Avian Production Management

CLASSIFICATION OF BROODING

Natural brooding

• It is done with the help of broody hens after hatching, up to 3 to 4 weeks of age.

Artificial brooding

• In artificial brooding large number of baby chicks are reared in the absence of broody hen.
• Equipments used for brooding are called brooders. Brooder comprises of three elements:
  • Heating source
  • Reflectors
  • