How many days to feed broilers with boiled water. Broiler chickens: growing at home, feeding. How to raise monthly chicks

In the process of keeping chickens, the litter is poured into places that get wet, bringing the thickness to a maximum of 35 cm. A thicker layer will rot, fungus and mold will form in it, because chickens will not be able to dig it up. Good bedding should be loose and dry.

Bedding requirements:

• natural origin;
• dry;
• small;
• without the inclusion of toxic substances;
• with hygroscopic properties.

The litter is laid a few months before the broilers are settled.. During this time, it dries and fits. But you should also not use bedding that is too dry - it contains a lot of dust, and processes that provide natural heating of the house will not be able to develop in it. If the weather is too dry and hot, it is recommended to spray the floors with cold water.

Equipment installation

First of all, ventilation must be installed in the room. Light sources can be incandescent, fluorescent or LED lamps. Using incandescent lamps, you can significantly save on heating. But, at the same time, LEDs allow you to greatly reduce energy bills, but the air does not heat up. Lighting fixtures are hung just above a person’s head for ease of maintenance.

As for ventilation, there are two options:

• natural ventilation, through the establishment of
  con with the possibility of ventilation or ventilation windows;
• artificial ventilation by installing a hood.

Installing windows will also save on artificial lighting, and the birds will feel better enjoying the sunlight. It is recommended to cover the inside of the windows with a metal mesh to prevent "escape" of broilers or the penetration of wild animals while the windows are open.

Special attention should be given to drinkers and feeders. The main rule of floor maintenance is to do everything possible so that water does not spill onto the litter. This will help the installation of vacuum drinkers. If this is not possible, then you can install groove drinkers by mounting drip trays under them.

As for the feeders, here the choice depends on the type of feed that is given to the broiler:

• plastic factory-made bucket-in-a-plate feeders for feeding;
• shallow trays made of plastic or metal for feeding.

Additional equipment which will facilitate the care of broilers are a thermometer and a hygrometer. They will create optimal conditions bird keeping.

paddock

As a rule, a platform for daily walking of birds is built next to the poultry house. The fence can be made using a chain-link mesh, and you need to pay attention to the size of the cells - their size should not exceed 1.5 cm. Otherwise, predatory animals and can get to the birds.

Highly great importance has a way of planting birds. In small farms for growing broilers for meat in the maximum short time, as a rule, landing without a partition is used. This method allows you to place a large number of birds in the smallest possible area.

On poultry farms and farms that are engaged in raising a breeding herd and breeding chickens, it is often practiced to divide the area into sections with a central aisle. In one section, broilers are contained in the following quantities:

• young growth of 300-350 individuals;
• representatives of the parent herd of 120-200 individuals.

When transferring broilers that previously lived in cages to the floor, care must be taken that they do not huddle together, especially when the lights are turned off. Otherwise, they can injure each other or even crush.

The most difficult period in rearing broilers on the floor is feeding and caring for day-old chicks for the first ten days. The most common way is growing. The latter is a space of a round shape, fenced with a fine mesh, which is covered with a soft fabric. Drinkers and feeders, a source of lighting and heating (for example, an infrared or electric heater) are installed inside the brooder. In such a zone, broiler chickens are kept for the first 10-14 days, after which the nets are removed and the chickens are released to walk around the poultry house.

The temperature regime is very important. The table below will help determine the correct temperature for broiler chickens of different ages:

Growing broilers with a floor housing system has its own characteristics:

• Light day for daily broilers should be at least 23 hours, then it is gradually reduced to 20-18 hours, leaving 4-6 hours for sleep. A greater reduction in daylight hours when fattening broilers for meat intensively is not recommended, as otherwise they will slowly gain weight.
• Humidity in the room should be no more than 55-70%.
• The higher the density of broilers, the more powerful the ventilation system in the chicken coop should be.
• It is necessary to monitor the absence of drafts, especially in the early stages of raising chickens.
• The amount of light should be at the level of 50-40 Lux for daily broilers. Gradually, it must be reduced to 15-10 Lux. This can be done by replacing the lamps with weaker ones.

Speaking of broilers, they mean meat-oriented chickens, which are distinguished by high growth rates, large sizes and excellent meat suitable for frying.

An increasing number of poultry farmers are interested in how to organize the cultivation, care and feeding of broiler chickens. And this is not at all surprising.

In just 7–8 weeks, the bird grows up to 1.5–2.5 kg, which, with the right approach, during the warm season, even in conditions small farm allows you to raise 1-2 batches of chickens.

Features of growing broiler chickens

In order for broiler breeds and crosses to justify their purpose, they need competent care and a carefully selected diet. If the bird is not used for procreation, then growing broiler chickens at home usually takes no longer than 70 days. Then the body weight gain decreases physiologically in the bird, but the feed intake remains at the same level, which means that the benefit from such a population drops sharply.

The focus of the poultry farmer when raising broiler chickens is the care and feeding of the bird. Both of these need to be adjusted from the first day the chicks stay on the farm, since delay often causes, if not death, then weakening, stunting and sickness of the livestock.

In the conditions of a homestead economy, broilers are settled in poultry houses on a deep litter or cell content is used.

In the first case, the room for broilers should be protected from external weather factors, and the floors should be warm and dry. As a bedding, it is most convenient to use sawdust, which is preliminarily dried well. You can take other materials that ensure constant dryness, cleanliness and friability of the floor covering.

