The optimal time for slaughter of livestock depends on how long the broiler grows for meat. Receiving meat products in a short time depends on high-quality feeding and care of the poultry. Poor hygiene, lower temperatures and protein deficiencies will affect the health of broilers. And the farmer will receive an unprofitable business instead of profit. To increase production efficiency, it is recommended to use special tables and weigh chickens to adjust the diet.
What do they feed broiler chickens at a poultry farm?
Poultry farms raise special hybrid crosses - broilers. They differ from other poultry in their high precocity. They are fed with mixed feed (a mixture of grain products, foods high in protein, vitamins and microelements).
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Popular broiler crosses
What is this
The term “broiler” does not mean a specific breed, but young meat crosses, specially fed to a marketable carcass.
More often, broilers are called hybrid lines from crossing Langshans, Plymouth Rocks, Cochins and other breeds.
Let's look at brief characteristics of common types.
Broiler-M
It is considered a universal cross. Hens fatten up to 2.8 kg, roosters about 3 kg.
After 5 months, chickens begin laying eggs, producing 160 eggs per year.
Broiler-61
Refers to a four-line cross. Plymouthrocks were used for crossing with Cochins. By 6 weeks after hatching, each chick has grown to 1.8 kg.
The advantages include high quality meat, rapid weight gain, and survival rate compared to other broilers.
But building up mass becomes the scourge of cross-country training - problems with bones begin. Therefore, it is advised to adjust the diet of young animals.
ROSS-308
With proper fattening, broiler chickens gain 2.5 kg up to 6 weeks of age.
During the day, the young animals become 55 g heavier, which is considered an indicator of a properly formulated diet.
ROSS-708
They are characterized by rapid weight gain. Already after the first month of life, they grow about 2.5 kg.
The only drawback is that buyers do not really like the whitish skin, which is explained by the rapid growth of chickens.
Gibro-6
Young broilers gain 30 g of weight every day, which translates to 1.5 kg of broilers at 1.5 months.
The bird is covered with white plumage and shows sufficient egg production - 160 eggs. A commercial quality carcass with yellow skin is obtained. But when growing, they monitor the diet because of the fragility of the bones.
COBB-500
It is recommended to feed intensively in the first month of life. The advantages are considered to be insignificant expenses on feed and sufficient survival of young animals.
Chickens in a flock develop equally. An increase of up to 2.5 kg is obtained within 40 days.
Change
A highly productive cross, giving an increase of up to 40 g per day. About 140 eggs are obtained from laying hens during the egg-laying period.
The young are considered resilient. Although it is recommended to keep the livestock after hatching in a warm poultry house with additional heating.
conclusions
The carcass with the yellowish skin of the COBB-500 cross is considered the most attractive for sale. It is obtained without adding corn grain or food additives to the diet of young animals.
Read the detailed description of KOBB-500 and other popular broilers in the article “About broiler chickens: what they are and which ones are better.”
Raising broilers for meat is available to every farmer. Of course, if you know how long a chicken grows to reach its optimal weight.
During the first 20 days, chickens produce maximum growth. Over the next 3 weeks, the diet, temperature and hygiene of the poultry house are monitored to further increase the weight of the chickens before slaughter.
After broilers reach 3 months, their maintenance becomes impractical due to growth inhibition and increasing feed costs.
Business profitability
Before you start calculating profits, you need to take into account exactly how much you will have to spend at the starting stage and in the future when keeping broilers. The main items that will require the greatest investment are summarized in the table.
Table 3. Costs of raising broiler chickens
| Expense line | Cost (thousand rubles) |
| Construction of a permanent poultry house | 70 – 150 |
| Documenting | 15 |
| Purchase of equipment | 30 |
| Stern | 10 |
| Chicks | Eggs – 0.03; chicken – 0.1 |
To avoid losses, slaughter broilers in a timely manner
Thus, the business has an average profitability with large production volumes. They are low if the population is less than 100 individuals. Since there are few problems with chicken, and the bird itself is quite calm, for many, broiler breeding becomes the main source of income.
Having your own farm store will reduce costs, since large companies require a minimum price and a large number of documents. To obtain permission to sell, you will have to obtain a veterinarian's opinion, but it will be possible to sell not at a wholesale price, but at a retail price.
Benefits of feeding with compound feed
Meat crosses quickly gain weight in a short time. Therefore, you should provide them with a high-calorie diet rich in vitamins and nutrients for development.
Without the provision of complete, balanced feed, it is not possible to obtain marketable carcasses in a short time.
