After the critical brooding stage is completed, your birds will require changes to their environment, their nutrition, the available feeding and watering space, and even the amount of light provided for them. Meat birds are genetically programmed to grow as quickly as possible, while egg layers are designed to lay as many eggs as possible over their life, without becoming too large and requiring lots of feed to maintain big bodies. To allow your birds to fulfill their genetic potential of weighing over 2 kg in 5 ½ to 6 weeks, ideal conditions must be provided by the farmer.

Floor Area

The economics of broiler farming include a constant search for efficiency, the goal being to make as much profit as possible. The bigger broilers get, the more space they need – both for heat dissipation and for overall comfort. It is critically important to know your target slaughter weight and stock your poultry house with no more than the maximum for that final weight. Ross™ broilers are one of the most common varieties supplied to us in the Caribbean, and the Ross Broiler Management Guide recommends the following stocking densities for hot climates.

Tunnel pens with controlled environment:

• A maximum of 30 kg per square metre (6 lbs per square foot) at processing
• In Barbados, processing target weight for tunnel pens is usually 2 kg – to 2.3 kg, or maximum 1.25 slaughter weight birds per square foot

Conventional (open sided) pens with well managed ventilating fans:

• A maximum of 20 to 25 kg per square metre (4 to 5 lbs per square foot) at processing
• If slaughtering at 2 kg (4.4 lbs) then your maximum stocking density is 1 bird to 1 square foot. In hotter months, density should be 1 bird to every 1.25 square feet.
• If slaughtering at 3 kg (6.6 lbs), the maximum density is 1 bird to every 1.33 square feet. In hotter months, 1 bird to every 1.75 square feet

Conventional (open sided) pens with no additional ventilation and no environmental controls:

• A maximum of 20 kg per square metre (4 lbs per square foot) at processing, during cooler months
  • 1 x 2kg (4.4 lb) bird per 1.1 square feet)
• A maximum of 16 kg per square metre (3.2 lbs per square foot) at processing, during the hottest months
  • 1 x 2 kg (4.4 lb) bird per 1.5 square feet)

For example, let’s compare how many chicks can be placed in a 1,000 square foot house in the middle of July in the Caribbean, to be grown to 2 kg (4.4 lb) slaughter weight:

1. With tunnel ventilation and full environmental control: 1,250 broiler chicks
2. With open sides and ventilating fans but no tunnel ventilation: 800 broiler chicks
3. With open sides and no fans: 660 broiler chicks

Overcrowding becomes obvious as the broilers grow and fill in all available space; the worse the crowding, the sooner and more pronounced the effects:

• Wet litter due to high humidity, increased water consumption to beat the heat.
• Reduced appetite to avoid generating heat, inconsistent and uneven growth.
• Increasing mortality due to overheating, chickens panting and not moving around

Feed and Water

Feed and water availability are just as important as quality. Feed should be as fresh as possible and constantly available in feeders – periods without feed will cause interruption to a broiler’s growth. Unpalatable feed will not be eaten adequately. It may also be scattered out of the feeders into the litter, leaving feed to grow mold which can cause health issues later.

Fresh, cool water is vital – cool water assists the broiler in controlling body temperature, but more importantly, water consumption is perfectly linked to feed consumption. A Broiler will drink 8 litres of water to match 4 kg of feed in its short life span to end at 2 kg slaughter weight. Feed and water are so closely linked that feed consumption can be estimated by the volume of water the chickens have drunk. If the water supply is poor quality, or there are not enough drinking spaces, slower or more inconsistent growth will occur.

General rules for feeding/watering equipment and the number of birds they will comfortably support are;

• Hanging Tube Feeders – 50 to 75 broilers each
• Automatic Feeder Line pans – 40 broilers each
• Bell Drinkers – 50 to 75 broilers each
• Nipple Drinkers in drinker lines – 8 to 10 broilers each

Ventilation

As discussed in <The impact of heat on broiler production> broilers are heat-generating machines living in our very hot Caribbean climate. If the poultry house does not have adequate ventilation, providing high volumes of air flowing around and over the birds (either naturally or using fans) then they will slow their eating to avoid becoming more overheated. Ventilation is also critical for evaporation of moisture from the litter, which allows a continuous drying effect. Wet litter creates humidity that decreases heat loss in broilers, it also harbors microorganisms that cause coccidiosis, bacterial infections and can generate high levels of ammonia gas in extreme conditions.

Lighting Programme

Broilers grow fastest when they are allowed to eat as much as possible without breaks. Lighting programs allow feeding to take place at night as well as during the day, however farmers should be aware of the risks of 24-hour lighting; broilers that grow too quickly can be susceptible to heart attacks when startled, especially around the 5 to 6 week stage where the heart has not been able to grow fast enough to keep up with the rest of the body’s massive muscular growth.

Optimal lighting programs include a few hours of darkness at late night / early morning periods. This allows a few hours of rest before the birds start eating again, promoting better health and allowing more natural growth patterns. “Lights-on” should be a gentle experience to avoid startling the birds – use staged lighting or programmed dimmers, or simply allow the birds to wake up with the sunrise.

Conclusion 

Your broilers are the biological equivalent of a modern sports car, built for speed and requiring constant attention to avoid a crash!. Without their farmer’s help, however, they cannot reach their full potential – manage your flock by keeping an eye out for, and correcting, things such as:

• End of week weight targets for broilers – compare target weights at the end of each week with your actual weights, to predict whether your birds will be ready for slaughter when you expect.
• Chickens not eating the expected amount of feed can be signaling poor health, overcrowding, or a feed quality issue.
• Birds fighting over feed when feeders are refilled – may signal too little feed being available overnight, or not enough feeder space. Clamoring over one another will result in body wounds that become infected.
• Water consumption being less than expected, water is hot or tastes bad due to algae or mold growth; chicks that don’t drink, won’t eat.
• Wet litter can be a result of a leak, badly adjusted automatic drinkers, or simply due to excess water consumption due to overheating. Wet litter promotes bacteria and other harmful organisms, it can also result in high ammonia levels which are damaging to human and chicken eyes and lungs.