How to raise broiler chickens at home?

Broiler is a hybrid of domestic animals, obtained by crossing different breeds. It is distinguished by its early maturity. Broilers are called not only poultry, but also other animals, such as rabbits.

In this article we will talk about broiler chicken, namely: where to start, how to choose eggs, what and how to feed according to growth periods, how to water, what vitamins to give, what should not be fed, diseases and what to treat. Let's talk about adult broilers: living conditions, feeding and water, diseases and how to treat them.

In general, we will go through all the stages of cultivation - from eggs to the sale of the finished product.

How to choose eggs to grow

Broiler eggs

The choice of eggs for incubation is an important part of the broiler raising process, because it determines the percentage of chicks hatching, how healthy the offspring will turn out, how often they will get sick or not at all, how quickly they will gain weight, etc. Whether you will be left at a profit or at a loss will also depend on the right choice for laying the eggs.

For selection of eggs, we select a healthy broiler chicken without signs of infectious diseases. It is recommended to leave your choice on a medium-sized hen.

The egg should be uniform in color. It is advisable to choose medium sizes, because the same offspring is obtained from small eggs.

Large ones have a thin shell. Therefore, the appearance of microscopic cracks, through which they penetrate into the embryo of infection, is not excluded. In addition, many eggs of this size simply will not hatch.

The weight of the egg is also selected, if possible, the same. Then the chicks are born with a slight difference in time.

We take eggs from the nests several times a day. Their overheating or cooling is unacceptable. It is advisable to store them in a warm, dry room, in which the permissible temperature drops do not exceed 5 degrees.

Setting eggs in the incubator

The maximum shelf life between removal from the nest and setting in the incubator is two or three days. If this period is exceeded, the likelihood of negative consequences for their healthy development in the future increases.

A correct, competent approach to the process of choosing eggs for laying them in an incubator is the key to a successful result.

The maximum age of a hen from which eggs are taken for an incubator is limited to 2 years.

What and how to feed

It is very important to feed broiler chicks correctly, starting from the first day of their life, because starting feeding sets the appropriate rate of growth and development of these poultry. In addition, the composition of the feed plays a decisive role in the quality of the final product - meat.

Broiler chicks from zero days

There is a widespread opinion that day-old broiler chickens should be immediately given chopped boiled eggs, cottage cheese, mixed feed, which help to strengthen the digestive system.

Broiler chicken

However, others caution against such a decision. They argue that this is precisely the reason for the death of the poultry population during the first 2 - 3 days of their life. And feeding broiler chickens with boiled eggs at one day of age not only does not strengthen their immunity, but also causes a disorder of the digestive system, causes a large number of deaths.

It is not recommended to give any wet food. It is useful at such an early age to give only millet and a small amount of egg powder. Chicks should have free access to feed and water. The size of the cage, box, and other place in which the brood was kept allowed each chicken to eat and drink freely. In water, we dilute potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) in a very low concentration.

In this case, the color of the water should not be allowed to change to pink. It is also recommended to separately prepare an aqueous glucose solution. This will help avoid indigestion - a disease of the digestive tract.

The room in which the chickens are kept should be well ventilated but protected from drafts. Dampness is also detrimental to them, even if the optimum temperature is maintained.

Weekly chicks

You can gradually accustom kids to starting compound feed from the fifth day of their life. At the same time, they are soldered with a prominent solution of vitamins. It is not recommended to give them antibiotics until this age.

It is useful to drop "Trivitamin" into the beak of each chicken - a drug for the treatment and prevention of vitamin deficiency. Add "Baytril" to the water, which is intended against infections at the rate of 1 gram per 2 liters of water.

7 day old chicks

From one week of age, chickens are taught to eat cottage cheese. We vary the diet with crushed boiled egg. The feed can be slightly moistened with whey. The approximate daily consumption rate during this period reaches 15 - 20 grams. Indoor temperature - 30 - 32 degrees.

Important! Make sure the chickens do not get dirty or wet while eating. Otherwise, it is fraught with their death. The places where they are kept must be dry with the right temperature and humidity.

Chickens from 10 to 20 days

During this period, greens are added to the porridge (slightly moistened dry starter food), for example, finely chopped onions, at the rate of 1:20. It contains the necessary vitamins. Besides, green onions are used as an antiparasitic agent.

To avoid one of the most common diseases of poultry - coccidosis, which leads to disruption of the digestive process and dehydration of the body, at two weeks of age, the drug "Baycox" is added to the water at the rate of 1 gram per 2 liters of water.

During this period, they eat feed up to 30 grams per day. In order for babies to have a good growth, take care of an increased daylight from the first days. The ambient temperature is kept at a level not lower than 28 degrees. If young animals at this age are overcooled, they can get bronchopneumonia, which occurs precisely as a result of hypothermia.

Two week old young

You can add reverse, yogurt, buttermilk to the feed. After 15 days of feeding, protein feed of plant origin is mixed into the food. The proportion of greenery can be gradually increased. It should now account for up to 10% of the total feed weight.

Stir in crushed eggshells, feed yeast, and grated carrots in small amounts. In no case should sand be given to chickens. Do not forget to make a very weak solution of potassium permanganate.

From day 10 for three or four days, broilers may begin to die. Therefore, during this period, we solder poultry with antibiotics. Add a couple of drops of iodine. After a short break, vitamins are given, vitamin D is especially important during this period for rickets.

