Winter is early, the best season for rearing broilers. Please remember to always provide heat for your birds and ensure they’ll perform as expected. The keys to this, in addition to feeding and watering the birds, cleanliness and biosecurity, are consistent temperatures and adequate ventilation. In the first week target temperature on the floor is 32-33 degrees Celsius. The temperature is dropped by a degree each week, also considering bird behaviour and comfort.
Available options for heating include the following:
1. Infrared lights for small flocks where you can use up to 3 lights per 100 birds. Back up for this system is important, in the form of solar power, generator or charcoal burners.
2. Charcoal burners, drums are preferable. Use a ratio of 1 drum per 400 birds. More than 1 drum is essential to ensure consistency in temperatures especially during changeover periods. Do not bring smoking charcoal burners into the shed, prepare the second drum outside and exchange before temperatures fall.
3. Gas heaters range from 100 to 800 birds per heater depending on the size.
4. Flue pipes in the brooding area
Never use blankets or hot water bottles as these do not generate heat and will not work for brooding the chicks. They may just suffocate the chicks and add to the cold temperatures.
Preheating the prepared brooding area is now expected to be done for 48 hours before the chicks are due to be collected. The brooding area must be ready for placing, and awaiting feedback, water and chicks which will be placed in the morning of the chick collection day.
Use sacks as curtains and false ceiling to keep the brooding area warm and manage ventilation. Please do not compromise on ventilation as doing this will lead to late mortality, from 4 weeks, in the form of ascites. Ascites is a condition where the birds have been compromised in the growth of their internal organs and at the later stages will suffer suddenly death due to the mismatch in oxygen supply and requirements. Stay away from plastic curtains or false ceilings as they do not “breathe” as well as cause dampness within the shed.
The duration of the brooding time will depend on the weather and the birds’ behaviour within the shed. Always observe the behaviour and adjust accordingly. Make sure you have stocked up on the charcoal required to avoid periods with no heat in the sheds.
Happy winter brooding farmers!!
Contact a Capital Foods customer support person on +263 772 133 272/4 or customercare@capitalfoods.co.zw