Before housing chicks:

• carry out cleaning, disinfection and drying of the poultry house;
• the floor is covered with a layer of slaked lime at the rate of 0.5–1.0 kg per square meter;
• sawdust is poured on top with a layer of up to 10 cm;
• create conditions for maintaining air humidity at the level of 60–65%;
• provide constant ventilation of the room;
• maintain an air temperature of 26 ° C;
• provide day-old chicks with 24/7 lighting.

With this method of growing broiler chickens, there should be no more than 12–18 birds per meter of area.

While broilers are small and their own thermoregulation is imperfect, they need fever air about 26–33 °C. After 20 days, the air in the house can be cooled down to 18-19°C. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the bird is comfortable, otherwise both too cold and excessively warm air negatively affects the growth and well-being of the chicks. Neglecting the rules for keeping poultry threatens to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of diseases in broiler chickens and treat a poorly growing flock.

Growing in cages, especially in a multi-tiered structure, can significantly save the area of ​​​​the house, simplify its hygienic treatment and control the feeding of chicks. At the same time, the temperature and humidity conditions, as well as the average daily norms of feed consumption, are similar to those on the litter.

Growing, caring for and feeding broiler chickens is greatly influenced by the lighting of the cages or poultry house. During daylight hours, the bird actively feeds and moves. The darker the room, the more sluggish is the growth of the chicks.

Therefore, within 14 days from the moment of birth, round-the-clock lighting is organized for the chicks, and then they gradually switch to a natural regimen.

Feeding broiler chickens at home

However, it is not enough to create suitable conditions for the chickens and provide them with the proper amount of feed. To get a large, well-fed bird as soon as possible, it is important to choose a balanced, age-oriented diet.

What to feed broiler chickens? This question is the most relevant for all beginners and experienced poultry farmers who have not previously encountered the cultivation of such a bird. Homestead farms often practice the use of wet and dry food of their own preparation.

The first weeks of the chicks' stay in the farmstead they are fed with wet mashes based on boiled eggs, millet, crushed oats and wheat, which make up a little more than half of the total amount of food consumed. From the age of 3 weeks, boiled is introduced into the menu, replacing them with no more than a fifth of the cereal.

We must not forget about protein feeds, which lay the active growth of muscle and bone mass. For this purpose, the bird is given cottage cheese, yogurt, skim milk and other dairy products. From the age of 10 days, fish and meat become a source of animal protein. bone flour. These products should be given initially at 5-7 grams per day per head, and then double the intake.

Feeding broiler chickens at home involves the use of protein-rich vegetable products, including cake from sunflower seeds, all kinds of meal, crushed seeds of legumes.

From the age of three days, green feed is needed for broiler chickens. In spring and summer, it is juicy grass, tops of garden crops, chopped 3-5 grams per chicken. In the cold period, when there is not enough fresh greenery, herbal flour of no more than 2–5 grams and barley or other cereals sprouts are introduced into the diet.

An excess of herbal flour in the feed can cause diarrhea in broiler chickens, the treatment of which implies a mandatory correction of the menu, the use of antibiotics and other drugs.

To prevent digestive problems, broilers are given:

• every other day, as a drink, a pink solution of potassium permanganate;
• fine gravel with a diameter of no more than 5 mm, which activates the intestines and improves the digestion of grains and other feeds for broiler chickens.

From 5 days old, the bird is given a crushed shell, but not sand, and chalk at the rate of 2–3 grams per chick. Mineral feed and gravel are not mixed with other components of the diet and are poured into separate containers that are constantly in the house.

Clean water at room temperature in the house should be constantly. To exclude the development of pathogenic flora and the development of intestinal and other infections, the dishes are regularly washed and disinfected.

For better growth and as a preventive measure, at the first symptoms and treatment of diseases of broiler chickens, young chickens are given vitamin supplements. From the fifth day on the menu, the use of oil solutions of vitamins A, D, and E is practiced, avoiding an overdose of the drugs used.

How many times a day and how to feed broiler chickens at home? A bird throughout its life should not experience a shortage of food. For the first 7 days, chickens should be fed at least 8 times a day, then the birds are fed every four hours. In the third week, the number of meals is adjusted to four, and from the age of one month, broilers are fed in the morning and evening.

All wet foods for broiler chickens are prepared in such a way that the bird eats them within 30-40 minutes.

If the mixers are kept warm for longer, it is possible:

• souring products;
• insemination with insect eggs;
• development of pathogenic microflora.

All these factors most often cause diarrhea in broiler chickens, the treatment of which weakens the population and reduces growth rates.

The use of compound feed for broiler chickens

To intensify weight gain, today they use ready-made and home-made compound feeds that fully meet the physiological needs of the bird. Such a diet gives especially good results in the first four weeks.

Ready-made mixed feeds for broiler chickens differ in particle size and composition. Most often, they resort to a three-stage feed system, which is designed for all ages of chickens from birth to slaughter.

Although these mixes are more expensive than homemade mashes, they significantly improve the performance of growing flocks, simplify broiler care, rearing and feeding, and controlling food intake.

At the initial stage, compound feed helps to strengthen the immune system, create all the prerequisites for good health and rapid growth of the bird. To this end, the amount of mineral supplements in the diet is increased, the diet is based on easily arranged components.

During active growth, compound feed for broiler chickens is a source of protein, calcium, vitamins and fats, which ensure rapid growth of the skeleton and muscle mass. Before slaughter, finishing mixes are used to increase fatness.

Growing broiler chickens in cages - video

Hybrid meat chickens - broilers- differ from ordinary young birds in increased developmental energy and low feed costs per 1 kg of growth.

