Environmental management of chickens in broiler cages

Nowadays, the farmers have implemented the “all-in, all-out” feeding system. The so-called “all-in, all-out” system is that the same chicken house only raises chickens of the same age at the same time, and all of them appear on the same day. Compared with continuous feeding broilers, they gain more weight, consume less material, and have lower mortality. However, the environmental conditions required are relatively high, and the author will introduce the environmental conditions as follows:

1. Temperature: How fast or slow the broiler grows, it is the key to control the proper temperature. During the brooding period, the temperature of the broiler is higher (32-35 °C) in the first 2 weeks. The temperature change and the body temperature can not be too different. If it exceeds 8 °C, it is easy to cause death. During this period, the chicks are weak in body, have few feathers, and cannot rely on their own constant body temperature. They must rely on labor to control the ambient temperature. After 2 weeks of age, it is appropriate to reduce the temperature by 3 °C per week. The cooling rate is too fast, the meat chicks are not suitable, and the toad is not good for feather growth. From 5 weeks of age, the ambient temperature is maintained at 20-25 ° C, which is most beneficial for weight gain and feed compensation. Broilers pay great attention to temperature control throughout the feeding period.

2. Ventilation: The growth rate of broilers is very fast. With the increase of body age and body weight, the gas exchange volume in the house is significantly increased. The ventilation volume in the house must be adjusted in time according to the temperature and the growth of the broiler.

3. Illumination: The lighting system for broiler and egg chicks is completely different. The light of the laying hens is the time to control sexual maturity, while the purpose of lighting the broiler chickens is to prolong the feeding time, promote the growth speed, and the light time is generally 23 hours a day, 1 hour dark. Generally, after the second week, the evening intermittent lighting is implemented, that is, the light is fed, and the light is turned off after the feeding. However, be careful to have enough feeding time each time, otherwise it will affect the feed intake and cause uneven growth. The light intensity is slightly stronger for the first three days. It is suitable for 10 lux, so that the young chicks are familiar with the environment, easy to eat and drink, and then reduce the light intensity to the minimum intensity, 2.5-5 lux. Low light can reduce the occurrence of chicken sputum, and the chickens are safe and fattening.

4. Humidity: The humidity requirements of broilers are basically the same as those of laying hens. The ideal relative grip is 60-65% over a suitable temperature range. Note: The relative humidity in the house is less than 40%. The feathers of the broiler chickens are poorly grown, and the dust in the air is greatly increased, which is likely to cause respiratory diseases.

5. Feed: A full-price granular compound feed is required, and any deficiency or deficiency of trace elements can reflect the pathological state. It is required to have high protein and high energy in the diet, and the ratio of various nutrient distributions should be appropriate and balanced to improve feed utilization and reduce feed costs.

6. Grouping: The physiological characteristics of males and hens are different, such as fast growth of cocks, slow growth of hens, poor fat deposition in cocks, strong fat deposition in hens, slow cocks, slow hens and so on. Therefore, it is necessary to raise the male and female hens in groups to achieve the desired purpose.

7. Chicken Battery Cage System: The choice of broiler battery cage system should use a flexible plastic bottom net, the mesh size should make the chicken stand comfortable. In general, the cage bottom mesh is 10×10 mm and the middle chick is 18×28 mm.