Broiler management (david swygood)

Broiler Management

David Swysgood

Chick Management• Get the chicks pulled, processed, delivered &

fed as quickly as possible

Unselected 1972 control broiler

Selected pedigree broiler

Comparison of selected and control broilers at 42 days

of age

0

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Flock age (days)

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Broiler Growth PhasesBr

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Rapid Growth

Genetics Management

Nutrition Health

Performance

BroodingLighting

Stocking Densities

Brooding-The First 10 Days

Brooding

• Good quality chicks can be hurt by poor brooding.

• Poor quality chicks can be made worse. • Good management may turn a flock

around.• House conditions can begin to affect

chicks starting on day one.

Brooding

• Brooding management is critical to the future performance of a flock. It may impact:

* Vaccination-reaction and effectiveness* Weight gain, feed conversion, and

uniformity* Ability to withstand leg problems

Due to genetic progress in growth rate, first 10 d of life is steadily increasing as proportion of total flock life…

Brooding as a Percentage of Total Flock Life

1720

29

0

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10

15

20

25

30

35

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

% of time

in b

rood

ing pe

riod

….There is also less time to get out of trouble afterwards….There is also less time to get out of trouble afterwards

PrePre--brooding & Broodingbrooding & Brooding

Give the chick what it needs

Achieve 7-day weights

WeightGain

+ 10 g (.02 lb) + 50-70g (.11-.15 lb)

7 days

Live weight correlation (ad libitum)

42 days

Increased Emphasis on Achieving 7 day Weights

• 180 g at 7 days is achievable and can be exceeded

• 7 day weights should be monitored routinely to monitor the effectiveness of brooding management

• Watch the chicks at placement to make sure that they find food & water

• React positively if they do not

Achieve 7-day bodyweight•Target: 180 g (0.35 lb) or 3.7 - 4x placement weight

• Potential is >•Field Range: 160-190 g (0.32 - 0.38 lb) •<160 g (0.32 lb) is a concern

• Brooding management• Nutrition – density and quality• Temperature and humidity• Parent source flock age• Disease challenge / vaccination• Hatchery management

VAR

IATI

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VAR

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Effect of 7d weight on 35d weight

1000

1200

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2400

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120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220

7d weight (g)

35d

liv

ew

eig

ht

Males Females

5.35.3

4.94.9

4.44.4

4.04.0

3.53.5

Day Old Chick Weight vs 7 Day Body Weight

y = 2.1014x + 38.841R2 = 0.0934

0

50

100

150

200

250

25 30 35 40 45 50 55

Day Old Chick Weight - gm

7 Da

y B

ody

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gm

7 Day Body Weight vs 17 Day

y = 3.5775x - 11.827R2 = 0.6721 p< 0.001

0

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50 70 90 110 130 150 170 190 210

7 Day Body Weight - gm

17 D

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7 Day Body Weight vs 35 Day

y = 7.4245x + 671.38 R2 = 0.3794 p<0.001

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50 70 90 110 130 150 170 190 210

7 Day Body Weight - gm

35 D

ay B

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7 Day Body Weight vs 38 Day Body Weight

y = 8.1533x + 791.53R2 = 0.3533 p<0.001

0

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1000

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50 70 90 110 130 150 170 190 210

7 Day Weight - gm

38 D

ay W

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t - g

m

For every 1 gram of 7 day body weight, 38 day body weight will increase 8.15 gme.g. 10 grams increase in 7 day weight = 81.5 grams or .18 lbs!

