Essential Poultry Needs For Brooding
Brooding in poultry farming is the provision of a proper environment for birds in the early stage of their life by the application of an optimal heat source. This is basically from day-old until they are able to regulate their body temperature efficiently.
Providing warmth and comfort to the chicks is important because, in the earlier part of their life, they lose heat more quickly due to higher metabolic rate, body size, and their lack of feathers. Also, at this young stage, their immune system, digestive system, and thermo-regulatory system are not completely activated, making them more susceptible to diseases and infections.Therefore, to ensure proper growth, a better immune system, and good feather cover, brooding in poultry farming is important as it determines the longevity of the chicks best jamb expo Site.
For brooding to be successful, there are some equipment that must be available in the brooder house/pen. These are the equipment used for brooding:
1. Feeders
2. Drinkers
3. Brooders
4. Brooder guards
5. Thermometers
Feeders
Feeders are necessary to provide chicks with food. The best feeders are those that minimize waste while providing enough feed for the chicks. There are many different types of feeders on the market, so it is important to select a feeder that is designed specifically for chicks. There are feed trays and flip-top feeders for this purpose.
Drinkers
Drinkers/waterers are necessary to provide chicks with water. Like feeders, there are many different types of drinkers on the market, so it is important to select a drinker that works for chicks and young birds. There are nipple drinkers and fountain drinkers for chicks.
Brooders
Brooders are necessary to provide chicks with the required heat (mimicking the mother hen). To provide the necessary heat some type of brooding device is required.
Types of Brooders
There are different types of brooders. They are:
• Infrared heat lamps
• Gas brooders
• Hover brooders
• Incandescent bulbs
* Infrared lamps are an excellent source of heat for brooding small flocks of waec expo Website chicks. The initial cost of equipment is relatively small, and the lamps are excellent for supplying heat to the chicks. The infrared lamp is suspended approximately 18 inches above the litter. One 250-watt bulb is sufficient to brood up to seventy-five chicks. Even though the number of chicks may be small, it is wise to use at least two bulbs in case one fails.
Many small flocks are brooded with homemade brooders utilizing electric light bulbs as the heat source. It is possible to construct simple hovers (canopies) of plywood and canvas, or some similar material, which can be suspended from the ceiling or supported by legs.
Hoover type brooder
Other brooders manufactured commercially are fired by oil, gas, electricity, wood, or coal. These have a hover to keep the heat down at floor level. Such brooders are excellent for flocks of one hundred chicks or more. Some of them are rated at a capacity in excess of 750 chicks. The initial cost of these units is considerably more than either the infrared lamp or the homemade brooder. Each chick needs a minimum of 7 in2 (17 cm sq) of hover space or its equivalent.
Each type of brooder has certain advantages. The infrared bulb has the advantage of enabling the operator to see the chicks at all times. Where the hover-type brooder is used it is more difficult to observe the chicks. On the other hand, the hover-type brooder is best for cold-weather brooding and is less expensive to operate.
The type of equipment selected will depend, to a certain extent, upon the cost and availability of fuel and the extent to which it is to be used. Whatever brooder stove you use, it should have the capacity to heat adequately and a means for controlling the temperature accurately.
* Brooder Guard
Chick or brooder guards help keep chicks within the brooder and help protect them from predators. There are many different types of brooder guards on the market. Most brooder guards are corrugated boards that are used together with brooder guard stands.
* Thermometer
It is important to have a room thermometer inside the brooding pen or house. It is used for monitoring the ambient temperature inside the brooding house. With the help of the room thermometer, you will know if the temperature within the brooding house is cold, moderate or high.
Other brooders manufactured commercially are fired by oil, gas, electricity, wood, or coal. These have a hover to keep the heat down at floor level. Such brooders are excellent for flocks of one hundred chicks or more. Some of them are rated at a capacity in excess of 750 chicks. The initial cost of these units is considerably more than either the infrared lamp or the homemade brooder. Each chick needs a minimum of 7 in2 (17 cm sq) of hover space or its equivalent.
Each type of brooder has certain advantages. The infrared bulb has the advantage of enabling the operator to see the chicks at all times. Where the hover-type brooder is used it is more difficult to observe the chicks. On the other hand, the hover-type brooder is best for cold-weather brooding and is less expensive to operate.
The type of equipment selected will depend, to a certain extent, upon the cost and availability of fuel and the extent to which it is to be used. Whatever brooder stove you use, it should have the capacity to heat adequately and a means for controlling the temperature accurately.
* Brooder Guard
Chick or brooder guards help keep chicks within the brooder and help protect them from predators. There are many different types of brooder guards on the market. Most brooder guards are corrugated boards that are used together with brooder guard stands.
* Thermometer
It is important to have a room thermometer inside the brooding pen or house. It is used for monitoring the ambient temperature inside the brooding house. With the help of the room thermometer, you will know if the temperature within the brooding house is cold, moderate or high.