Secrets of growing broilers at home for beginners

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 18:37

Each owner of a particular type of farm animal is interested in the rational use of feed and getting the most profit. In the poultry industry, growing broilers at home is becoming increasingly popular. This is explained by the fact that with proper care and good nutrition, the fattening period of broiler chickens is only two months, while the percentage of meat yield is quite large. We will learn about how to start raising chickens, what they need to provide in the first place, what kind of care is required from the article below. Information about growing broilers at home will be especially useful for beginner poultry farmers.

Origin

Contrary to popular belief, a broiler is not a breed of chicken. So it is customary to call the young livestock of poultry and animals that are grown to obtain cheap meat in large quantities. Broil in translation from English means "fry on a spit." When growing broilers at home, meat is obtained from one chicken more than from an adultbirds of a different breed, besides, it compares favorably in quality.

The first broiler chickens were bred by English farmers. They crossed two breeds of large chickens and got chickens, which they began to call giants and refer to a larger breed. However, at home, the bird did not breed well, and after one generation the chickens turned into the most ordinary ones.

Soon, farmers realized that getting large chickens is possible only in a hybrid way. To create such a bird, the following meat breeds of chickens are most often crossed:

• cornish;
• langshan;
• faverol;
• brama;
• Plymouth Rock;
• dorking;
• Cochinchin.

Professional breeding of broiler poultry can only be done in special farms. Every year, breeders create more and more new hybrid forms, the so-called crosses. They inherit the best qualities from their parents: precocity, high slaughter weight, immunity to various diseases.

Appearance

Chickens-broilers compare favorably with chicks of the same age of conventional breeds. The first, by the age of one and a half weeks, are able to gain up to 1.5 kilograms of live weight, while ordinary chickens gain no more than half a kilogram. The weight of an adult chicken of hybrid breeds reaches 4 kilograms, and the weight of some cockerels is 5.5.

Broiler chickens have a rather compact body, short legs and wings. The bird is inactive, has a calm disposition and phlegmatic character. Color most oftenwhite, like the plumage of the parents.

Productivity

When reared at home, broilers build muscle relatively quickly. The minimum weight of a bird carcass is 2 kilograms. At the same time, the bird eats little food: about 2-3 feed units per kilogram of weight. Egg production in broiler chickens is poorly developed, but the instinct of motherhood is well developed.

Rating of the best breeds of broilers

When breeding for the development of new highly productive crosses, only the most he althy and resistant birds are selected. Crosses of the latest generation in all respects outperform previous breeds. The most common broiler breeds today:

• COBB-500;
• ROSS-308;
• ROSS-708.

Breed of broilers COBB-500

A distinctive feature of this bird from other breeds is the yellow color of the skin. In the consumer market, such meat is always more in demand. Chickens at the age of 6 weeks reach a weight of 2 to 2.5 kilograms and are suitable for slaughter. COBB-500 has strong immunity to various diseases, as well as 100% survival rate. Broilers have large legs and a wide chest, which is undoubtedly an advantage when raising broilers for meat at home. One of the advantages of this cross can be considered that all birds have almost the same weight and height.

ROSS-308

Broilers are distinguished by their intensive growth, during the day the chick gains about 60 grams. The period of rapid growth occurs in the first weekslife. The carcass of the bird is pale in color, but the breast is much wider and meatier than that of COBBs. A feature of this cross is a relatively good egg production.

ROSS-708

The latest breed of broilers occupies a leading position among other types of crosses. It is distinguished by its incredible precocity, a chicken at the age of one month reaches a fairly large size and weighs about 2.5 kilograms. The skin color of these broilers is similar to COBBs, but they do not always have time to acquire such a shade.

Raising broilers from scratch at home

Before you start buying chickens, you need to prepare a place for them to grow he althy and gain good weight. While the chickens are small, a plywood box can be adapted as a house for them, the main requirements for which are: heat, light and lack of humidity. Later, when the chickens are a little older, they can be placed in a specially prepared room.

Where to buy chickens

Experts recommend, especially for beginners to grow broilers at home, to buy poultry only at poultry farms, where they strictly observe sanitary standards and take full care of the young. You can buy chickens in the market, but in this case, there is a possibility that you will get an unhe althy or outbred bird. When buying chickens, you need to pay attention to the behavior and appearance of the chicks:

• clean feathers;
• clear look;
• mobile;
• react to noise;
• soft tummy.