Trial vs 3wk Settlements

• Trial Farms Age Kill-66.3 days Livability-96.47% Avg. wt.-8.28 (3756 gm) Daily Gain-.1249 Adj Feed Conv-1.99 Grower Cost/Lb-24.01

• Avg. 3wk settlementsAge Kill-66.5 Livability-95.96% Avg. wt.-7.94 (3602 gm) Daily Gain-.1195 Adj Feed Conv-2.06 Grower Cost/Lb-24.15

BroodingBrooding

Put simply, broiler chick has 4 basic requirements for survival:1. Feed2. Water3. Temperature4. Air Quality

PrePre--brooding & Broodingbrooding & BroodingReceiving and starting chicks– one of the most difficult, and important, stages in

growing broilers

Important - producer must take special care during this period to ensure chicks are started properly– houses must be ready BEFORE chicks arrive– exploit genetic potential of chicks

PrePre--broodingbroodingHatchery processing & transportation– temperature 80-85 º F (26-29.5 C)– good air movement

Brooding facility– pre-heat

summer min. 24 hr

fall/winter min. 48 hrAvoid chilling and inadequate quality air exchange

PrePre--broodingbroodingPre- brooding Checklist

– Proper air and litter temperatures• no < 2 hr before chick arrival

– Air quality• free of ammonia

– Drinker system• turn on prior to arrival to allow water to warm up

– Ventilation system• timers and thermostats set properly

– Feed• lids must be in place with feed added

– Lights• min. 3.0 ft candles (30 lux) evenly dispersed

Litter Depth

• Absolute minimum of 10cm (4 inches).• Built up litter programs require cake removal

and most likely a litter amendment. • Critical to dry houses and good paw quality.

House EquipmentHouse EquipmentFeeding equipment

min. 2 lines of pan feeders should be in placemax. 120 birds/pan (based on half-house)supplement 1 lid/100 chicks during brooding periat chick placement, pans or trough should be manually charged with feed monitor eating behavior of birds Pan Feeder-whole house: 30-50 birds/pan Trough Feeder-5.0cm/bird

Can they get to the feed?

Does the Effect Persist with Older Chicks?- 15 hour Delay in Feeding After Delivery

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Flock Age (d)

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.04 lb

.16 lb

Feeding chicks within 6 hours of their clearing the shell will:

• increase the rate at which yolk is utilized• improve villus growth to increase food

absorption (gut health)• increase satellite cell proliferation (breast

meat yield)• improve growth to marketing age and

breast meat yield (growth rate)

When there is feed in the digestive tract:• residual yolk will be used more quickly• digestive tract develops faster• gut immunity develops faster

Results• faster growth, increased robustness• improved breast meat yield

Practical Steps

• Feed birds as soon as they arrive on farm

• Place the chicks near feeding area

• Check crop fill 12 and 24 hrs after placement

• 12 hrs 80% with feed and water in the crop

• 24 hrs, >97% with feed and water in the crop

Water

Objective- To supply an adequate, easily accessible source of clean, bacteria-free water. It’s the most important nutrient that we supply to the chicken. It represents approx. 70% of the total body wt.

Water is an Essential Nutrient• Important to achieve optimum flock results

– Water:feed 1.6:1

• Good management practices for water line management include several procedures & monitoring processes.

• Used for the transportation of nutrients, chemical reactions, osmotic balance, body temperature regulation and lubrication of joints and organs.

House Equipment

• Drinker Types: • Trough- 2.0cm/bird • Bell 10-12/1000 birds • Nipples 8-12 birds/nipple • Supplemental Drinkers 10/1000 chicks placed

evenly throughout, so chick move no more than 2m to drink.

House EquipmentHouse EquipmentDrinker Systems

– Nipple drinkers

• 360 º type

• min. of 1 nipple/25 chicks (based on half-

house)

• day 1 height should be at eye level of chicks

• Trigger or activate each nipple

• > 1 day height should allow chicks to drink at

45 º angle

House Equipment

• Bell Drinkers • Whole House Brooding-Min.10 bell drinkers

per 1000 chicks. • Water Level- 19mm until 7-10 days and 13mm

thereafter- Adjust to prevent spillage. • Check and adjust daily-bell lip is level with

broilers’ back from 7 days onward.

Flow Rates for Nipple Drinkers • During each grow-out, flow rate checked;

– Placement– 3 weeks– 6 weeks

• Equation of weeks of age times 7 plus 20Example: 3 week broiler. Flow rate should = 3 x 7 + 20 = 41 ml/minute.