Lack of vitamins leads to hypovitaminosis A, D, E, B. Chickens are given only high-quality feed. If you buy it ready-made in a package, keep an eye on the expiration dates.

Juveniles should be kept away from adults to avoid disease transmission. Chicks up to 20 days old require round-the-clock lighting.

How to raise monthly chicks

After 22-25 days, they switch from feeding with starting compound feed (cereals) to growing (in granules). The composition of the broiler feed should include mineral content, protein (fish meal), cereals (corn), amino acids and vitamins. The green mass can also be continued to be added.

To save money we advise do not buy expensive growth food, but make its composition yourself: crushed wheat, oats, corn, barley, peas. All components are mixed in equal proportions. It is advisable to add fish oil, whey, meat and bone meal to the feed. Add (but do not mix) the leaves of cabbage, lettuce, green onions.

Feeding one month old chicks

By 35 days of age, you can gradually increase the amount of corn to 40% of the total, and reduce the amount of wheat, oats and barley. The meal or cake is about 15%. The percentage of green mass can be reduced.

Under normal conditions and quality feeding, monthly chicks weigh about 800 grams.

We exclude from the diet all types of bread, boiled potatoes (if it does not go in a mixture with other components), all stitched products, especially if you smell. We remind you to refrain from adding sand. We make sure that the water of the chickens is constantly clean, fresh, slightly warm. It is useful to use settled water.

We lower the temperature of the environment to 23 - 25 degrees. The duration of lighting is reduced to 14-16 hours a day.

To avoid aspergillosis at this age, you need to ventilate the room well, avoid dampness. For prophylaxis, add a little iodine-containing preparations to feed and water.

All new feeds are given in small quantities at first so that the chicks can get used to it. Otherwise, they may have indigestion, leading to death.

Chickens 45-50 days

After 40 days of life, the young are given not crushed, but whole grain. A commercially available finishing compound feed containing the main nutrients is also used. But if you want to have tasty meat, you can refuse to purchase it.

Whole grain is poured into the feeders, not crushed grain. Vitamins, feed yeast, chalk must also be present in the feed. After reaching 45 days of age, we exclude any medications. A good effect is given by cooking porridge, which includes boiled small fish, corn, wheat, peas, greens.

2 month old broilers

All this is mixed and allowed to brew. In porridge, we increase the percentage of corn to half of the total mass.

If you did not save on feed and gave a complete diet, their weight at this age should be more than one kilogram. The breed also has a big influence on this figure.

If the weight of a unit of young animals of one breed reaches 1, 2 - 1.3 kg, then the weight of a grown chick of this age can be 1.6 - 1.8 kg. all other things being equal.

We continue to use clean settled water. We gradually lower the ambient temperature to 21 - 23 degrees. The duration of daily lighting is reduced to 12-14 hours.

The area in which the young are kept must be sufficient so that everyone can freely approach the feeder or drinker.However, the walk should not be spacious, otherwise the broiler will lose weight due to excessive activity.

Breeding adult broilers at home

Keeping broilers for fattening for more than two months is not economically feasible, since the birds gain weight more slowly with age, and they consume more feed. In addition, broiler meat older than 70-75 days is less tasty than two months old.

Cell maintenance and care at home

If you want to raise up to 10 head of chicken broilers at home, their cage content will suit you. Depending on the size of the cage, they contain 3-5 heads (then the size of the cage is made from such a calculation in order to limit the free movement of the bird to the required level - to go to the feeder and drinker), or up to 10 heads (the size of the cage increases, the requirements for the spatial conditions of detention and the dilutions remain the same).

Keeping birds in a cage

When growing livestock more than 10 units need to do or additional number of cells (since one cage, with more than a dozen heads in it, is very cumbersome and inconvenient to move, it loses mobility), or think about keeping in a pen.

Let's say it is economically beneficial for you to breed livestock in cages. Then, for dry food (mixed fodder, grain), it is advisable to choose trough-type feeders, which are placed outside the cages along the whole tier. We also build a continuous drinking bowl, for example, from a PVC sewer pipe.

The front side of the trough can be made of combined type metal rods. This is convenient because chickens can be kept in such a cage at first.

Steel rods on the walls are spaced among themselves quite often so that the brood does not run out of the cage or fall out of it (if the cage is in the second or third tier).

Once the young grows up, they are seated in different cages, removing the rods from the walls through one. Thus, we provide free access to feed for an adult broiler.

How to grow: tips for beginners

Broiler cage

There are several requirements for the conditions of keeping an adult broiler bird:

• so that the content area makes it possible eat freely each individual, that is, not too small, but not too large (for the reasons indicated above);
• permanent availability of high quality fresh feed in the feeders. In addition, there can and should be separate feeders for porridge, if used;
• constant availability of fresh (better settled) warm water in drinking bowls, but not higher than 22-25 degrees;
• enough hours daylight hours (12-14 hours). If less - we give additional lighting;
• humidity air 68-72%;
• no dampnessespecially in cells;
• no drafts must not be;
• ambient temperature - within 20-21 degrees (if it is lower, then the activity of broilers decreases, the intensity of feed consumption decreases, the growth of mass slows down; if it is higher, then the bird becomes hot, the result is the same);
• obligatory presence ventilation, since otherwise the intensive accumulation of nitrogen has a detrimental effect on the vital activity of the bird. A case is described when the owner, in order to save on heating, placed the floor of a hundred broilers in a greenhouse where greens were grown in a small makeshift paddock. Despite the fact that the greenhouse was periodically supplied with fresh air, after a few days the greens began to fade due to the increased nitrogen content in the air, although this was not felt. After the corral was fenced off with foil, the concentration of nitrogen in the environment in the corral reached such a level that the chickens began to behave sluggishly, ate feed reluctantly, and slowly gained weight.
• cells inside must be clean... To do this, you can make the floor from a galvanized welded fine mesh, and clean the floor pallet based on the amount of droppings accumulated in it;
• if growing broilers at home is "put" on stream, then it is necessary to periodically carry out disinfection of cells (after the slaughter of the previous batch, but before growing the second).