Growing broiler chickens on a personal plot is a profitable enterprise. They are slaughtered for meat after keeping for 2.5 months. With proper care, the weight of the chicken by this time is 1.4-1.6 kg.

Broiler meat, in comparison with the meat of adult birds, has higher taste properties and is much more nutritious. Dishes prepared from it are dietary and are especially recommended for children, the elderly and sick people.

Growing this type of chicken has specific features. They must be kept in a warm house, strictly observing the light regime.

Breed selection

Usually chickens are bought from producers breeding them specifically for sale. Many try to get day-old chicks at the lowest cost. But in the first days of life, chicks die most often.

So sometimes it is wiser to take young animals 10 days old. Chickens are best purchased at hatchery stations in poultry farms.

You need to choose mobile, active chickens with shiny, clear eyes. To distinguish between cockerels and hens, you need to spread the chicken's wing. The feathers of the cockerel are the same length, the hens are different.

A healthy chick is distinguished soft and taut tummy, even fluff, clean "buttocks". Their wings should be pressed to the body. But for some breeds of broilers (Cobb 500, ROSS-308), a slightly enlarged belly, a bluish tint to the legs and beak is a common occurrence.

Normally developing chicks always respond to sound. When tapping on the box where they are located, the chicks tend to the noise.

Chickens of meat crosses "Dominant", "Change", "Avian Farms", "Tibro", "Tetra", "Ross", "Lohmann" are more suitable for home breeding.

A cross is a line of bred chickens with certain properties. From crossbreeds of breeds, Adler silver, Kuchinsky jubilee, rhodailanp, plymouthrock are suitable, but their meat qualities are lower.

The most common meat cross-country that meets international standards is Smena-7. About half of the broilers grown by domestic poultry farms are bred by the Smena breeding farm.

Of the imported broiler crosses, Cobb 500 and ROSS-308 are considered the best.

Egg incubation

With the decrease in the number of poultry in poultry farms, it is not always possible to purchase day-old broilers. In this regard, before raising young animals for meat, the owners of household plots give birth to adult birds or raise them to sexual maturity. Then receive hatching eggs from them.

The industry produces small-sized incubators specifically for private households. domestic producers produce models: IPH-5, IPH-10, LEO-0.5, Nasedka and others. They lay 50-100 eggs.

But working with an incubator is a complex process that requires special knowledge, strict adherence to the technology of growing broiler chickens and the purchase of expensive equipment.

For incubation, eggs are carefully selected for shape, weight, egg content and shell condition. For breeding meat young stock, the culling is less strict.

Process parameters are controlled during incubation: readings of wet and dry bulbs, opening dampers, turns of trays, operation of fans. Although the incubation mode is maintained automatically, instrument readings are checked every 8 hours and control the operation of the device.

Features of cultivation and conditions of detention

Depending on the possibilities and available conditions, broiler chickens are grown using extensive and intensive methods. In the first method, one batch of chickens is purchased in spring or summer and grown until autumn. When using the intensive method, young animals are purchased every 3-4 months in small batches throughout the year.

Chickens are not allowed out for walking and are fed with complete feed. If it is not possible to purchase them, then they are prepared at home, making mixtures according to approximate standards. Raising chickens for more than 70 days is not economically viable. After this age, their development slows down, and the payback of feed decreases.

Broiler chickens are kept in two types of conditions: on deep litter and in cages (broiler cages). In the first method, according to the name, the litter plays an important role. It should consist of a dry, friable mass capable of absorbing harmful gases and dampness.

The best option is dry sawdust. Their layer can be up to 10 cm. Before covering with sawdust, the floor is sprinkled with lime at the rate of 0.5-1.0 kg per 1 sq. m. The room for rearing one-day-old chicks is illuminated around the clock.

Up to 18 heads can be kept per 1 m2 of area. However, good ventilation is required. In the first days of cultivation, the temperature is maintained at 26-33°C. By the fourth week, it gradually decreases to 18-19°C. At lower temperatures, the growth of chickens is delayed and weakened chicks die.

Household electric heaters are used for space heating. The temperature needs to be adjusted periodically.

If the chicks are crowding around the heater, then there is not enough heat. If they lie with extended wings and extended heads, the temperature should be lowered.

For growing broilers in cages, a higher temperature is maintained than with the floor method of keeping. Chicks in these conditions cannot choose a warm place, so it is necessary that the temperature in the upper tiers does not fall below 34 ° C.

This is especially important for day old chicks. The density of placement of young animals in cages is 10 heads per 0.5 sq. m. It does not change until the completion of cultivation.

Feeding and care

In the first days, young animals are fed the same way as chickens of egg breeds. Their diet includes millet, boiled eggs, oatmeal, finely crushed wheat, barley, oats. Grain feed should make up 60-65% of the total diet.

Added from the 3rd day fresh chopped herbs in the mixers. It can be replaced with grass flour or germinated grain (preferably barley). Grass flour is fed no more than 5 g per head per day. The fiber contained in it is poorly absorbed by the body of the chicks.

From 20 days of age 20% of the grain can be replaced with boiled potatoes by making a wet mash. Mineral substances are necessarily added to the feed for chickens: chalk, bone meal, shells. In crushed form, they are introduced into the mash at 2-3 grams per head per day from 5 days of age.

