First time starting broilers. I want to understand brooding, feed by age and how many days till the birds are ready.
How do I start broiler poultry farming and what feed do birds need by stage?
RRavi Kumar5mo ago · 234 views
5 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓5mo ago
Broilers are usually grown to market weight in about 5 to 7 weeks, and the first week of brooding decides much of your success. In brooding, keep chicks warm, dry and draught free with the right temperature and 24 hour light early on, and provide clean water with the feed. Feeding is in stages: a pre-starter and starter feed in the early weeks for fast frame and immunity, then a finisher feed for weight gain before sale; commercial broiler feeds are formulated for each stage so you do not have to mix your own. Always give clean water, maintain proper floor space as birds grow, and keep good ventilation to avoid ammonia build up in litter. Follow your hatchery and veterinarian for the vaccination schedule and start with a small batch to learn before scaling up.
NNaresh G4mo ago
The first week brooding temperature is the make or break for me. If chicks are cold they huddle and die. Watch how they spread under the brooder and adjust the heat. Clean water at all times is a must.
SSrikanth Reddy4mo ago
Start with a small batch your first time. I jumped in too big and lost many birds to mistakes I would have caught with fewer to manage. Give the chicks clean lukewarm water the moment they arrive before feed, that early start helped my survival rate.
MMahesh Banoth4mo ago
Litter management was something I did not take seriously at first. Wet litter builds up ammonia, you can smell it, and the birds get sick and grow slow. Keeping the litter dry and the shed well ventilated, and using the proper stage feeds, gave me much better weights at sale.
KKiran Rathod3mo ago
Buy your chicks from a good hatchery, weak chicks never catch up no matter how well you feed them. I also give the right floor space as they grow, crowding them to save shed space backfired with poor weights and more deaths. Following the hatchery vaccination dates kept my batches healthy.