Before and After-Have to see to know.

Can they drink?

Water Management

Available at all times ?- air locks, too high or low, leaks, stuck nipple, volume, space, etc.

Test the water supply regularly for bacterial and mineral problems. No coliforms.

Treat water with an approved sanitizer on a routine basis (e.g. chlorine-2-3ppm tested at furthest point from source).

Growth of bacteria in open water in cup drinkers

05000

10000150002000025000300003500040000

aftercleanout

day old 5 daysold

Total CountS aureusE coli

Water Management

Water-Common chick quality problems associated with cool floors or poor access to water: “starve-outs” or dehydration.

* Sluggish chicks are often cold; loud, excited chicks are often short of water.

Can they physically get to the water?

• Is it the proper floor temp. where the water is?

• Was the nipple drinker line “triggered”? • Are the water lines the right height? • Can even the smallest chicks reach

water? • Is pressure set properly for chicks to

drink?

Approx. Daily Water Consumption/100 Broilers

• Temp-21C Wk 1- 3 Liters Wk 2- 6 Wk 3-9 Wk 4-13 Wk 5-17 Wk 6-22 Wk 7-25 Wk 8-29

• Temp-32C Wk 1-3 Liters Wk 2-9 Wk 3-20 Wk 4-27 Wk 5-36 Wk 6-42 Wk 7-46 Wk 8-47

House EquipmentHouse Equipment

Heating Equipment-Brood end - Radiant or jet brooders (with

option of forced-air heater back-up)

- min. of 90 BTU/ft2

– Off-brood end - Radiant, jet brooders or forced-air heaters

- min. of 50 BTU/ft2

House EquipmentHouse Equipment

Controllers– Capable of operating lights, feeders,

heating, cooling and ventilation

– Monitoring capability - min. of 5 sensors

– Must have a back-up system tied into the controller in case of failure

Brooding Brooding --TemperatureTemperatureElectronic sensors and thermostats will become inaccurate over timeIf the sensor is incorrectly placed, temperatures across the house can vary excessively

– place sensor at bird head level in a location around feeders and drinkers

Do not rely exclusively on the computer control - cross-check regularly

BroodingEnvironmental and litter temperature are critical for bottom-line performance – especially during the brooding period

Remember - the chicken is most efficient at 1 day-of-age – performance in terms of growth and FCR

seems small in absolute terms, but FCR is most efficient and economical during this period

What is the Proper What is the Proper Temperature?Temperature?

• Manuals say 90 F (32 C) Floor Temperature • Rectal Temperature of 104 to 105.5 F (40 –

40.8 C)• Humidity 50 to 65%

Birds act like Cold Blooded Animals for first two weeks of Life. Just like Reptiles

Brooding Brooding --TemperatureTemperature

Too Cold: – chicks will huddle and not start well– chilled chicks will die

Too hot: – depressed appetite, dehydration and

slow feathering

Variation from target temperature will hurt uniformity

Brooding TemperatureTEMPERATURE TOO HIGH TEMPERATURE CORRECT

TEMPERATURE TOO LOW Draft

Chicks make no noise, Chicks pant, head and wings droop. Chicks away from Brooder

Chicks evenly spread. Noise level signifies contentment

Chicks crowd to brooder. Chicks noisy, distress calling

This distribution requires investigation. Influenced by draft-uneven light distribution - external noises.

Brooding Brooding --TemperatureTemperature

Too High Correct Too Low-More Noise

Chilled chicks

• Summary:– Broiler strains differ in their growth responses to

light restriction.– Aviagen broilers have been selected to have slower

early growth to minimize metabolic disease and improve feed conversion.

– Limitations to early growth:• early light restriction• low nutrient density• nutrient intake

– Over-limiting early growth reduces market weight, lowers uniformity, and can depress breast yield.