Feed the birds plenty and often. From the first week of life - 8 times a day, from the second - 6, from the third - 4 and from the age of one month 2 times (morning and evening). From the 5th week, coarse food is preferred. Chicks should always have warm clean water, but they do not drink too warm (more than 30 ° C).

In the second month of feeding chickens are less demanding on the composition of the feed. At this time, succulent feed, grass flour and herbs are introduced into the diet, and the amount of protein feed is accordingly reduced.

The degree of fattening and readiness of the bird for slaughter is determined by fat deposits under the wings and on the chest. When inflating the feathers, fat should be visible through the skin.

Important Points

On industrial poultry farms The main food for broilers is compound feed. In the homestead without a thoughtful and varied diet, fattening chickens may not justify itself. Broilers need to be weighed weekly to monitor their growth.

First five days especially responsible period of feeding chicks. Their digestive system is not yet developed and the food must be easily digestible.

Of great importance for the development and growth of chickens is lighting. When exposed to light, their metabolism is activated. During the first crescent, they need round-the-clock lighting.

At proper organization even in a small area during the summer period (May-August), two batches of broiler chickens can be grown at no special cost. Thus, you will be able to provide your family with dietary meat.

Video

And now you can watch a video about caring for chickens

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Experience in growing broilers at home from Vitaly Vorobyov: how to choose broiler chickens, keeping, feeding, antibiotics, feeders, drinkers. And the most important experiment is whether it is profitable to grow broilers or not.

Eight years ago, when we moved to the countryside, I, like every romantic city dweller, had romantic ideas about my future household:

• - a large area, fenced;
  
• — poultry, freely and safely walking around the site, eating only organic food, eating grass that does not have to be mowed, which minimizes feed costs, leaving excrement only in the garden to fertilize it;
  
• - a dog walking throughout the territory carefully without touching the garden and trees, and not touching poultry;
  
• — we eat organic meat and eggs, etc.

But in life everything turned out differently: poultry destroyed the garden, chickens raked everything that could be raked, crap on the paths, tables and garden chairs, ducks gnawed young trees, dogged and ate poultry along with tubular bones, trampled the garden, kites exterminated chickens (in the summer, when kites have offspring and they are most active, we lost one broiler walking on a large paddock per day), and although we took 100-140 ducklings in the spring, we often bought meat and eggs from an unknown quality in the market. We bought 1.5 tons of wheat or corn a year to feed this farm.

We fed chickens and ducks mainly on corn and wheat with the addition of chalk and makuha (sunflower cake, which remains after squeezing out the oil). In summer, they have enough grass, because. We have a large paddock, and in autumn and winter we gave them pumpkin and dried nettles. We gave the chickens chemical additives and compound feed only for the first month. Nothing else was given to keep the meat organic. As a result, the bird grew slowly, broilers gained 4-5 kg ​​only after six months.

Of course, you can take 200-250 chickens a year, complete the row, buy 1.5 tons more wheat or corn, and let these kites choke. But after all "the economy should be economical (s)". In addition to all of the above, I was annoyed by the fact that with this method of breeding, a bird gains weight for the first 4-6 months, and in order to eat fresh meat all year round, it needs to be fed and cared for for up to a year, and this increases the cost of meat by about 2 times . That. the price of organic meat was very high, and about half of the meat we consumed was purchased at the market and was most likely not organic.

Feeding

In the meantime, people are actively growing broilers for feed, both for themselves and for sale. At the beginning of last year, I also decided to start broilers and feed them with compound feed. I was interested in economic feasibility, and I decided to take measurements in order to find an affordable and cheap way to grow meat. Previously, this option was frightened by the fact that the cost of feed was 3-4 times higher than the cost of wheat and corn. I was interested in this not out of stinginess or poverty, but out of interest, to what extent it is possible to gain independence from banknotes and their owners.

Broilers on compound feed grow very quickly. Why is this happening? In order for the chicken to be healthy and grow quickly, the feed must be complete, i.e. contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals, have a form convenient for consumption (the mixture must be thoroughly mixed and granulated), correspond to the age of the bird. If chickens are fed wheat or corn alone, they will grow very slowly, get sick, and often die.

There are many different feed manufacturers, as a rule, compound feed contains the main part - various grains, legumes, bone / blood / fish meal, chalk, shell, cake, cake, meal, bran, salt, feed phosphate, as well as a premix that contains various supplements - vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, toxin sorbents, enzymes (enzymes), amino acids, antibiotics, probiotics. Antibiotics are not necessarily part of the compound feed, they usually do not write on the label that such and such an element is an antibiotic, they simply give its name (coccidiostatic, bacitracin, grisin). Growth hormones are not part of the compound feed.

In our bazaar they sell compound feed in bulk, in buckets, it costs 1.5 times cheaper than compound feed in branded packages, but I don’t take it, because it is not known what kind of compound feed it is and what its composition is.

In theory, a bird living in the wild has the opportunity to obtain a variety of food and its nutrition is complete. Our first broilers, which we only fed feed for the first month and then gave them a grain mixture, had a large range (1 ha) with a wide variety of grasses and insects, but grew much more slowly than feed-fed broilers.

In addition, as part of the feed, there is an antibiotic that protects chickens from possible infections. Of course, you can make something like compound feed yourself by purchasing all the necessary components, but: 1) it is very troublesome; 2) it is unrealistic to granulate it at home, and ready-made 100% compound feed is very convenient to use.

