. When selecting a site, factors such as water source and water quality, transportation, and electricity supply should also be considered. It should be far from residential areas, factories, and other places with pollution sources.
(2) Structure of the chicken shed. The chicken shed can be adapted to local conditions, using local materials, and kept simple. The greenhouse frame can be supported with wood, bamboo, etc. The roof height is 2-2.5 m, and the side line height is 1.5-2.0 m. The roof frame is in a herringbone shape. The roof is covered with asphalt felt, plastic sheeting, straw strips, etc. The surroundings are enclosed with plastic sheeting, plastic film, asphalt felt, straw curtains, etc. The surrounding materials should be movable so that they can be disassembled and assembled at any time. For greenhouses used to raise young chickens, both heat preservation performance and convenient ventilation and reduction of humidity inside the greenhouse should be considered. There should be drainage ditches around the greenhouse.
The surroundings of the greenhouse are built into a brick wall 1-12 m high, and the upper part is then enclosed with plastic sheeting or plastic film. Several closable openings are left on the south side of the brick wall for chickens to enter and exit. The plastic sheeting or film around the perimeter is movable. In hot weather, it can be lifted 0.8-1.0 m to facilitate cooling.
The size of the greenhouse area should be determined according to the number of chickens raised. Generally, 800-1000 birds per greenhouse is appropriate.
2. Feeding and Management of Chicks
(1) Various preparatory tasks before brooding must be done well.
Clean and rinse the brooding house thoroughly, disinfect it strictly, and check the heat preservation performance and ventilation conditions. Brooding utensils and equipment should also be prepared, rinsed, and disinfected. The bedding used for brooding should be dry, soft, highly absorbent, clean and sanitary, and free from mildew. Commonly used bedding includes sawdust, rice husks, straw, etc. It is best to dry them in the sun before use. After completing all kinds of brooding preparations, the brooding house must also be preheated so that the temperature gradually reaches the temperature required by the chicks.
(2) Chick feeding. First feeding: The first time chicks are fed is called first feeding. Usually 12-24 hours after the chicks hatch, when the flock can stand and walk and about one-third of the chicks show foraging behavior, first feeding begins. The feed used for first feeding should be fresh and high quality, with moderate particle size, easy to peck, and easy to digest. Broken rice or crushed corn is commonly used as the first feed. At the beginning, a small amount of feed can be evenly scattered on a small feed tray, newspaper, or dark plastic sheet to let the chickens eat freely. Two to three days after first feeding, switch to compound feed, feeding small amounts more frequently and allowing free access. The compound feed for chicks should be rich and comprehensive in nutrition, fresh and high quality, diverse, good in palatability, and easy to digest. Feed with large volume and high crude fiber content should be avoided. The general nutritional requirements for chicks are: metabolizable energy 2.85-2.90 Mcal/kg, crude protein 18-20%.
Drinking water: The first drinking time for newborn chicks can be before first feeding or at the same time as first feeding. The drinking water should be fresh, clean, and sanitary. Drinking fountains should be cleaned and disinfected every day. The drinking water temperature should be 15-20°C. In the chicks' first drinking water, add 50 g of glucose and 1 g of VC per liter of water. Three to five days after hatching, add some antibiotics to the drinking water to prevent and control intestinal infections.
(3) Chick management. The key to brooding is maintaining suitable temperature. In the first week, 33-35°C. As age in days increases, the temperature gradually decreases. From the second week onward, decrease by 1-2°C each week. Generally, heating is stopped at 30-40 days of age, and the timing of stopping heating should be flexibly controlled according to the season. The brooding temperature should be kept as stable as possible and must not fluctuate between high and low. Whether the temperature is suitable should be judged according to the behavior of the flock and adjusted promptly.
Attention should be paid to humidity, and the brooding house should be kept dry. Change the bedding frequently, maintain good ventilation, keep the air in the house fresh, and pay attention to the lighting of the chicks. Reasonably adjust the stocking density of the flock.
Strictly enforce hygiene and epidemic prevention systems, do a good job in hygiene and epidemic prevention, pay attention to environmental sanitation, strictly enforce disinfection and isolation systems, regularly use medication to prevent diseases, and conscientiously carry out vaccination immunization work on time.
(4) Feeding and management of growing chickens. Feeding of growing chickens: Since growing chickens already have sound digestive function, a large feed intake, rapid growth and development, and are in a period of vigorous metabolism, they should be fed a high-energy, high-protein complete feed and should be fed by the free-access method. The nutritional level is generally metabolizable energy 2.85-2.90 Mcal/kg, crude protein 19-21%. Management of growing chickens: The most suitable temperature for growing chickens is 15-20°C. Work should be done well for heat prevention and cooling in summer and cold prevention and heat preservation in winter. The suitable relative humidity is 50-55%. The house should be kept dry, bedding should be changed frequently, and manure should be cleaned up promptly. During the growth process of growing chickens, uneven size and strength may appear. They should be grouped in time, and weaker and smaller chickens should be given strengthened feeding and management and careful rearing so that the entire flock can grow and develop evenly, be all-in and all-out, and be marketed uniformly.
(5) Comprehensive disease prevention and control measures. Chicken diseases should follow the principle of "prevention first, treatment supplemented." Strengthening feeding and management to enhance the resistance of the flock and doing a good job in cleanliness and sanitation are the most fundamental measures. Strictly implementing disinfection measures, eliminating pathogenic microorganisms, and cutting off sources of infectious diseases are the most effective measures. Regular preventive vaccination is one of the effective measures. Frequently observe the condition of the flock, handle abnormalities promptly, isolate sick chickens in time, and deeply bury and disinfect dead chickens.
III. Suitable Conditions
1. Because greenhouse construction is simple and management is relatively extensive, greenhouse free-range technology is mostly used for raising commercial broiler chickens.
2. Suitable for small- and medium-scale local broiler chicken farming.
3. Most suitable for raising in hilly, semi-hilly, or low mountainous areas.
4. During the raising process, pay attention to preventing rats and wild animals.