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Five Common Issues During Brooding

Published: August 10, 2017
By: Dr. Brian Fairchild, Extension Poultry Scientist, University of Georgia.
The brooding period is important to getting chicks off to a good start and influences flock performance. Depending on the market weight, the brooding period represents as much as 1/3 of the grow-out period. The chick is still developing and will grow rapidly during this period. The objective is to minimize stress on the chick so that the majority of the energy is directed towards growth and development. Below are five common issues seen during the brooding period that can have a negative influence on broiler performance.  
 
Bedding Material
The floors in broiler houses are covered with bedding material. The main purpose of bedding material is to absorb moisture. Broilers retain approximately 20% of the water they consume and the other 80% is excreted or expired into the house environment. In addition to moisture absorption, bedding insulates the birds from the cool house floor which is either packed dirt or concrete, provides a cushion for the birds as they walk around the house, and helps dilute manure as birds scratch around in the material. Common materials used as bedding include but are not limited to: pine shavings, peanut hulls and rice hulls. A minimum of 3 inches (7.6 cm) in thickness is required from wall to wall in the house and will vary with the bedding material that is used. Another way to look at this is to compare the litter base to a sponge. A thicker sponge will absorb more water. Improper amounts of litter will result in litter quality deteriorating more rapidly even under proper ventilation rates. Poor litter quality can increase ammonia production, microbial loads, foot pad dermatitis, coccidiosis, and dermatitis.
 
Five Common Issues During Brooding - Image 1
Feed and Water
Feed and water are two of the basic needs of broilers during the grow-out period. It is important that chicks find feed and water in the first 48 hours. Extra feeders are placed to increase feeding space and are then removed at the end of the brooding period. In order to reduce feed wastage, the feeder system is often operated manually as long as the supplemental feeders are being used.
 
Automatic operation of the feeder systems may overfill supplemental feeders when trays are used. Chicks will tend to scratch the feed out of overfilled trays, wasting it on the floor.
 
The drinker systems used in the majority of broiler houses today have a pin that the bird pushes to get water. The drinker height and water pressure are adjusted according to the bird's age and size. As the birds get bigger, the drinker system will need to be raised and the water pressure will need to be increased. Poultry farmers should manage the drinker height and water pressure according to the drinker manufacturer guidelines.
 
Lighting
Lighting programs can vary greatly throughout the broiler industry. Typically, the lighting program for chicks at placement is 23 hours of light at 3.0 ftc (30 Lux) or higher for the first three days. Bird activity is directly correlated with light intensity, which means they are more active as the light intensity increases. Light intensity during brooding should not vary more than 20% from the brightest point in the house to the darkest point and this is more critical during the brooding period than the rest of the grow-out.
 
During the first three days, efforts should be made to encourage chick activity so they can search out and learn where food, water and heat sources are located. The increased activity enhances the probability that the chicks will consume feed and water thus helping the digestive system to upregulate the processes needed to digest the carbohydrates in the feed. Prior to this the nutrients the chick/embryo has been consuming is lipid based so it will be of benefit to the bird for this system to mature quickly after placement on the farm. A typical lighting program is located in the table below.
 
Five Common Issues During Brooding - Image 2
 
The hours of darkness will increase as the birds get older. The hours of dark will depend on the market age of the birds. Birds that are marketed at 49, 56 or 63 days of age will usually have more hours of dark. Other examples can be found on the primary breeder websites. Light intensity is decreased to half a foot candle or five lux to reduce bird activity which in turn helps with feed efficiency and weight gain.
 
Five Common Issues During Brooding - Image 3
Temperature
Chicks cannot regulate their body temperature at hatch and are dependent on the house and floor temperature. If the house and floor temperature are warm then the chicks will be warm, if theses temperatures are too cool then the chicks will be cool. Radiant brooders work well for heating broiler houses as the majority of the heat is directed to the floor.
 
The brooders should be installed and operated at a height recommended by the manufacturer, but in general, radiant brooders are operated six feet or higher depending on the model. Temperature profiles will vary from breed to breed and from company to company, but they usually start out around 93°F.
 
Ventilation
The purpose of minimum ventilation during the brooding period is to control moisture and air quality. Whether the house is using fresh shavings or used litter, the house has to be ventilated from Day 1. The goal is to keep the relative humidity (RH) between 40-60%. If the RH gets above 70%, litter quality will deteriorate rapidly resulting in increased ammonia production and incidence of footpad dermatitis.
 