Broiler Lighting Programs

• Summary:– The type of housing affects our ability to control light

intensity:• Clear-sided: Control primarily with light duration• Dark-sided: Control primarily with light intensity

– The nutrient densities of the rations fed impact early growth rate and therefore affect the type of lighting program that should be used:

• High Density Rations/Fast Growth Rate:More Light Restriction

• Low Nutrient Density/Slow Growth Rate: Less Light Restriction

Broiler Lighting Programs

Broiler Lighting Programs

• Make certain foot candles are correct! • Use a light meter-don’t eye ball it! • Brood Period>chick activity • Grow-out> do not restrict too much hurting

growth rates.

Light ManagementLight ManagementKeys

Light intensityDuration of lightLight distribution in the barn

Uneven patterns could cause bird flightiness, incidence of skin scratches / cellulitis, and bird weight variation

Shadows and pockets of light or dark will result in uneven bird weights

Questions to ask yourself when you into a house of chicks:

• What is the pattern on the floor?

• What is the activity level of the chicks?

• Can they physically get to the feed and water?

• What is the air quality?

Ventilation

Successful Brooding

• Ventilation, Ventilation, Ventilation– A broiler chick excretes about 0.06 ounces (2ml)

of water per hour in the first week and .11 ounces (3.5ml) per hour the second week

• 20,000 2 week chicks = 70 liters/hour or 18.5 gallons/hour

NATURAL VENTILATION

• “Curtain ventilation”• Allows outside breezes and inside convection

currents to flow right amount of air into and through house

• Ideal when temperature outside is close to temperature birds need

• Exchange rates depend largely on outside winds

NATURAL VENTILATION• Works best when outside temperature is = or >

10-15ºF (5.6-8.4ºC) colder than target temperature

• Problem in cold weather– with small curtain openings, heavy outside air

comes in at low speeds and drops immediately to floor

– chills birds and cause moisture condensation -creating wet litter

NATURAL VENTILATION

• Curtain machines operated on thermostats at bird level are essential during cooler weather

• Circulation or stirring fans controlled with timers help mix incoming cold and in-house warm air

NATURAL VENTILATION

• On warm to hot days with little wind, circulation fans needed to get wind chill cooling of air moving over birds

• Foggers or misters used with circulation fans add second level of cooling capability

• Curtain ventilation requires constant management

Natural Ventilated House

POWER VENTILATION• Two types• Positive pressure

– Pushes outside air into house• Negative pressure

– Fans pull air out of house• Creates a partial vacuum• outside air is pulled into house through cracks or

inlets

NEGATIVE PRESSURE VENTILATION

• Three major setup configurations• Minimum ventilation

– Used for cooler weather and/or smaller birds

• Tunnel ventilation– Used for warmer weather and/or larger birds

• Transitional ventilation– Used for “in-between” conditions

Negative Pressure Power Ventilated House

MINIMUM VENTILATION

• Provides fresh air to exhaust excess moisture and harmful gases during cold weather or when birds are small.

• Timer driven– 5 minute timers ideal

• Minimum vent fans should be equipped with a thermostat which overrides timers as birds grow and/or weather warms

MINIMUM VENTILATION• You must create proper partial vacuum so air

comes in with sufficient speed through all inlets• Inlets should be distributed evenly along entire

length of house• Static pressure should be ran at .10 in to .12 in

(2.0 to 2.5 mm) of water with sidewall vents open 2 - 3 in wide (5.1 - 7.6 cm), ceiling vents 1 inch wide

– Allows air to come into house with enough volume and speed to mix with warm in-house air above the flock

– Incoming air doesn’t drop directly onto chicks• No chilling

POOR & GOOD MOISTURE CONTROL-RH-less than 70%

PROPER INLET OPENING

IMPROPER VENT OPENING

Inlets Control Mixing

MINIMUM VENTILATION CFM’s PER BIRD

• 0.10 CFM 1 WEEK• 0.25 CFM 2 WEEKS• 0.35 CFM 3 WEEKS• 0.50 CFM 4 WEEKS• 0.65 CFM 5 WEEKS • 0.70 CFM 6 WEEKS• 0.80 CFM 7 WEEKS• 0.90 CFM 8 WEEKS