More often, farmers purchase ready-made combined mixtures in production. But it’s cheaper to make your own feed, using the advice from the article “Types and composition of feed for broilers.”
What is the waste percentage of chicken?
When gutted poultry carcasses with kidneys and lungs are received from industry, technical waste is: for chickens - 1.7 and 1.4%, for turkeys - 1.0 and 1.9%, for ducks - 2.2 and 2.4% , for chickens - 1.6 and 1.7%, respectively, for categories I and II, and the yield rate of a carcass prepared for cooking is reduced by ...
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Dry food or mash
To ensure good weight gain in chicks, it is important to feed them both dry feed and mash. Granular food is chosen as a dry mixture.
The mash consists of milk, feed and whey. Meat broth is also used. For every kilogram of dry food, chickens are given 500 ml of liquid. The mash quickly turns sour. This needs to be monitored: an hour after eating, all feeders are cleaned.
Alternating dry food and mash is the best option. The first one should always be in the feeders.
Meat yield at slaughter
When slaughtering birds, the following techniques are used:
- external: a 2 cm long incision is made with scissors at the bottom of the ear, bleeding the carcass takes 2 minutes;
- internal: the scissors are inserted into the chicken’s beak, and the vessels above the tongue are cut at the junction of the veins: the jugular and the pavement.
Important! Correct organization of broiler slaughter affects product quality and shelf life.
Plucking of the carcass is carried out in water, which is heated to +60…+70 °C. Complete processing manually. Half gutted on a special table.
The yield of chicken meat is determined by the ratio of the weight of chicken to the pre-slaughter weight of chicken as a percentage. For semi-gutted chicken carcasses, the yield of broiler meat from live weight is 81.8%.
On a note. Chicken meat is called fresh meat if immediately after slaughter the temperature in the thickness of the muscles is +25 ° C or higher. When the temperature varies from 0 to +4 °C, it is a refrigerated raw material. At a temperature of 8 °C we are talking about a frozen product.
In broilers, the slaughter weight is determined by the processing of the carcass: in uneviscerated chickens it is the highest, because it contains a mass of bloodless and plucked individuals with fat, paws, head, and in addition includes internal organs. The weight of a semi-gutted chicken includes the carcass with fat, but without the intestines.
If chickens are completely gutted, they get rid of:
- intestines and blood;
- down and feathers;
- head and internal organs;
- wing to the elbow joint and legs.
Interesting. The slaughter yield of a chicken carcass is 60%.
The growth of broiler breeds depends entirely on the diet and rearing conditions. When raising birds, certain periods are observed when the chickens gain weight. Broilers are distinguished by their efficiency in terms of the ratio of feed to live weight. Poultry farmers use specific nutritional plans to minimize the cost of purchasing feed and increase the growth of broiler meat on private farms. The correct menu, according to the recommendations, will allow you to enjoy chicken after 2 months.
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Breeding broilers at home can develop in two directions. In one case, they use their own livestock and brood hens, which regularly hatch chicks. Young animals are raised to a certain weight category and then slaughtered. Another option involves purchasing a batch of chickens, fattening them and slaughtering them. Typically, small chickens are purchased in the spring or summer and are fattened for 60-70 days. With an intensive rearing method, a new batch of young animals is purchased every two and a half months and the process is repeated.
Regardless of the chosen direction, maintaining and fattening boilers has its own characteristics. Broiler chickens can be kept in a cage or on thick (deep) litter. If broilers are raised for their own needs, they can be kept in cardboard boxes, which should be placed in a dry and warm room. The box must have a source of light and heat. Raising broilers for sale requires having a chicken coop.
A chicken coop can be built from any building material. Most often, poultry houses are built from wood, brick or aerated concrete blocks. The size of the room is selected depending on the size of the livestock. Usually the accepted value is 5-7 chickens per 1 m2. Raising broilers in cages allows increasing the housing density. A small poultry house for broilers can be made from double wooden panels, between which mineral wool mats are laid as insulation. The roof can be made pitched, but also with insulation and protection from rain.
Read about broiler cages here.
The foundation can be made strip. It should be raised above the ground by 30-40 cm. This will protect the broiler population from rodents. It is best to make the floor concrete, as the wood will rot. If bedding is used, the layer thickness should not be less than 10-12 cm. Sawdust is well suited for this purpose. When soiled, such litter can be easily replaced. A chicken coop for broilers must meet the following conditions:
- sufficient area;
- correct temperature conditions;
- good lighting;
- ventilation without drafts;
- high sanitary and hygienic indicators.