Disadvantages of keeping birds in cages:

• requires monetary investments more than with a driven cultivation method.

Advantages:

• more convenient in service;
• more compact (saves used space).

How to keep and raise a broiler in a pen

This method of keeping broilers and chickens from zero days does not differ from the previous one. The main differences are as follows:

• economically viable in terms of construction. Basically, to raise birds in a pen you need a floor and walls. If you are going to raise a bird in a barn, then part of the barn is fenced off with collapsible sections made of welded mesh wire, put feeders and drinkers - and the pen is ready;
• designed for content not less than 10 heads birds;

Walking hens in the corral

Flaws:

• requires increased care and attention to elimination of dampness and high humidity, you need to frequently change the litter of broilers to keep the floor dry;
• by area occupies more space per one livestock unit.

Advantages:

• less material costs, compared to the first method.

Requirements for ambient temperature, humidity, absence of drafts, dampness and other conditions of detention remain the same.

Correct feeding. Where to begin

As mentioned above, it makes no sense to fatten broilers for more than two months. This is justified by the following:

• after two months fattening poultry gains weight more slowly;
• consumption feed increases;
• broiler meat older than 2.5 months tougherless tasty.

Feeding adult broilers (in our case, in the recommended age range from 60 to 75 days) comes down to the fact that they need to be given only high-quality feed with the following diet:

We feed adult broilers with whole grain or purchased final compound feed. To make the meat tastier, we advise you to abandon the purchased compound feed altogether. This will save you money and improve product quality.

But even more worries will be added, in order to breed chickens, you will need to buy separately grain of wheat, barley, corn, peas, etc., mix all this in proportions. Do not forget to give greens, add fishmeal.

If you are not lazy, then prepare porridge for your poultry from the above ingredients with the addition of cooked small fish. If there is no fish, add fish oil. The main specific gravity should be maize (up to 50%).

Some, when growing poultry, after two months of feeding, switch exclusively to corn and greens (5-10 days before slaughter). For normal chain feeding, expect your broilers to weigh at least two kilograms by 70 to 75 days of feeding.

Broiler feed

Attention! We do not give broilers:

• boiled potato (if it does not go in a mixture with other components);
• all varieties of bread;
• all overdue products;
• sand;
• medications (if possible);
• several new products food in large quantities;
• other components, if we see that they call negative reaction the bird.

What to drink

Follow the same rules as for raising young stock. The water should be:

• clean, preferably separated;
• moderately warm (in the region of 20 - 21 degrees);
• in drinkers, providing unimpeded access poultry (depends on the number of livestock);
• can be diluted at very low concentrations potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). In this case, the color of the water should not be allowed to change to pink.

Broiler chicken diseases

Broiler chickens can be sick with quite a few diseases. Some of them:

• heterokydosis - worms in the intestines. Piperazine can be used against this disease. Preventive measures - thoroughly wash the room in which the chickens are;
• arthritis - joints of chickens suffer (broilers walk less, try to sit down). Ampicillin (10 mg per 5 kg chicken weight) can be used for 5 consecutive days. Ampicillin for arthritis

  Arthritis prevention measures: Provide only quality food, bedding should be dry;

• ascites (accumulates fat in the abdomen). The bird walks sluggishly and reluctantly. To avoid this disease, it is necessary to give greens;
• salmonellosis manifests itself in upset stomach... Can be treated with tetracycline or dithrevite. The dosage is indicated in the instructions for these medicinal products;
• pseudo-plague - chickens can become infected through contaminated eggshells. It is necessary to plant the sick and disinfect the room;
• simple poisoning... To avoid this, you need to ensure that the food is fresh and of high quality, and that foreign objects, such as fish bones, do not fall into the feeders).

If you do everything right, the result will not be long in coming.

Recommendation for beginners: there is nothing better than personal experience... Therefore, in the initial stages of your business development, you can use the information and recommendations of others. But if in practice you achieve the best results thanks to your best practices, it is a sin not to take advantage of this.

If you find that some recommendation does not apply to the growing conditions of broiler chickens in your conditions, think for yourself how to get out of the situation to achieve optimal results.

Speaking of broilers, we mean meat-based chickens, characterized by high growth rates, large size and excellent meat suitable for frying.

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

In just 7–8 weeks, the bird grows to 1.5–2.5 kg, which, with the right approach, during the warm season, even in a small farm, makes it possible to grow 1–2 batches of chickens.

Features of growing broiler chickens

In order for chickens of broiler breeds and crosses to live up to their purpose, they need competent care and a carefully selected diet. If the bird will not be used for procreation, then raising broiler chickens at home usually takes no longer than 70 days. Then, the increase in body weight in the bird physiologically decreases, but feed consumption remains at the same level, which means that the benefit from such a livestock drops sharply.