Keeping little chicks

Plywood house for babies must be kept in a warm place, especially if they were purchased in early spring. Lay a warm cloth under the box, you can use an old rug. Care should be taken to ensure that there are no drafts. By the way, when choosing a box, you should know that one chicken needs an area of at least 30 square centimeters. Very often, special brooders are made for small chicks, which, without a doubt, is the best option.

In the first day after the birth of chickens, it is necessary to provide uninterrupted lighting. Birds also need ultraviolet light, so if possible, be sure to purchase such a lamp. For chickens, and adults, the temperature regime is very important.

Temperature conditions for broiler chickens of different ages

Age of broilers in days	Indoor temperature	Heater air temperature
1-5	+24…+26 °C	+33…+34 °C
6-12	+22…+23 °C	+30…+32 °C
13-20	+22…+21 °C	+25…+29 °C
21-30	+21…+20 °C	+22…+23 °C
31-63	+19…+11 °C	-

Technology for growing broilers at home

There are two ways to grow poultry for meat: intensive and extensive keeping. In the first case, chickens from the beginning of life are fed with complex compound feed, which is intended specifically for broiler crosses. You can buy such food in almost every veterinary pharmacy. With this method, another secret of growing broilers at home can be considered the restriction of the bird in movement. If you have chosen this method of keeping, then the bird should be grown in special small aviaries. It is worth emphasizing: if more intensive growth of chickens is necessary, a more compacted content is used, where on average there is no more than one square meter per 12 chickens. One of the most important factors in caring for chickens is the cleanliness of the hen house. Broiler breeds are unusually sensitive to contaminated litter and air. If the chicken coop is not regularly cleaned, the likelihood of bird diseases is very high, which ultimately can even lead to its death.

In the event that the second method of growing broilers at home is chosen, feeding and caring for them continues for 4 months in the warm season. At the same time, the birds are fed with food prepared by their own hands. It should be remembered: new types of feed are never introduced into the diet in one day, this must be done gradually. All wet mash should be eaten by the bird within 35-40 minutes if left in the coop for any longer time.possible souring of the product, insemination by eggs of various insects.

Clean, dry bedding is very important when keeping chickens. The best is the seed husk, which can be purchased at any oil mill. In the event that this is not possible, it is recommended to use straw, fibrous peat or sawdust. Remember: wet bedding is not allowed.

Use of compound feed for broilers

For more intensive growth of broiler chickens, feeding and rearing at home, it is recommended to use specialized feeds that can be purchased ready-made or prepared by yourself. This feed fully meets all the physiological needs of broilers. Such a diet brings especially high rates in the first four weeks. Ready-made compound feed for broilers differs in composition and particle size. For ease of perception, information about the necessary feeds will be presented in the form of a table.

Ingredients, %	Compound feed "Broiler start", grams	Compound feed "Broiler growth", grams	Compound feed "Broiler finish", grams
Peas	-	4	5
Sunflower cake	8	13, 7	18
Corn	10	-	19, 8
Chalk, calcium, phosphate	0, 8	0, 33	0, 24
Blood meal	2	-	-
Wheat	45	40	26
Shell + chalk	1, 7	1, 67	1, 76
S alt	0, 33	0, 3	0, 2
Extruded soybeans	9, 4	24	18
Soybean meal	16, 8	3	-
Barley	5	12	10

Feeding broilers

Consider the features of growing and feeding broiler chickens at home. In chickens of all broiler breeds, intensive growth is laid genetically. Therefore, they must be provided with complete and high-quality feed in the required quantity. It is believed that the sooner the baby starts feeding, the faster the broiler chicken will grow. If in the first days one of the chickens cannot peck, it must be fed with a mixture of yolk and cream using a pipette.

Featuregrowing broilers at home is considered intensive feeding, which begins from the first days. For the first week and a half, small chickens are fed at intervals of two hours, about 7-8 times a day. A break in feeding should not be more than six hours. For good growth in the diet of chickens, it is necessary to include easily digestible protein - milk, cottage cheese and a boiled egg. The last product from the age of five days can be given with the shell (crushed). Further, the diet is gradually replenished with corn grits and crushed wheat. And already from the age of ten they are transferred to feeding with a vitamin-grain mixture:

• corn grits – 50%;
• wheat – 25%;
• barley flour – 10%;
• oatmeal - 5%;
• nettle (scalded, boiled) – 10%.