Broiler chickens do not require walks, so there may be no open enclosure.
Read about chicken feeders here.
Egg incubation
With the reduction in the number of poultry in poultry farms, it is not always possible to purchase day-old broiler chicks. In this regard, before raising young animals for meat, homestead owners get adult birds or raise them until sexual maturity. Hatching eggs are then .
The industry produces small-sized incubators specifically for private farms. Domestic manufacturers produce models: IPH-5, IPH-10, LEO-0.5, “Nasedka” and others. They contain 50-100 eggs.
But working with an incubator is a complex process that requires special knowledge, strict adherence to the technology of raising broiler chickens and the purchase of expensive equipment.
For incubation, eggs are carefully selected based on shape, weight, egg contents and shell condition. For breeding young meat animals, culling is less strict.
During the incubation process, process parameters are monitored : readings of wet and dry thermometers, opening of dampers, rotation of trays, operation of fans. Despite the fact that the incubation mode is maintained automatically, instrument readings are checked every 8 hours and the operation of the device is monitored.
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Causes of inhibition in development
General
If purebred chickens are immune to most diseases, then meat crosses are demanding in terms of housing conditions and a special diet.
Beginning poultry farmers are often faced with the problem of broilers lagging behind in development, diseases and mortality.
It is necessary to dwell in detail on the mistakes that lead to the disappointment of farmers and the refusal to raise broilers.
Weight Loss Factors
A specific line of crosses. Among the many meat lines, varieties with fast and slow weight gain have been bred. Perhaps the poultry farmer purchased a cross that grows slowly, but later gains weight.
Dietary disorder. Meat chickens need increased amounts of protein in their feed. And without amino acids they will not build muscle mass.
Dysfunction of the gastrointestinal system. Immediately after birth, young animals need to be fed with special feed. If the conditions are not met, dispersion develops. Another cause of frustration is the distribution of moldy food.
Large walking area. Broilers are bred to be kept in cages, and walking does not promote weight gain. It is recommended to transfer the livestock to cramped conditions at the rate of about 0.5 m2 of area per 10 chickens.
Other circumstances
Keeping at low temperatures. Cold becomes another reason for weight loss in young animals, who spend energy on heating the body.
Gas pollution in the room. Lack of ventilation leads to poisoning of livestock and reduces weight gain.
Diseases and parasites. If chickens are rapidly losing weight, there is a reason to examine the flock for helminth infection.
In order to prevent diseases, it is recommended to regularly feed young animals with vitamins and a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate.
It is common practice in poultry farms to feed broilers antibiotics and growth stimulants. The livestock quickly gains weight and is not susceptible to disease.
In order to grow a healthy herd, common mistakes are eliminated.
Salmonella
This nasty disease also sometimes affects broilers. Mostly young animals suffer from it. Symptoms may include swollen eyes and legs, diarrhea, and lack of appetite. Since salmonellosis is a contagious disease, infected birds should be immediately removed from the main flock, and the remaining broilers should be given chloramphenicol, dissolved in water. Chickens are treated for salmonellosis with streptomycin or furazolidone. In any case, it is worth calling a veterinarian.
Keeping broilers, therefore, is a serious matter, troublesome and quite time-consuming. Such a business will be profitable only if the bird receives maximum attention from the owner. In particular, it is worth taking a responsible approach to compiling the diet of chickens, as well as preventing the spread of various types of infections in the barn.
Tips for gaining weight
Content adjustment:
- Equipment for an insulated poultry house. The herd is kept on a thick layer of bedding or in cages. It is highly undesirable to equip a walking yard where the bird feels uncomfortable.
- Remove damp bedding regularly to prevent mold from growing on the floor. High humidity causes indigestion.
- The air temperature during the first week of chickens’ life should not fall below +30°C. As the livestock matures, the indicators are reduced to +20°C.
- The lights in the room are never turned off. It is advisable to use dim light and paint the lamps red to avoid outbreaks of cannibalism.
- The poultry house is promptly cleared of excrement and internal surfaces and equipment are disinfected.
- The bird is sensitive to ammonia fumes, so ventilation or vents are installed to ventilate toxic substances.
- Place basins with an ash-sand mixture for bathing chickens. This is how they get rid of parasites on their own.
If the housing conditions are met, and the chickens look sick, it is advisable to introduce food additives into the diet. For example, Chiktonik, the use of which is described in the article “Instructions for using Chiktonik for chickens.”
Living conditions
To breed broilers you do not need any special knowledge. If you decide to start raising broilers at home, you must keep the birds in certain conditions. Caring for broilers is different from keeping regular chicken breeds.