When raising broiler chickens, the poultry farmer focuses on the care and feeding of the poultry. Both must be adjusted from the first day of the chicks' stay on the farm, since delay often becomes the cause, if not death, then the weakening, stunting and sickness of the livestock.

In a backyard farm, broilers are settled in poultry houses on deep litter or cage keeping is used.

In the first case, the broiler room should be protected from external weather factors, and the floors should be warm and dry. It is most convenient to use sawdust as a bedding, which is well dried beforehand. You can use other materials to ensure that the flooring is always dry, clean and loose.

Before settling chicks:

• 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;
• on top of it, sawdust is poured 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 round-the-clock lighting for day-old chicks.

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

While broilers are small and their own thermoregulation is imperfect, they need an elevated air temperature of 26–33 ° C. After 20 days, the air in the house can be cooled 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 of keeping poultry threatens to become familiar with the symptoms of diseases of broiler chickens and the treatment of poorly growing flocks.

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

The rearing, care and feeding of broiler chicks is greatly influenced by the lighting of the cages or house. During daylight hours, the bird actively feeds and moves. The darker the room, the more sluggish the chicks grow.

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

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 large, well-fed poultry as soon as possible, it is important to choose a balanced, age-oriented diet.

How to feed broiler chickens? This question is most relevant for all beginner and experienced poultry farmers who have not previously encountered the cultivation of such a bird. In household plots, they often practice the use of wet and dry food of their own preparation.

The first weeks of the chicks' stay in the courtyard, they are fed with wet mash, based on boiled eggs, millet, crushed oats and wheat, which make up slightly more than half of the total amount of feed consumed. From 3 weeks of age, boiled potatoes are introduced into the menu, replacing them with no more than a fifth of the cereals.

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, reverse and other dairy products. Fish and meat and bone meal becomes a source of animal protein from 10 days of age. These products should first be given 5-7 grams per day per head, and then double the consumption.

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

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

An excess of grass meal 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 grain and other feed for broiler chickens.

From 5 days, 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 should be kept in the house at all times. 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.Already from the fifth day on the menu, they practice the use of oil solutions of vitamins A, D, and E, avoiding an overdose of the drugs used.

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

All wet broiler chicken feed is prepared so that the bird will eat it within 30-40 minutes.

If the mash is kept warm longer, it is possible:

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

All of these factors are most often the cause of diarrhea in broiler chickens, the treatment of which weakens the population and slows down the growth rate.

Use of compound feed for broiler chickens

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

Finished feeds for broiler chickens vary 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.

While these mixes are more expensive than homemade mash, they significantly improve the performance of the growing flock, make it easier to care for, raise and feed broiler chicks, and control food intake.

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

During active growth, broiler chicken feed is a source of protein, calcium, vitamins and fats, which ensure rapid bone growth and muscle growth. Before slaughter, finishing mixtures are used to increase body condition.

Growing broiler chickens in cages - video

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Broilers are undoubtedly one of the most popular breeding options for meat chicken breeds. High productivity, fast weight gain, phlegmatic character, excellent meat quality - these are important distinguishing features of these breeds. But along with the benefits and an abundance of quality products, the breeder will face problems and specific nuances in the breeding process that require increased attention and diligence on his part. Let's try to understand all the intricacies of the process called: broilers - growing at home, feeding, note the main pros and cons of broiler breeding.

Broilers - main breeds

Broiler breed KOBB-500

Broiler is a representative of crosses, a hybrid of meat breeds (Kohinin, Plymouthrock, Langshan, etc.). The most common color is white, almost all breeds have a wide chest and strong legs, they carry few eggs. Difference and feature of the broiler: a genetically based rapid weight gain with relatively small expenditures on feed (from 1.8 to 3 kg per kilogram of weight), which allows a month-old chick to weigh up to 2.5 kilograms. A healthy chick gains daily (depending on the breed) from 30 to 80 grams of weight. All breeds are distinguished by increased vitality, calm character, pale skin typical for most broiler crosses after slaughter. The most popular breeds today:

• Broiler-61;
• ROSS-308;
• Change-7;
• ROSS-708;
• COBB-500.

Let us note the peculiarity of the latter breed, which favorably distinguishes it from others: the COBB-500 carcass has yellowness, which is popular among buyers, which makes it more profitable for breeding for retail sale. The yellowness of the breed does not depend on the nutritional characteristics, the presence of corn in the diet, etc.

Broiler keeping specifics

Preparing the chicken coop

In the early days of life, chicks are exposed to the stress of moving, which negatively affects health and vitality, increasing the risk of mortality and disease. To reduce negative factors, it is necessary to conduct a thorough preliminary preparation of the poultry room, taking into account all the necessary needs of the chicks. An approximate list of necessary activities.