When grown at home, broiler chickens from the age of 15 days begin to be fed with grated carrots, boiled meat, and herbs. At the same time, an additional feeder is placed for mineral feed: chalk, bone meal, crushed shells, gravel.

With particular care, you should approach the water supply of chickens, about 40 ml of water is needed per bird. Experts do not recommend giving raw water, it is better to replace it with a decoction of chamomile or wild rose, which will have a beneficial effect on the digestive tract of chicks. Once every two days, you can give boiled water with the addition of potassium permanganate - to prevent stomach diseases. The color of such water should have a pale pink tint. If atWhen poultry is raised, there is not enough water, the chickens may become dehydrated, which, without proper treatment, can lead to their death. When growing broilers at home, a three-stage feed system is most often used, which is calculated according to the age of chickens from birth to slaughter.

It should be noted that such compound feed is more expensive than homemade feed, but it significantly improves all indicators of the growing livestock. Simplifies rearing, feeding, food control and overall broiler care. At the initial stage, such feed helps to strengthen the immune system, creates the prerequisites for rapid growth and good he alth of the bird. During the period of active growth of chickens, compound feed is a source of protein, fats, calcium and vitamins, which ensure rapid growth of the skeleton and muscle mass. Closer to slaughter, finishing mixtures are introduced into the diet to increase fatness. All this increases the profitability of growing broilers at home.

Prevention and treatment of diseases

As you know, prevention is the best way to prevent broiler disease. Therefore, the main and main rule will be to carry out disinfection measures in the room where the chickens live. Cleanliness prevents the appearance of various kinds of infections. For the smallest broilers, it is recommended to soak the paws in the disinfectant solution for 3 days. For chickens from 3 days of age, experienced poultry farmers are advised to give Enrofloxacin solution at the rate of 1 cube per liter of water.

To strengthenimmunity, broiler chickens are given water with ascorbic acid dissolved in it (1 package per 3 liters) - this will make up for the lack of vitamin C in the body. Vitamin supplements such as Chiktonik, Biovit begin to be given at the age of seven days to prevent deficiency vitamins. The duration of taking vitamins is 10 days.

Among young broilers, there is often such a thing as cannibalism (popularly "pecking"). In order to avoid such a nuisance, you should carefully observe the behavior of the chicks. The main causes of pecking can be considered too bright light, crowded chicks and a lack of protein or gravel in the diet. In the event that pecking nevertheless occurred, it is necessary to add a little citric acid to the drinking water (acidify), anoint the wounded chicks with brilliant green and plant them separately. Otherwise, pecking may continue - curious chicks will peck at the green crown.

Raising poultry in cages

Increasingly, poultry farmers are choosing to grow broilers at home cages. There are several advantages to such content:

1. Chickens quickly gain weight due to a sedentary lifestyle.
2. The risk of various diseases is reduced due to the fact that the bird does not come into contact with the droppings.

With this content, 10 birds are placed in one cage with a floor area of 0.5 m2. The microclimate itself in the chicken coop is subject to the same requirements as with other growing methods.

In a room where broiler chickens are kept, it is necessaryinstall a hood, because this bird especially needs fresh air. The hood must be with a thermostat and turn on and off at a certain moment so that the bird does not freeze.

We suggest that you learn more about the features of growing broiler chickens at home by watching the video.

Broiler walking

If desired, you can make a small paddock for broilers, but you should not make it too spacious. While the chickens are small, they can be released into it for several hours. When the broilers are well feathered, and the air temperature outside does not drop below +18 degrees, they can be settled in a separate house. It is only necessary to ensure that the chicken coop is warm and without drafts. In the room it is necessary to make a floor and cover it with straw. For additional heating, you can hang lamps in it. The chicken house should not be made too large, the main thing is that it is convenient to clean it. At night, the chickens are left to sleep in the house, and released into the pen during the day.

Breeding as a business

Growing broilers at home, according to many owners, can be turned into a source of additional income. First of all, even before buying little chickens, you need to draw up a business plan and find a market for the finished product. Broilers can be offered to individuals or to conclude an agreement with online stores that sell natural products. Such cooperation will be beneficial for both parties: for the owner of the broilers, this is the appearance of a wholesale buyer, and the benefit for the storeis a constant percentage of profits.

Broiler meat can be offered to owners of small stalls selling fast food: shawarma, grilled chicken, pies. Or supply chicken meat to catering establishments. Breeding broilers can be considered a profitable business both for your family and for the purpose of generating income.