Place. From the first day of life, chickens need to arrange a place. Broilers can be kept on litter or in cages. Litter (sawdust or other dry, loose mass) should be no more than 10 cm. It is allowed to contain no more than 18 heads per square meter.
It is important to maintain the temperature at 26–33 °C in the first 5–7 days of life, and then gradually reduce the temperature to 19–18 °C. The room must be illuminated 24 hours a day. The light is dim, in the first seven days the lamp power should be 1.8 W per square meter, then until the 7th week of growth - 1.2 W and at the finish line you can use a lamp of 0.6 W
Too bright light can cause pecking. The lamp lamp can be painted green or red
The light is dim, in the first seven days the lamp power should be 1.8 W per square meter, then until the 7th week of growth - 1.2 W and at the finish line you can install a lamp of 0.6 W. Too bright light can cause pecking. The lamp lamp can be painted green or red
The room must be illuminated 24 hours a day. The light is dim, in the first seven days the lamp power should be 1.8 W per square meter, then until the 7th week of growth - 1.2 W and at the finish line you can install a lamp of 0.6 W. Too bright light can cause pecking. The lamp lamp can be painted green or red.
Broilers need cleanliness and constant care
Maintaining cleanliness. You need to constantly monitor the cleanliness of the room where broilers grow. Clean regularly and change the litter. To prevent gastrointestinal infections in poultry, drinkers and feeders should be washed with hot water.
Change in weight of broiler chickens with age
Up to 10 days
The secret to growing massive birds is considered to be the skill of the poultry farmer. Particular attention is paid to caring for young animals in the first month of life.
The weight of the hatched chick is about 50 g, with deviations of 1-2 g. The first weighing provides the prerequisites for determining which broilers will gain more weight in the future. Even an excess of 2 g in a chicken will allow one to judge the growth of a large marketable carcass.
Feeding with prestarter feed makes it possible for each bird to gain up to 200 g in the first ten days. This approach has a beneficial effect on the digestive tract, absorption of nutrients and building muscle mass.
Regular food is not able to saturate the body with the necessary components, and the farmer will not be able to raise a large meat chicken.
After 10 days
From ten days of age, young animals are transferred to adult poultry feed in order to save money on feeding. By 14 days, the weight of each chicken should reach 0.5 kg. After which the livestock gains weight more slowly.
The average weight of a month-old broiler is up to 1.5 kg. But in this case, the mass of the bird depends on its belonging to the cross.
Poultry farmers prepare chickens before slaughter, obtaining tender meat with high taste values, valued on the market. Although up to 2 months the young animals reach only 3 kg, further maintenance becomes unprofitable.
Broiler breeding: bird care
- If your poultry house is not for a dozen birds, but for 20-50, then it is better to plan for at least one more person to participate in the work. Perhaps family members will help you, and if funds allow, it makes sense to invite an assistant to breed broilers. In addition to regularly feeding the birds, it is necessary to clean the premises at least regularly.
- For newly hatched chicks, it is necessary to maintain the temperature at least 30˚C, lowering it as the birds grow older. A chicken coop or cage is enough for them, so free range is unnecessary. Birds are also afraid of drafts, so make sure there are none when you set up the ventilation system. Don't forget to add fresh sawdust or straw to the floor.
- The survival rate of broilers is generally high. But examining the chickens by a veterinarian will not be superfluous. Moreover, before slaughtering a bird, you must be sure that it is healthy and all necessary veterinary examinations will be passed without problems.
When and how to cut
How long does it take for a broiler to grow - on average, in two months, but the owner makes the decision to cut the livestock on his own when he realizes that the cross has gained the required weight. Most often, domestic livestock is slaughtered at 80 days.
Before the procedure, consider a few rules:
- Chickens should not receive antibiotics for three weeks.
- Do not feed your birds fish waste, minced meat or gravel for two weeks.
- 12 hours before - they are on a starvation diet. It is only allowed to water the chickens.
- To preserve the presentation of chickens, they hold them by their paws. If you grab the wing, bruises will appear. In addition, catch carefully so as not to injure the wings and belly.
There are several slaughter methods:
- External, when a small incision is made at the bottom of the ear using scissors. In this case, the carcass is bled in a couple of minutes.
- Internally, scissors are placed in the chick's beak and the vessels in the throat are trimmed.
Remember that it is professional slaughter that determines the quality of the final product and storage time. The birds are plucked first in hot water, and then the process is completed manually.