• Disinfect the premises. Pre-plaster the walls, grease with lime (for floor maintenance, lime the floor in the proportion: 1 kg per square meter). When reused, disinfection is also necessary, the walls should be treated with whitewash;

The use of lime is a primary necessity when building a chicken coop

• There should be no drafts in the room. All cracks must be plastered, properly filled or repaired. Do not use rags or other temporary alternatives. a bird out of curiosity can peck this part of the wall, damaging its beak or tongue;
• Regardless of the time of year, the temperature in the hen house in the first weeks should not be lower than 30 degrees. For heating, both various heaters and incandescent lamps are used. In the future, the temperature can be gradually reduced to 20 degrees by the time of the slaughter. At low temperatures, both weight loss and a general decrease in chick health are possible;
• In the first weeks, constant dim lighting (1.8 W per square meter) is necessary: ​​it helps to gain weight, improves the body's resistance to non-infectious diseases, and stimulates hematopoiesis (the process of formation and development of blood cells). Later, after 2 weeks of growth, when the bird gets stronger and gains weight, the lighting can be reduced by introducing the darkness mode for several hours, which will also be beneficial for the health of the chickens;

Lighting as a heat source for chicks

• Good quality, working ventilation and humidity control is essential. The accumulation of ammonia in the air, high and, conversely, low humidity in the room can cause biting, lack of appetite, stress, the appearance of infections (for example, coccidiosis), and increased mortality. The optimum humidity level is from 50 to 60%;
• When planning a chicken coop, it is necessary to ensure free and convenient access of all chicks to drinkers and a feeder, avoiding crowding and competition for food;
• Lay a dry and loose covering (sawdust, straw) on the floor with a layer of no more than 10 cm thick. Clean up dirt every day, keep the room dry: chicks inevitably spill water on the floor, which creates ideal conditions for infections and bacteria.

It is important to know: due to stress, moving day old chicks often results in increased mortality, many breeders prefer to purchase older chicks for up to 10 days, which reduces the likelihood of losses, but reduces the potential profits.

It will also be useful when buying (regardless of the age of the chicks) to pay attention to the liveliness and mobility of the chicks, rejecting excessively apathetic and immobile ones.

Containment room options

Solid brooder for chickens

In the first 10 days of life, it is recommended to keep the chicks in a brooder, a "nursery for the smallest", necessary for better control over what is happening at the most helpless moment of the chicks' life. The brooder itself can be placed in the house, making it easier to observe. To make it you will need:

• two large boxes fastened together: one for feeding, the other for walking. The boxes themselves must be disinfected (ideally with lime);
• oilcloth, a layer of straw or sawdust for bedding;
• feeder;
• drinker;
• constant lighting.

The approximate number of livestock in a brooder is 18 chicks per square meter. After 10 days of growth, a crush inevitably begins among the chicks, which means it is time to move the bird to a more extensive, adapted room.

For the chicken coop, it is possible to build a separate covered building, but you can adapt a summer cottage or use an ordinary greenhouse.

The option with a greenhouse has an undeniable plus: in the case of breeding chicks in the cold season, heating costs are significantly reduced, which increases the final profit. But in the greenhouse, problems with ventilation and humidity are inevitable, which will ultimately lead to a significant loss of chickens from diseases and infections. It is necessary to constantly ventilate the room, while avoiding drafts and cold snaps, or conduct a separate ventilation system.

When using a separate room, two options are practiced:

• outdoor, with chicks on the floor covered with litter;
• cage, with the construction of a multi-tiered system for keeping chicken.

Cage multi-tiered building for chickens

The outdoor version is simpler to perform, does not require additional labor to create cells, but it has several important disadvantages in comparison with the cell content:

• the ratio "number of chicks - square meter" in the cage version is definitely more advantageous. It is advisable to place up to 10 chicks per 1 square meter (taking into account constant growth). With a cage keeping on the same square meter, depending on the number of floors, you can place 2 times more chicks, which is not the limit;
• the cost of heating the premises, ventilation and electricity in the cellular version - less;
• high degree of pollution during floor maintenance. The need for more frequent cleaning, an increase in diseases and infections.

Outdoor chicken coop

Video - Broiler Cage

Creation of equipment for feeding and water supply

Also, in the chicken coop, it is necessary to think over the feeding and drinking system, it should be simple, to exclude the possibility of injury to the bird. Even without special engineering talent, it is possible to quickly and easily build several types of drinkers and feeding devices.

To create the simplest drinking bowl that works according to the principles of physics, you will need:

• deep and wide bowl or basin;
• five-liter water bottle.

Diy drinker example

Step 1... Close the bottle tightly. Make a hole at the bottom of the bottle with a nail or knife. The hole should be no higher than the top of the bowl.

Step 2... Then we put the bottle in a bowl, add water. Water flows out exactly to the desired level in the bowl, provided the lid is tightly closed. We get the simplest homemade construction from scrap materials.

An equally simple version of the feeder. For this you will need:

• large plastic bottle;
• several screws;
• a small sheet of plywood;
• scissors.

DIY chick feeder

Step 1... We cut the bottle into two parts. In the lower part on the sides with a knife we ​​make holes for the bird.

Step 2... We fasten the lower part with a couple of screws to the plywood sheet for greater stability (the bird should not be able to turn the structure over).

Step 3... Lower the upper part with the neck inside the lower part, pour the grain. As the grain is eaten, new feed will flow to the bottom from the top.

Video - Feeders for chickens from a sewer pipe

Broiler feeding

For accelerated weight gain, broilers need a constant and balanced diet, focused both on improving the taste of meat and maintaining health. Depending on the age of the bird, its diet changes, new ingredients necessary for growth appear. There are only four nutritional strategies:

Economical feed options

1) Nutrition exclusively with dry compound feed. Many farmers insist on the convenience of feeding poultry with dry feed: this simplifies the daily care of chicks, which is especially important for large farms. Making a wet mash, at a lower cost, requires non-free man-hours.Also, the likelihood of problems with the safety of the product is not excluded, due to the high probability of purchasing low-quality ingredients. The composition of dry compound feed is initially balanced for optimal growth of the bird, the bird gains weight on it almost instantly, while when using wet mash, delays in weight gain are possible (up to 15 days from the norm).

Balanced dry compound feed

2) Many breeders prefer to use wet mash (the proportion of production is 1 kg of dry food for half a liter of water, broth, dairy products), which significantly reduces feeding costs. Additional savings are provided by the ability to add part of unused products from the table (cereals, part of vegetables, yeast), not spoiled waste. This option is optimal for farms with a small number of poultry (up to 100 heads) and a modest budget;

Wet mash preparation

3) Combined food. It can be produced in various ways: dry food is constantly added to the trough, in addition to which there is wet food; dry food can be added to the mash itself as an integral part. An option that simplifies the care process (the frequency of visits to feed the poultry is reduced), significantly saving money by reducing the share of finished compound feed in the diet;

4) The use of BMVD. Modern protein concentrate (BMVD) containing mineral supplements, vitamins, biologically active substances. When added to dry compound feed (from 5% to 30% of the total amount of feed), it can significantly reduce food costs, enrich the poultry ration as much as possible, increasing productivity, meat quality, and disease resistance. Cost savings when adding BMVD can be up to 20% compared to feeding exclusively with compound feed. It also saves time, freeing you from the need to prepare food, vitaminizing it yourself, filling it with useful additives. The method is optimal for farms of any size.

Modern protein concentrate (BMVD)

When preparing mash, spoiled food should be avoided. The mash itself should not stand for more than 3 hours, sour or deteriorate in the sun.

Recipes for feeding broilers from 1 to 14 days

At the initial stage, feeding should take place 8 times a day, by the second week the number of feedings can be reduced to 6. The approximate rate of feeding on the first day is 10-15 grams, by 14 days - about 80 grams, the portion is increased daily to avoid malnutrition.

For chicks from 1 to 14 days old, eggs, dairy products (reverse, whey, low-fat kefir, cottage cheese) are vital; it is useful to prepare a wet mash based on millet with the addition of dairy products.

Millet is the main grain crop in the first days of chickens' life.

Millet

In the absence of stomach problems, diarrhea or indigestion, dry feed PKV6-1, created specifically for the starting period, can be added to the chicks. The feed is based on corn, which stimulates the proper development of the skeleton and muscles, the performance of the stomach and intestines.

The feed itself is quite expensive, so you can replace the purchased version with a mixture of your own preparation. This requires:

• exactly half of the mass will be ground corn;
• 15% - ground wheat;
• 15% - meal or cake;
• 12% - dairy products (reverse, whey or kefir);
• the rest is barley.

At the initial stage, the share of grain crops should be 55-60% of the total ration; it is advisable to serve any grain crops ground, without film.

In the second week, crushed shells, shells, chalk, bone meal and fish oil can be added to the mash, which will be a valuable source of minerals and nutrients. Also, babies in the same period (from 3 days) need to add herbal flour, chopped dandelion, dry nettle, alfalfa, green peas (up to 3 grams), this will make up for the lack of fiber for the body.

Greens are the main natural source of vitamins for chickens.

Greens for chickens

Diet for broilers from 14 to 30 days

The number of feedings is reduced to 4 per day, the bird becomes more independent, every day a chick at 2-4 weeks of life eats from 90 to 120 grams of feed. Chicks are fed with a mixture of corn, wheat, cake, meat and bone meal, skim milk, herbs, fat.

At the stage of fattening, a healthy chick is rapidly gaining weight (1.5 kilograms at the end of the fourth week), becoming almost omnivorous. There is a need to increase the variety of food during this period, which is dictated by the need for chicks in a large amount of nutrients and vitamins for full maturation. New products are added to the diet, the ratio of some of them in the mash changes:

1) It is advisable to replace part of the millet (20%) with crushed boiled potatoes as an additive to the mash;

Boiled potatoes

2) Fish waste is added, first in the amount of 5 grams, gradually increasing to 15;

3) Yeast and a greater amount of fresh greens, grass flour (if feeding is in winter) begin to be added to the mash, the optimal amount of greens is 10% of the total amount of feed;

4) Grated carrots and yellow pumpkin appear in the diet, you need to start with 5 grams, increasing the portion, as you grow older, to 30 grams per head;

5) During plumage, it is advisable to start feeding the bird with fresh cabbage;

6) During this period, it is recommended to add dairy products (curdled milk, buttermilk, etc.), bone meal, chalk, shells to the mash as widely as possible. chicks at this age are in dire need of a large amount of protein and calcium due to increased growth.

Buttermilk

Advice for those who use ready-made mixtures: it is advisable to replace the starting compound feed PK6-1 with the fattening PK6-2 containing lysine, oil and meat and bone meal, which is more suitable for this stage of poultry growing up. The pellets themselves in the feed are larger, quickly saturating the grown bird.

Finishing broiler feeding: 30 to 45 days, slaughter

At the finish line, it is preferable to feed it 2 times a day, the daily portion of an adult bird is up to 180 grams. You can refuse ground grain, it is advisable to replace it with whole grain (if possible, it is recommended to germinate grains). Fattening compound feed PK6-2 is replaced with a balanced finishing PK6-3, the composition of which can be partially recreated at home. An approximate recipe for finishing food at home:

• 20% corn;
• 20% soy;
• 25% barley;
• 25% wheat;
• 10% peas.

Cereal mixes become the main course at the finish line.

