Poor brooding results in a 500-bird broiler flock and a plan to double stocking
A poultry entrepreneur in Panchkula has built a 30 ft × 20 ft shed for 500 Cobb broiler chicks. For brooding he hangs three 100 W bulbs at 3 ft above the litter and closes the shed with gunny curtains on the windy side. Litter is 2 inches of fresh sawdust. There are 8 linear feeders of 2 ft each and 6 open waterers. On day 9, cumulative mortality is 9% (45 birds), with most deaths in the first five days. The chicks are clustered near the feeders on one side, many are panting with wings spread, water around the waterers has spilled and the litter there is caked, and there is a sharp ammonia smell when the door is opened. The feed is broiler starter crumbles. The entrepreneur plans to extend the flock to 42 days and asks whether the shed can take 1,000 birds next time.
1. From these observations, identify the brooding and management errors and give the corrections.
Read the worked answer
Heat and ventilation. Three 100 W bulbs at 3 ft give far too little heat for 500 chicks, yet the shed is closed on one side and the chicks are panting with wings spread on the other, which means uneven temperature and poor air movement. Correct by using proper brooders or 200–250 W bulbs at 1.5–2 ft, checking temperature at chick level (about 33–35°C in week 1, reduced by about 3°C each week), and opening the curtains on the leeward side for ventilation during the day. Panting, wet litter and a sharp ammonia smell mean the litter is too wet and ventilation is inadequate.
Feeder and waterer space. Eight 2 ft feeders give 16 ft of linear space, roughly 1 cm per bird, while broilers need about 5 cm in the first two weeks, so about 80 ft is required. Six open waterers for 500 birds are also too few and spill water; use 10–12 waterers or nipple lines and place them on raised platforms.
Litter. Sawdust at 2 inches cakes easily; remove wet litter daily, top up with dry litter, and improve drainage around drinkers. Reduce dust and ammonia by ventilation, not by closing the shed.
2. Is 9% first-week mortality acceptable? What would you investigate?
Read the worked answer
No. A well-managed broiler flock should lose less than 2–3% in the first week, and much of that in the first three days. Nine percent is a serious loss and points to problems in the first week, since most deaths occurred then.
Investigate: chick quality and hatchery source, including hatch time, chick weight and whether chicks were delivered promptly; brooding temperature and whether chicks were chilled or overheated in transit; water availability in the first 24 hours and the use of glucose or electrolyte water; feeder and waterer space; litter condition; and vaccination status, especially Marek's disease at the hatchery and Newcastle disease at 7 days.
Disease possibilities: omphalitis or yolk-sac infection, E. coli or Salmonella infection, aspergillosis from mouldy litter, and dehydration. Ask for a post-mortem examination of fresh dead birds and send samples if mortality continues. Record daily mortality and compare it with the target. Correcting brooding before the next batch matters more than treating the present flock.
3. Evaluate the plan to stock 1,000 birds in the same shed up to 42 days, using floor space, feeder and waterer needs.
Read the worked answer
The shed floor area is 30 × 20 = 600 sq ft. For broilers in an open-sided shed, allow about 1 sq ft per bird to 42 days in summer. That gives a maximum of roughly 550–600 birds. Trying to keep 1,000 birds would give only 0.6 sq ft per bird, causing crowding, wet litter, ammonia build-up, heat stress, poor feed conversion and higher mortality. It is not advisable.
Equipment at 1,000 birds: feeder space of about 7.5 cm per bird at market age means roughly 250 ft of linear feeder, and about 20 waterers, both far beyond the present 16 ft of feeder and 6 waterers. Ventilation, labour and power for fans would also need to increase.
Practical advice: keep the next batch at about 500–550 birds, first improve brooding, feeders, waterers and ventilation, and then consider a second shed rather than overstocking this one. Calculate the cost of extra birds against the expected loss from mortality and poor growth before expanding.