Important points
On industrial poultry farms, the main food for broilers is compound feed. On a homestead farm , without a thoughtful and varied diet, fattening chickens may not be justified. To monitor the growth of broilers, they need to be weighed weekly.
The first five days are a particularly important period for feeding the chicks. Their digestive system is not yet developed and the food must be easily digestible.
Lighting is of great importance for the development and growth of chickens . When exposed to light, their metabolism is activated. During the first half-month they need 24-hour lighting.
With proper organization, even in a small area in the summer (May–August), you can raise two batches of broiler chickens without much expense. Thus, you will be able to provide your family with dietary meat.
Supplements
Broiler chickens, among other things, must receive fish oil. You also need to purchase some vitamin supplements for them and feed them according to the attached instructions. It is also important to give chalk or grated shells. This should be done at least once a day. In the room where the chickens are kept, you should place a container with sand or very small pebbles.
Chicks should have clean water at all times. If desired, you can buy special drip drinkers. But it’s easier to just put an inverted half-liter jar of water in a saucer. Twice a week, to disinfect the stomach, chickens should be given water with potassium permanganate (pink).
At first, the chickens are fed every two hours. From the 10th day until one month of age - 5-6 times a day. Until the time of slaughter, broilers are given food 4 times a day.
Common Mistakes
Errors in the maintenance of broilers lead to the fact that individuals die or stop growing. The main thing is to prevent rotting of the litter. Mold forms on it if drinkers and feeders are placed on a layer of sawdust.
It is necessary to constantly clean the premises and cages of droppings. In this case, it is worth disinfecting the walls and floors and drying them to prevent the development of diseases.
When the nutrition of broilers is not balanced, it contains few vitamins and microelements, then the birds begin to peck at each other’s heads. Weak specimens suffer the most from attacks.
Young animals must be fed at the same time. Don't forget about clean warm water. Broilers often die due to dehydration.
Thanks to mandatory vaccination, all birds can be saved if symptoms of the disease appear in some individuals.
A profitable business will be successful when you properly engage in broiler farming.
How to breed broilers at home: a business plan for beginners
- Registration of a poultry farm. The need for it depends on whether you will make wholesale deliveries or limit yourself to friends and acquaintances. But the latter option is absolutely not profitable, and the first one will indeed require registration, since not a single wholesale buyer will purchase goods without first concluding an agreement. And for this, of course, you need to register your business.
- Veterinary certificates. In the case of breeding broilers without documents from the veterinary service and certificates signed by specialists of the sanitary and epidemiological service, you will not be able to check the quality and confirm it with the appropriate certificates. But given the small batches of meat, you won’t need to engage in branding.
- Method and place of raising chickens. You need to decide and choose what suits you best: a chicken coop or cages. The first method is good for poultry due to its spaciousness, but will require investment in the construction of a poultry house. The second is less expensive (without construction), but complicated by the need for constant temperature conditions, which involves additional costs for electricity. And the purchase of enclosures should also be included in the business plan. Typically, the space required for maintenance is calculated based on 1 m² for 10-12 broilers.
- Chicken coop equipment. Purchasing complex equipment (with incubators, heating and air purification, grain crushers, etc.) only makes sense when you are going to organize an entire poultry farm - then the initial investment subsequently has a chance to pay off. If your plans include only a small poultry house, then simple and inexpensive equipment in the form of heaters, thermometers, feeders, drinkers, etc. is sufficient. It’s the same with the premises – you can use an empty barn for it.
- Purchase of poultry. A cheaper option, of course, is to buy eggs, but you need to calculate whether you can afford an incubator for them and whether you can provide all the necessary conditions. You should also take into account the risk of purchasing obviously low-quality eggs. Less risky in this regard is the purchase of young animals, but even here it is important to carefully examine the chickens you are going to buy and make sure that they are not sick.
Consider the disadvantages and advantages
Little or grown up - Purchase of feed. Broilers grow very quickly; in just a couple of months they develop from an embryo in an egg to an adult, so you should take into account the appropriate amount of feed for different age categories of birds. You can try and prepare your own bird food.
Choosing the optimal breed
Almost all broiler crosses are the result of hybridization of highly productive meat chickens. They have a strong skeleton and in most cases white plumage. The average daily weight gain of chickens is 80 g. The most productive broiler breeds include:
- ROSS-308 and 708;
- COBB-500;
- Hubbard F-15;
- Gibro-6;
- Broiler-61.
Among owners of private farms, birds from the Smena line are very popular. When choosing a specific breed, it is recommended to focus on its productivity indicators, adaptability to the climate of your region and the cost of chickens.
