Broiler Production and Management
Broiler management rules
Broilers are meat-type chickens, usually Cobb, Ross, Hubbard or similar commercial strains. Use all-in/all-out batches, clean and disinfect between batches, and keep one age group per site. Brood at 95°F in week 1 and reduce as for chicks. Provide about 1 sq ft per bird, good ventilation, dry litter and 23 hours of light if the programme recommends it. Use broiler starter, grower and finisher feeds; do not use layer feed. Target live weight is often about 2-2.5 kg at 35-42 days with feed conversion around 1.6-1.8 under good management.
Health and performance
Prevent coccidiosis, respiratory disease and heat stress. Monitor water intake, feed intake, daily gain, mortality and litter condition. Weigh a sample weekly. Keep visitors out and control rodents.
Worked example. A farm plans 5,000 broilers to reach 2 kg live weight with an FCR of 1.7. Total feed needed = 5,000 x 2 kg x 1.7 = 17,000 kg. If feed is bought in 50 kg bags, that is 340 bags. If feed costs ₹30 per kg, feed cost is ₹510,000, before chicks, medicine, labour and energy.
Traps. Do not use layer feed for broilers; do not overcrowd because floor space looks empty; do not ignore ventilation in winter; and do not calculate FCR using live weight sold if birds are sold as dressed weight.