RULES FOR MINIMUM VENTILATION

• Seal all house air leaks– a non-air tight house cannot be properly

ventilated• Insulate before you ventilate

– proper growing conditions cannot be maintained in cold weather

• Set the fan timer for correct minimum ventilation rate

RULES FOR MINIMUM VENTILATION

• Increase fan timer settings as needed -minimum ventilation rate

• Bring cool outside air into the house high above the birds, with enough velocity to mix with warm inside air

• If wet litter and/or ammonia becomes a problem, increase the minimum ventilation rate

RULES FOR MINIMUM VENTILATION

• If increased minimum ventilation rates doesn’t solve wet litter problem, add heat

• If house gets too dry and dusty, reduce the minimum ventilation rate

• If a house gets too warm, check the thermostat settings, not the timer settings

MINIMUM VENTILATION

• Curtain cracks and fixed board inlets more likely to allow too-wide openings and dump cool in-coming air onto birds

• When using curtain cracks or fixed board inlets:

– Stirring fans recommended– Static pressure decreased to .03 - .05 in (0.8 - 1.3

mm)

MINIMUM VENTILATION

• DETERMINING TOTAL VENTILATION RATE NEEDED

– If we have 20,000 birds 2 weeks of age, and we need .25 cfm per bird

– 0.25 cfm x 20,000 = 5,000 total cfm needed

MINIMUM VENTILATION

• DETERMINING FAN ON/OFF DUTY CYCLE NEEDED

– Fan duty cycle = cfm’s needed ÷ fan cfm’s

– If we use a 20,000 cfm fan

– 5,000 cfm ÷ 20,000 fan cfm = ¼ or .25% on/off cycle

MINIMUM VENTILATION• DETERMINING TIMER SETTING NEEDED

– Timer ON setting = Fan duty cycle X timer minutes

– If we use a 5 minute timer and fan duty cycle is ¼ or 25%:

– ¼ or 25% X 5 minutes = 75 seconds on– Timer setting is 75 seconds on

TRANSITIONAL VENTILATION

• Begins when higher than minimum air exchange rate is required

– outside air should not contact birds directly• To be successful, requires sidewall inlets

linked to a static pressure controller so heat can be removed without switching to tunnel ventilation

Typical Paddle Fan Layout

Typical Stirring Fan Layout

TRANSITIONAL VENTILATION

• Rule of thumb– transitional ventilation may be used when

outside temperature is +/- 10ºF (5.5ºC) of target house temperature

TUNNEL COOLING

• Turn on the right number of fans for cooling needs

– effective temperature must be estimated– wind chill is greater with cooler air, and

less with warmer air; greater for smaller birds, less with larger birds

TUNNEL COOLING

• Wind Chill Effect– Easy rule of thumb

• 4 week and younger birds- 2.5 degrees per 48” fan • 4 week and older birds- 1.5 degrees per 48” fan

GUIDE TO TUNNEL VENTILATON

• Watch the birds, not just the thermometer, to see how much cooling is needed

– the temperature the birds experience is not the same as the thermometer reading

– birds sitting down usually indicates too much air movement

– birds panting, lifting wings and not eating usually indicates birds are too warm

TUNNEL COOLING

• Monitor and maintain adequate airflow

– Keep tunnel inlets fully open– Partly closing tunnel inlets does not increase air

velocity, it reduces needed airflow– Keep fans and shutters clean and belts tight– Close all doors and seal all leaks or other