There are 3 types of compound feed for different ages of broilers. Different manufacturers call them differently:

• 1st - for chickens from 0 (1) to 10 (14.18) days (“start”).
• 2nd - for chickens from 11 (15.19) to 30 (35.37) days ("grover", "growth", "fattening").
• 3rd - for chickens from 31 (36.38) days ("finish"). Starter feed is a bit more expensive than the rest.

Of course, a person who thinks about the sustainability of food may object to me that it is still better to grow organic food, even if it is more expensive. But how useful for a person will be the meat of a not quite healthy bird grown without compound feed, which does not receive enough vitamins and minerals it needs?

Why exactly chicken?

1. As the Ukrainian proverb says, “There is no better meat than pork, no the best fish than linying (lin)." I prefer pork, but:
1.1. The wife and children (according to the wife) prefer lean meat. For this reason, the meat of ducks (except musky) and geese is not suitable.
1.2. The pigs whose meat we sell are fed with no one knows what, or rather, it is known what.
1.3. Keeping pigs is more troublesome than chickens, especially in terms of processing and storing meat, a pig is "sometimes thick, sometimes empty."
2. We stock up on cereals, vegetables, etc., we take fresh vegetables and herbs from our garden, take milk from our neighbors, but when the meat runs out and we do not plan any trips, we have to go to the regional center for one chicken carcass. Moreover, domestic chicken in our district center can be bought only 4 days a week until 12.00. And sometimes she is not at the market. Eating chicken from poultry farms is not discussed here.
3. You can keep stocks of chicken in the freezer, but:
3.1. Fresh meat is fresh meat.
3.2. Electricity is often cut off in villages.

Broiler chickens usually cost significantly more than other breeds of chickens. And if the chickens different breeds both private traders and poultry farms incubate, then broilers are produced only at poultry farms. This is due to the fact that broilers are not a breed, but a cross - a hybrid obtained by crossing different breeds. From chickens of a certain breed, you can get chickens of the same breed, but the offspring of broiler chickens are not broilers, i.e. do not have their main quality - rapid weight gain.

Broiler antibiotics

Once I was given a leaflet - a scheme for rearing young poultry. With this leaflet, apparently, the lads from the veterinary pharmacy have risen well. From this scheme, I use only Baytril (Enroflox, Enrofloxacin) in the first days and then vitamins (in addition to those contained in the feed, if this is not done, then the broilers “fall on their feet” - there are problems with the joints).

I don’t see the point in giving other drugs from this list without urgent need, because. We then have this chemistry. I bring this scheme, because. it will be useful to those who are faced with diseases of chickens.

In the first days, antibiotics are given to chickens to prevent infectious diseases, i.e. to prevent infections that entered the egg through the shell. In poultry farms, hatching eggs are processed accordingly, and the aforementioned watering is just a safety net. I recommend asking the sellers of broiler chickens whether it is necessary to solder the chickens, because. the use of antibiotics has negative consequences.

If the poultry farm has a good reputation, the chickens do not need to be watered. The use of an antibiotic does not guarantee the health of chickens by 100%. In my practice, it happened that after drinking, one chicken died a few days after the use of an antibiotic.

Day old chicks can't drink. You can give them a drinker and after some time they will learn to drink on their own, but in order for them to get an antibiotic as quickly as possible, we force them to drink, for this we dip the chicken's beak into the water, and then let it raise its head up. If he makes swallowing movements, then water has got into him. To be sure, repeat the procedure 2 more times.

Choosing chickens

By weight, adult broilers differ from one another by about 1.5 times. Sometimes there are chickens lagging behind in weight from the rest by 2-3 times. This is despite the fact that on the first day all the chickens are almost the same, and then they eat the same food.

When purchasing chickens, try to choose them yourself. The more active the chick, the more it will eat and grow. The size of the chicken is not an indicator. Smaller chicks are often more active and subsequently overweight the rest. And large chickens are less mobile and will subsequently fall behind. Choose active chickens that are looking for something and pecking.

If the chicks are more than a day old and have already been fed, the task is simplified. Take the chicken with your right hand from the sides and feel for the goiter with your index finger, it is located on the throat in front a little to the right, this is a soft bag into which food gets. If the bag is barely noticeable, then the chicken ate little - this is bad. If the bag is large, then the chicken eats a lot and will grow well. Choose chicks with full crops.

Broilers I took daily. Having brought them home, I immediately soldered them with an antibiotic, put them in a large cardboard box lined with paper and put them on a convector (heater). To control the temperature, a thermometer was placed in the box. In the first 5 days, chickens should be kept at a temperature of + 32-35 0 C, from 6 to 10 days - + 26-28 0 C, and then every week reduce the temperature by 3 0 C until it reaches + 16-18 0 C .In the box I put an autodrinker with water and an autofeeder with compound feed.

In such a box, installed on the convector, I keep the chickens for the first few days.

7 years ago I made 2 chicken cages from welded galvanized mesh (each mesh is divided into 3 compartments so that the chickens do not overwhelm each other, this often happens). The advantages of such a net: chickens are always dry, no change of bedding is required. Disadvantages: part of the feed wakes up and disappears, the room where they are located must be maintained at a normal temperature for chickens, the chickens are in a draft.

A year ago, I made a nursery for chickens from a 100x60 cm cardboard box. The nursery does not have a bottom, they are placed on the floor and covered with shavings (sawdust is a less desirable option than shavings), they are closed from above. Inside, 2 incandescent lamps are installed (two are better than one total power - in case one lamp burns out), their power depends on the required temperature and the ambient temperature. (The light is on around the clock, water and food are also available around the clock.) When such a box was in an unheated coil, in which it was up to -10 0 C, I put 2 lamps of 100 W each, wrapped the box with pieces of foam plastic 5 cm thick, and in the box was maintained at a temperature of more than +25 0 C. In such a nursery, if it is dry and there is a sufficient temperature, chickens can be kept from the first day. The only drawback of such nurseries is that about 10 light bulbs burn out in one batch of chickens - when the chickens grow up, they peck and hurt them.

In the new chicken coop, I made a nursery measuring 1.5x1.4 m (if necessary, in winter, to ensure the desired temperature, the volume of the nursery can be reduced by placing a temporary partition). Two ordinary lamps with incandescent lamps are used as a heater (the lamps now do not burn out so often). I find such nurseries the most convenient. Chickens can be in them from the first to last day in any season.

7 years ago I made such a cage (3x3x0.75 m) for walking chickens (from a pine bar 40x40 mm and welded galvanized mesh).

When it is warm outside and the chicks have feathered enough, they are in the cage all the time. After they pluck the grass in one place, we move the cage. The cage turned out to be bulky, it was hard to move and open, eventually it rotted and began to break.

This year I dismantled a cage with a wooden frame, and made 2 cages (3x3x0.75 m) from the freed grid. The frame was welded from reinforcement f8. From the sides sheathed with a welded mesh, and on top with a plastic mesh for cucumbers. The cage is lighter and more durable.

To a city dweller who is well aware that real estate is expensive, it will seem that keeping broilers in a chicken coop will be more expensive than under open sky. In practice, if you feed broilers with compound feed, this is not the case. 2-3 sq.m. in a farm building for a broiler nursery, where food and water are nearby, it is easier and more convenient, and therefore more economical than in the open. After all, a small paddock in the open air will quickly and permanently turn into a piece of clean land. Outdoor walking is very risky. A large indoor paddock is troublesome and risky. Regularly moving closed enclosures is troublesome.

Feeders and drinkers

A 5-week-old feed-fed broiler chick drinks up to 1 liter of water per day, so 1-2 liter drinkers are appropriate if you only have a few chicks, or if you find it easy to fill them several times a day. I recommend buying bulk drinkers, depending on the number of chickens. Even if the chicks do not drink all the water from the drinker in a day, the water needs to be changed once a day, because. in it, especially at high temperatures, harmful microorganisms start.

On the left in the photo is a 5-liter automatic drinker for chickens. On the right in the photo is a 5-liter chicken feeder. In the center - using a 5-liter plastic bottle the capacity of the feeder has been increased by another 5 liters.

I made this feeder out of wood and galvanized sheet. It has 3 compartments of 7 liters each. A very handy thing.

Chickens should have a small feeder with small pebbles (1-3 mm - screenings, granular dust). These stones remain in their stomach (navel) and are necessary for normal digestion.

When everything is well equipped, 5-10 minutes a day is enough to fill the drinker and feeder and change the bedding. But, when the chickens are small, you need to check them several times a day. The well-being of chickens can be recognized by the sounds they make: if the chickens are all right, they make a light whistling “feat-feet”, if the chickens squeak loudly, then something is wrong with them, or they are cold, or there is no water, or no food. If the chickens do not sleep and huddle together, then they are cold. Broiler chickens are very sensitive to drafts. AT good conditions chickens are very mobile, and if they gather in a heap, then only when they sleep.

Experiment results

Weight measurements were carried out on 3 batches of broilers. Now we have grown broilers from the 4th batch, but I did not weigh these chickens by weeks, there is only a control figure - a weight of 5 weeks (see below).

Graph 1. Weight of broiler chickens by week

Chart 1 shows that the 2nd batch developed more successfully than the 1st batch until the end of the 7th week, and then began to lag behind. This is due to my next experiment: I tried to replace 100% compound feed with a concentrate mixture. In addition to 100% compound feed, concentrates are sold (for example, D-MIX offers 35% and 5% concentrate). The basis of compound feed is wheat and corn, and 35% concentrate is 100% compound feed without wheat and corn. Theoretically, if 65% of wheat and corn grist is added to 35% of compound feed, then you can get 100% compound feed. Moreover, in terms of money, feed from the concentrate was 20% cheaper. But when using compound feed from the concentrate, the growth of chickens slowed down (graph 1), and if we take into account the fuss with grinding wheat and corn into shit, dosing and mixing, the experiment showed the inefficiency of using the concentrate.

Table 2. Increase in live weight of chickens by week, gr

Chart 2. Weight gain of chicks by week

As can be seen from graph 2, the growth is jumping. What caused it? Well, firstly, the measurement error. (From KVN: “The budget of the film is 10 dollars.” “What was it filmed on?” “On Nokia”). Weighing of chickens and feed was carried out on household electronic floor scales soehnle. Secondly, the conditions of detention were apparently not good enough. There were drafts in the old winding, and broiler chickens are very sensitive to them. If, for example, both lamps go out in a manger and the chickens sit in the dark, they do not eat and, accordingly, do not grow. In the new chicken coop, the nursery is much better. In the last (4th) batch (not included in the experiment), broilers weighed 2800 g at 5 weeks. (the first 3 parties weighed 1250, 1597 and 1875 grams respectively). The compound feed is the same as for the 2nd batch - "D-MIX". I did not weigh the broilers in this batch week by week, but I can say that their cost was about the same, they ate more and grew faster.

One guy who breeds broilers on a large scale advised me not to feed them at night after the 3rd week. He argued that this would not affect growth, and they would eat less feed. But I didn't check it.

Table 3. Cost of growing broiler chickens

The initial cost of chickens is 9 UAH. per piece + 2 UAH. per batch - the cost of the antibiotic. That. in the 2nd batch, the initial cost of the broiler was 9.07 UAH, in the 3rd — 9.11 UAH.

Graph 3. The cost of growing broiler chickens

The cost of broiler chicken (like, homemade, at the market in our district center) is 45 UAH. Given that the marketable weight is approximately 80% of the live weight, we assume that the cost of live weight at the market is 36 UAH. As you can see, starting from the 5th week, the cost of your chicken meat is more than 2 times lower than the market value. Of course, if they are transferred to a grain mixture and pasture, they will significantly decrease in weight and the numbers will be different, but ...

So, we raised broilers. They weigh about 3.5 kg. I do not consider it necessary to feed further, because. they look very awkward at this age, from the 9th week their cost starts to grow, and, probably, further their cost will grow significantly - they will eat a lot, but growth will slow down. Before you eat them, you need to get an antibiotic out of them. I have not found a reliable figure anywhere, how long it takes, but once a doctor told me that this takes at least 2 weeks. Therefore, after the 9(8)th week, I transfer the broilers to the grain mixture. The base is wheat, + 10% cake, + 1% chalk, + some corn, barley or millet, from what is available.

In the composition of foreign compound feeds, the basis is corn. I think this is due to the fact that the cost of corn is lower than that of wheat. In our country, as a rule, wheat and corn go at the same price, and sometimes dried corn is more expensive than wheat. I prefer to give my bird wheat because it contains a higher percentage of protein and is more easily digestible than corn. Also, according to my observations, chickens get fatter on corn. In addition to the grain mixture, broilers eat grass and insects in summer, and pumpkin and dried nettles in winter.

In the first batch after 8 weeks I seeded 5 chicks and switched them to grain mix. The rest of the chickens continued to receive compound feed.

Table 4. Comparison of the growth of broiler chickens,
eating mixed fodder and wheat (for 6 days)

As can be seen from Table 4, weight gain in chickens fed with compound feed is 5 times higher than in chickens fed with a grain mixture, and despite the fact that the compound feed is several times more expensive than the grain mixture, it is 2 times more profitable to feed them. Also, according to the results of this experiment, it is clear that poultry farms and private traders will not take care of our health at a loss.

In principle, for feeding broilers before slaughter, there is the Finish feed. It does not contain antibiotics. But I didn't use it because:

1. Local sellers of "Finish" feed do not bring.
2. Just in case. To have less chemicals in the meat.

Chicks at 8 weeks of age: 6 weeks on feed and 2 weeks on wheat.
Live weight: 3.5 kg.

For example, one broiler (3-4 kg) is usually enough for us for 5 days. Feeding time - 8 weeks is fattening with compound feed and 2 weeks - with grain. Total 10 weeks = 70 days. In 70 days we eat 14 broilers +1 in reserve (1 chicken may die) +1 for guests. Total 16 pieces. Those. we need to take 16 chicks every 70 days or 8 chicks every 35 days. With the first option, some broilers will have to be kept and fed for about 2 months, which will require more expenses. The second option is more troublesome. But in our area, from November to January, it is impossible to buy day-old broiler chickens - no one carries them. At this time, a bird grown in natural conditions is just growing up (we have musky ducks).

Broilers are large meat-producing chickens. Breeding broilers is very profitable - they quickly gain weight and after two months the slaughter weight reaches 2-2.5 kg. Raising chickens is about choosing healthy chickens, organizing right conditions content and diet.

Choice of chickens

Growing broilers at home begins with the purchase of chickens. It is better not to buy day old chicks - they are still very weak to move, do not adapt well to new conditions, and the stress received during transportation can lead to death. The most suitable age for buying chicks is 10 days.

When choosing young animals, it is necessary to pay attention to the appearance and activity of birds - it is better not to acquire sedentary chickens with a dull look, dirty and with poor plumage.

Temperature and light conditions

Without a hen, only hatched broiler chickens are kept in cages or boxes.

Little chicks need warmth - the room temperature should be at least 30 degrees. If the chicks are kept under a heater or ultraviolet lamps, the temperature is set a little higher, at 33-35 degrees. Every two days it is reduced by one degree. In the first 10 to 14 days of life, chicks need around-the-clock lighting - this will allow them to constantly eat and quickly gain weight. Then daylight hours are reduced to 16 hours. For growing chicks, the alternation of darkness and light is useful. Chicks three weeks old and older are advised to alternate one hour of light and two hours of darkness.

Low temperature is dangerous because it slows down the growth and development of chicks, their activity decreases. In the cold season, birds spend more calories on heating their own bodies, so without proper heating, they quickly lose weight. Apart from temperature regime it is worth remembering about the humidity of the room where chickens and young animals are kept. The ideal humidity should be between 60-65%.

There are two effective modern technologies how to raise broilers.

Raising chickens on a litter

The first technology for growing broilers includes keeping birds on deep (up to 10 cm) and soft litter. Used for bedding crushed hay, straw, shavings or sawdust. The key point is the cleanliness and humidity (no more than 25%) of the litter.

For chickens, constant access to water is vital. It is most convenient to use a vacuum autodrinker - it protects water from contamination and splashing. They feed babies in the first five days of life from a tray feeder, optimal dimensions which is 32x32x2 cm. From the 5th to the 14th day of life, chickens are fed in a flute or bunker feeder, 70x10x5 cm in size.

Chickens need constant warmth. You can maintain the temperature throughout the room, or you can install a heater and create a local warm area. An important role in cultivation is played by the number of birds kept per square meter of floor.

In winter, the number of birds can be increased by one.

For chicks, there are other indicators: in the first week, up to 60 chicks can be kept per square meter, in the second and third up to 40, in the fourth up to 30, and then up to 20 maximum. The room where the chickens are kept can be partitioned into sections with portable shields with stretched plastic wrap. This will allow you to organize a more convenient cleaning of the litter and provide the chicks with warmth and light.

Growing chickens in cages

The second method of cultivation is cell content. In small personal farms, batteries of cells are installed in two or three tiers, between which there must be pallets.

Benefits of caged broilers:

• space saving,
• reduction of heating, lighting and cleaning costs,
• limited space allows chickens to grow faster,
• the limited space also avoids the spread of infection,
• the absence of litter lowers the ammonia level, which has a positive effect on the health of the birds.

Growing broilers in cages can reduce the fattening period of birds by five to seven days. Breeders also note some disadvantages of cellular content:

• costs for the purchase of materials for cages,
• daily cleaning of the premises and cages,
• on the mesh floor, adult broilers may have problems with their paws - namins,
• according to some breeders, broilers grown in cages deteriorate the taste of meat.

Each cage should be equipped with a drinking bowl and a flute feeder. It is optimal to install one automatic drinker for 50 young birds. Heating must be installed in the poultry house, artificial lighting and ventilation are thought out for a constant supply of fresh air. With cage keeping, one-day-old chicks are set at 33 degrees and lowered by half a degree every two days.

Broiler feeding

Growing broilers at home provides for the organization of a complete diet for birds. When feeding, it is important to remember that in the first months of life, birds gain weight very actively, and later there is a tendency to become obese on the same amount of feed. Access to fresh and clean water should be around the clock.

Weak chicks are pipet-fed with a mixture of yolk and milk. The first feeding after hatching should be no later than 12 hours later. First they are given millet, small corn, wheat groats, boiled eggs. Two days later, chopped dandelion leaves, young nettles, and grated carrots are added. From the fifth day, chalk, crushed shell rock, crushed eggshells are added to the mixers. At the same time, you can give the chickens two to three grams of flour. Chicks are also recommended to give bread crumbs, soaked crackers, boiled crushed potatoes. For feeding broiler chicks and adult birds, fresh dairy products will not be superfluous.

For the prevention of indigestion, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is given twice a week.

At the age of ten days, the chicks increase the rate of grain. The diet can already be supplemented with boiled food waste, mixers made on fresh whey or yogurt. Peas and lentils can also be given to chickens, but their share of the total amount of cereals should not be more than 10%.

Sprouted grain is especially useful for young birds. It is important for the breeder to remember that it is impossible to organize the correct feeding of broilers without fresh greens. It can be freshly cut grass, tops of carrots or beets. Cabbage leaves and yellow squash are best fed in the fall. In winter, vitamin food consists of grass and coniferous flour, hay.

Additionally, you can give yeast added to the mash and diluted in warm water, at the rate of 250 grams of yeast per 10 kg of dry food.

Feeding concentrated feed

The second method of feeding is the free access of birds to food during the day. The first three days the diet consists of a mixture of crushed corn, barley without film, wheat or wheat bran with mashed boiled eggs or fresh cottage cheese. Then the birds are transferred to a mixture of dry concentrated feed with wet mixers.

Norms for feeding birds with a mash:

Broilers will gain weight more intensively on special compound feed, which contains a complex of vitamins, proteins and minerals. For the smallest chicks, a basic type of compound feed has been developed, consisting of corn, wheat, barley, soybean meal, skimmed milk. At will, breeders add fish and grass meal, yeast, feed fat to the composition. For reared broilers, you can use compound feed consisting of corn, wheat and sunflower meal, yeast, animal fat, meat and bone or fish meal, ordinary flour, grass meal, chalk, salt.

Chickens should receive quite a lot of compound feed. Approximate feeding rates:

• up to seven days - 17 grams of feed,
• 7-14 days - 30-35 grams,
• 15 - 21 days - 60 - 63 grams,
• 22-28 days - 90-95 grams,
• 29 -35 day - 107 -110 grams,
• 36-42 days -110 -115 grams,
• older than 43 days - 120 grams.

Cultivation for sale

Growing broilers as a business is a contented profitable business. For industrial cultivation, it is recommended to buy chicks of broiler crosses - they gain weight faster and are more suitable for cage keeping. Birds fed with compound feed gain slaughter weight earlier and are slaughtered already on the 40th day with a weight of 2.5 kg.

By the age of two months, chickens are able to almost double their weight, but due to developing obesity, the quality of meat is deteriorating.

Setting up a business begins with the purchase of one-day-old chicks or eggs for an incubator. Breeding with an incubator is less expensive and avoids the death of small chicks during transportation. It is also worth remembering about the improvement of the premises for growing broilers and the organization of the storage area for feed. The food base should be constantly replenished, taking into account changes in the diet of birds as they grow. On average, one chicken needs about 2.5 kg of feed. It is important that it be fresh, balanced in composition and of high quality. The health of birds and the quality of meat depend on these indicators.

The next point that plays a key role in organizing a business is obtaining veterinary and legal documents. This should be taken care of in advance - markets and shops will not accept meat products without relevant certificates.