Cereal mix for broiler feeding

It is advisable to add a small amount of sunflower cake, minerals (shells, chalk), fat, yeast, vitamin supplements to the feed, which is useful for poultry of any age.

By the 45th day, the bird ceases to rapidly gain weight, having reached the ceiling of 2-2.5 kg, the investment ceases to justify itself. It is advisable to start slaughtering the hen after this period, if there is no need for layers, eggs for incubation, etc. Below is a summary table of the ratio: age - feeding - growth.

Age	1-14 days	15-30 days	31-45 days
Feed intake	15-80	80-120	120-180
Average growth	30	48	55
Average mass	40-500	500-1600	1600-2500

What you need to do to raise healthy broilers

For the health of the bird, to reduce losses from infections, it is strongly recommended to carry out a therapeutic course of vitamins and antibiotics.

Along with vitamins and antibiotics, starting from 5-7 days, it is recommended to drink poultry weekly with a weak solution of manganese to prevent gastrointestinal infections.

Broiler breeding mistakes at home

• The first main mistake: while observing the temperature regime, the breeder does not pay attention to the cold floors in the chicken coop (important for floor keeping), which leads to heat loss in chicks and diseases.Before moving in the chicks, it is recommended to check the floor of the room with your own feet. If you feel cold in the room, additional insulation will be required;
• The second mistake: it is worth paying extra attention to the floor in the room and because of the potential presence of mold. It is recommended to check the presence of fungus in the chicken coop even if the premises are clean outside. It is necessary to reduce the possibility of moisture getting on the floor, in case of wetting, remove the wet segment as soon as possible. In overcrowded conditions, a wet floor quickly becomes a source of disease (which can easily lead to infection in the yolk sac);

Hidden mold and dirt are serious sources of danger.

Macro shot of mold

• The third mistake: do not put excessively bright lighting for the chicks, this can cause pecking, stress and weight loss;
• The fourth mistake: in the pursuit of high temperatures at the starting stage, proper attention is not paid to ventilation, which leads exclusively to negative consequences. Chickens should not have a steam room, and the air in the room should not smell aggressively of ammonia.

About what not to feed broilers

Broilers are almost omnivorous birds, but it is important to exclude certain foods from their diet, the list of which you can see below.

• boiled potatoes;
• stale or spoiled food;
• sausages;
• lemons, oranges;
• melons, watermelons and peels from them;
• fresh milk and cheeses;
• alcohol-containing products;
• chocolate products;
• pure jams and oils.

But even if all the norms and rules of feeding are observed, it is possible to use either low-quality products for mash, or compound feed. This becomes clear very quickly, the bird begins to hurt, lose weight, biting is possible. In this case, it is worthwhile to urgently carry out unscheduled drinking with vitamins and change the feed.

Particularly sick birds should be placed in a separate cage for individual treatment and feeding.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Broiler Breeding

Broilers growing at home

As a result, we offer the reader a list of the main pros and cons of broilers as a breed so that he independently decides whether it is worth breeding this tasty but difficult bird or is it better to try yourself in a different field.

Advantages

High productivity and growth. By the 6th week of growth, the weight of a broiler can reach 2-2.5 kg, as a result, after 50 days of growth, up to 3 kilograms from a chicken, and up to 5 kg. with a cockerel. A real giant, while potentially profitable.

Quality products with an excellent proportion of white and red meat, in the case of proper care, no stress sources and a varied diet.

The broiler is undemanding to large spaces, at the initial stage (brooder) it is possible to place up to 18 chicks per square meter, which allows using small backyards as a mini-poultry farm.

Flaws

The need for constant feeding, high food costs. The poultry will not gain weight on pasture; for a good nutrition of broilers, clean water of medium temperature, high-quality, safe and varied food with a clear feeding schedule is needed.

In case of errors with the selection of products, death and various diseases are possible.

Due to the increased crowding and low mobility of broilers, the room with chickens must be cleaned of waste every day (also wash the feeders and drinkers with soap every week), knowingly prepare for settling, monitor the health of the bird, regularly feed with antibiotics and vitamins, settle a weak bird separately, set on an autonomous diet to avoid falling or pecking.

High humidity, temperature drops are unacceptable. It is necessary to provide high-quality ventilation of the premises, while avoiding, at the same time, drafts or cold, which lead to illness, weight loss and mortality.This fact makes setting up a broiler breeding facility a daunting and costly task.

Growing broilers at home and their maintenance is different from the breeding of ordinary domestic chickens. Broilers are bred exclusively for meat, therefore, birds usually do not survive until the beginning of the egg production period. But the maintenance of this meat line of domestic chickens is very beneficial due to their high productivity. They perfectly maintain the ratio of feed used per kilogram of meat obtained.

For a very long time, raising chickens at home did not mean dividing them according to areas of productivity. Until the breeders got down to business. It was they who identified the birds that quickly gained body weight and on their basis broilers were bred.

Nowadays, purebred broilers can be found in small farms and private households. Larger breeders mostly keep hybrids that are more productive.

Birds of the meat direction have their own distinctive features:

• large dimensions;
• large body weight, weight of layers - 4.5, roosters - 5.5 kilograms;
• low egg production rates;
• horizontal torso, short wings and legs;
• fast weight gain;
• developed maternal instinct.

At the dacha, broiler chickens are kept mainly in cages. This cultivation technology has a positive effect on productivity.