Five Common Issues During Brooding - Image 4
 
This article was originally published in Poultry Tips, Volume 57, Number 1, University of Georgia Poultry Science Extension.
 
Related topics:
Authors:
Dr. Brian D. Fairchild
University of Georgia
University of Georgia
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Sushil Chandra
3 de septiembre de 2017
Use of good toxin binder like Mos is advocated in feed From day one Medicated lukewarm water is recommended On arrival chicks and medicated water at room Temp is neede up 7 days all the time U also need have required brooder temp as per Standard and proper ventilation Good bio security and clean and hygiene Is always helpful Avoid using contaminated feed raw material Regards Dr s chandra
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Sushil Chandra
3 de septiembre de 2017
Sugar or glucose can be given once chicks arrive during hot day time specially during summer to maintain energy But if chick arrive during morning hrs(usual practice? then sugar incorporation in water not required Instead we have experienced Luke warm water With Vit A , b complex syrup + probiotic for a Wk We have seen favourite results Regards Dr s chandra
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Dr. Brian D. Fairchild
University of Georgia
University of Georgia
29 de agosto de 2017
In response to the question on whether to start chicks on feed or water first, chicks should have both. Feed and water consumption are highly correlated. So eating will encourage drinking and drinking will encourage eating. Both feed consumption and water consumption have been shown to up-regulate intestinal secretions and intestinal development. In addition, both feed and water intake have been shown to be involved with the utilization of the residual yolk.
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Alagbe olujimi John
28 de agosto de 2017
Excellent work.
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Sushil Chandra
28 de agosto de 2017

Thanks, Dr. Elahi for your comments.I also support your views.

Regards

Dr. Chandra.

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Sushil Chandra
28 de agosto de 2017

While I appreciate comments, my own experience had been better performance with medicated water with VitA , B complex both are sweet in taste and probiotic at Luke warm temp.
One can try this have an observation.
Regards,
Dr. Chandra.

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Sushil Chandra
24 de agosto de 2017

Good article. But let us not forget lukewarm medicated water with vitamin A, B complex and probiotic before 12 hours of chicks arrival.
Keep the brooder house lights on and brooder light on 12 hrs before the arrival of chicks provide feed also, at that time, ensure that brooder temp is 95 F. During this time, with good ventilation, provide caged wall at every 10 ft distance to avoid free movement of chicks.

You will see much better performance and reduced mortality.

 
Regards,
Dr. Chandra.

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Ing. Winfridus Bakker
22 de agosto de 2017

I agree fully with Dr. Dolo Yaya. When chicks come from the hatchery they first need to drink and the nipples need to be easily triggered by a small chick of 40 g on average body weight. Chicks will drink in the dynamic way which means that they push the nipple to the side and water will flow from the side of the nipple pin downwards.

Only at a later age will the chicks or birds start triggering the nipples in a static way, meaning pushing them upwards, but that also depends on the brand type of nipple used. Enough pressure will let a water drop accumulate at the tip of the nipple which will attract the chicks. Water is definitely the driver to good feed intake and good weights at 7 days of age with low mortality. What has happened over time is that the industry has been focusing on lowering labor costs and upping the numbers of birds per house and we like to have everything ready at the reception of the chicks.

In many operations, the emphasis is more on feed availability on paper and not enough water at disposal of the chicks. Many times I see that nipples are stuck due to the cleaning process when nipples are not activated enough to avoid them getting stuck when debris can clog them. How about flushing the nipples a few hours before arrival so that the hot water is out and cool water is available when chicks start activating the nipples. Again: Water intake is the driver for good feed intake.

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Antônio Mário Penz Junior
Cargill
Cargill
16 de agosto de 2017

Excellent article and consideration. Yes, this period is the most important period of the life of the chicken. My only consideration is related to the time to start eating (It is important that chicks find feed and water in the first 48 hours). We recommend that the chicken need to start eating and drinking (or vice versa?) as fast as it is possible, after placement. After 24 hours we recommend checking the crop and 90 to 95% of the birds need to show that they are eating.

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Flourish Tamunoibim farm
13 de enero de 2018

Dr, For me I like using multivitamin on the first day and antibiotic on the second day, 3rd day I add coccidis to their feed. Please, is this a good practice? I got 5.5kg at 12wks

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