openings, so all incoming air enters through tunnel inlets only

Birds Panting at “normal” temperatures

Migration

US Broiler Information

US Broiler Producing Region

Average Weekly Broiler Slaughter

58.1 63.2

5.925.8

13.942.0

45.01

6.9

12.86.5

10.08.9

020406080

100120140160180200

1988 2006

millions

Pilgrim'sTysonGold KistConAgraPerdueHolly FarmsWayneSandersonOther

Top 5 U.S. Broiler Companies

Source: Watt’s Poultry USA, Feb. 2007

2006 Top 20 – Volume (kg)

Source: Watt’s Poultry USA, Feb. 2007

2006 Million ----- Million Kg's -----Slaughter Head/ Average Live Weight/ Live Weight/ R-T-C*/ R-T-C*/

Company Plants Week Live Weight Week Year Week Year1 Pilgrim's Pride Corp. 38 45.01 2.35 105.57 5,489.65 82.53 4,291.432 Tyson Foods, Inc. 39 42.00 2.23 93.54 4,864.12 68.88 3,581.933 Perdue Farms, Inc. 10 12.77 2.55 32.60 1,695.20 25.47 1,324.654 Wayne Farms, LLC 8 5.80 3.13 18.14 943.48 15.83 823.195 Sanderson Farms, Inc. 7 5.92 3.13 18.55 964.71 15.72 817.296 Mountaire Farms, Inc. 3 4.50 3.43 15.44 802.67 12.54 651.957 House of Raeford Farms 5 3.64 3.03 11.03 573.40 9.34 485.898 Keystone Foods, LLC. 3 3.53 3.01 10.63 552.88 8.82 458.539 Koch Foods, Inc. 4 5.31 2.15 11.44 594.87 8.44 438.72

10 Foster Farms 5 5.47 2.44 13.34 693.46 7.71 400.9811 O.K. Foods, Inc. 2 3.00 3.18 9.53 495.33 7.35 382.1112 Peco Foods, Inc. 4 2.89 3.24 9.38 487.54 7.01 364.6613 George's, Inc. 3 4.77 1.84 8.83 459.24 6.60 343.1914 Fieldale Farms Corporation 2 3.12 2.49 7.77 403.81 6.50 338.2415 Townsends, Inc. 2 1.90 3.56 6.77 351.92 5.62 292.4816 Allen Family Foods, Inc. 3 2.53 2.72 6.89 358.05 5.34 277.8617 Simmons Foods, Inc. 3 2.90 2.13 6.21 323.14 4.58 238.2318 Case Foods, Inc. 3 1.57 3.33 5.25 272.90 4.28 222.4319 Cagle's, Inc. 2 2.09 1.86 3.89 202.38 3.05 158.5020 Amick Farms, Inc. 1 1.00 3.63 3.63 188.70 2.90 150.96

*R-T-C = Ready to Cook

Source: Watt’s Poultry USA, Feb. 2007

Average Broiler Weights

2.36 2.452.57 2.60 2.62 2.64

2.80 2.83 2.90 2.91 3.00 3.103.24 3.35 3.44

2.06 2.10 2.12 2.14 2.17 2.20 2.22 2.26 2.28 2.30 2.35 2.42 2.44 2.48 2.50

1.84 1.86 1.88 1.89 1.84 1.85 1.86 1.84 1.84 1.83 1.83 1.84 1.801.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Year

Kg'

s

Heaviest 5

Average

Lightest 5

The small bird market holds around 1.8 kg and the tray pack and large bird deboning companies keep increasing weights.

Average Weight by Processing Type

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

2001

120

01 6

2001

1120

02 4

2002

920

03 2

2003

720

0312

2004

520

0410

2005

320

05 8

2006

120

06 6

2006

1120

07 4

2007

9

Year Month

kg

Debone/PartsLarge DeboneSmall BirdTray PackWhole Bird/Parts

Improvement in adjusted FCR can be seen across all weight categories.

Adjusted FCR by Weight Category

1.50

1.60

1.70

1.80

1.90

2.00

2.10

2.20

2.3020

01 1

2001

5

2001

9

2002

1

2002

5

2002

9

2003

1

2003

5

2003

9

2004

1

2004

5

2004

9

2005

1

2005

5

2005

9

2006

1

2006

5

2006

9

2007

1

2007

5

2007

9

Year Month

Adj

uste

d FC

R

<2 kg2 - 2.36 kg2.36 - 2.72 kg2.72 - 3.08 kg3.08 - 3.40 kg>3.40 kg