How to start breeding broilers at home

Growing broilers at home begins with the selection of a parent flock. If you are a novice farmer and you are not yet familiar with this term, you need to make a little explanation.

The parent flock is a number of adult male and female birds that are kept for the purpose of breeding young. Considering that the health and productivity of future generations of chickens depends on the parental herd, the choice of breeding individuals must be approached very responsibly.

When choosing breeding chickens, use the following tips:

1. Choose only young and completely healthy chickens. Old or sick birds will not be able to produce healthy offspring.
2. Recommended parent stock ratio; one rooster for eleven hens. Keeping more males is not worth it, this will negatively affect the fertilization of eggs.
3. For feeding breeding birds, use only fresh and high quality feed.

Broiler growing technology has many nuances. For example, when broiler chickens are just starting to lay, their eggs are usually not used for incubation. For incubator hatching of chickens, eggs of chickens whose age is from 8 months to a year are suitable.

Growing broilers is different from keeping other areas of domestic chickens. Broilers are very demanding in terms of housing conditions, otherwise they will not give good performance indicators.

Considering that the breeding of meat poultry is very often the main component of the business, it is necessary to provide them with comfortable conditions.

Growing broilers begins with the care of the young. Chicks should be kept in rooms with a temperature of +30 degrees. In addition, during the first two weeks of a chick's life, the light should be on continuously. This will allow the young broilers to gain weight consistently.

After two weeks, the temperature can be lowered by 10 degrees. The chickens have already matured enough, and they have acquired immunity.

A prerequisite for broiler breeding is good ventilation. The fact is that meat breeds of chickens usually move little, so dampness in the room can provoke the development of infections.

It is also necessary to constantly maintain cleanliness in the chicken coop.

All of the above features can be attributed to general recommendations. But there are also key features of growing broilers at home. There are two ways to breed broilers: floor and cage. Let's consider each method in more detail.

This method is ideal for raising birds in the country. The fact is that domestic chickens are very mobile creatures. Accordingly, they need to equip a place for walking, which is not always possible to do in the country.

Broilers are very phlegmatic creatures, they can easily tolerate tightness, they feel good in confined spaces. Therefore, even in the cells, they gain weight well and do not show dissatisfaction.

In addition, the cage keeping of broilers is very beneficial in terms of sanitary and hygienic standards. If one individual gets sick, the infection will not spread to the entire herd.

The stocking density when keeping birds in a cage should be as follows:

• chickens - 18 heads per 1 square meter;
• adults - 9 heads per square meter.

This method is not much different from keeping ordinary chickens. But there are still some nuances.

the first of them is strict adherence to the temperature regime. Broilers are very sensitive to temperature extremes, so the thermometer should not drop below 28 degrees Celsius. Birds also react poorly to extreme heat, so the maximum permissible temperature in the chicken coop is +35 degrees.

Experienced farmers advise covering the floor of the chicken coop with a thick layer of lime. About one kilogram per square meter of area. A thick layer of straw and sawdust bedding is poured over the lime.

It should be noted that it is recommended to change the litter regularly, it should always be clean and dry. Room humidity should be around 70%.

The technology of growing and keeping these birds depends on the capabilities of the farmer. Choose the method that is convenient for you, but do not forget about the comfort of the birds.

Growing broilers for meat implies enhanced nutrition. In other words, birds must have food constantly, otherwise they will gain weight poorly.

Considering the fact that broilers can be slaughtered as early as 50 days of their life, the farmer is faced with the task of getting as much meat from each bird as possible. This can be done in such a short time only with a balanced and well-thought-out diet.

Feeding for meat begins from the first days of chickens' life. It is useful for them to give boiled eggs and millet. From the third day of life, green food can be gradually introduced into the diet.

On the fifth day of life, chickens are given vitamins, chalk and crushed shells are mixed into the feed. If the young are fed correctly, then by the eighth week of life, the chickens should gain about 1.5 kilograms of live weight.

At home, broilers are fed with compound feed. It contains all the necessary substances for a rapid weight gain. Birds are good at using wet mash. In such mixtures, you can add crackers or bread left over after dinner.

Broilers can also be fed with food waste. Birds have a good appetite and are unpretentious in food. The only condition is that the feed must be fresh.... Wet mixes should not sour in the feeders, otherwise the birds may develop health problems.

For fast weight gain, you can use dairy products. Sour milk, cottage cheese, whey: broilers are eager to eat all these products.

Some farmers encourage birds to gain live weight with yeast mixtures. For this, cereals are mixed with dry yeast and poured over with water. The mixture is placed in a warm place for 6-7 hours. For more calories, you can add potatoes, carrots and pumpkin.

Keep in mind that birds must have easy access to water.

Broiler raising does not take long. We have already mentioned that birds can be slaughtered for about 50 days of their life. At this age, from each bird, you can get from 4 to 5 kilograms of live weight.

Do not keep the birds longer, hoping that they will gain more mass. It is unlikely that it will be possible to fatten more than 6 kilograms of a broiler, but the meat will lose its dietary and taste qualities.

Keeping broilers at home for meat is a very profitable business. Birds can be kept in cages, which allows a decent livestock to be placed in a small area. In addition, if you have a subsidiary farm, there will be no problems with feeding the birds.

Advice! In order for the meat of the birds to be yellow, it is recommended to feed young animals with corn from the age of three weeks.

As you can see, it is not difficult to grow a broiler in the country. Any person can cope with this task.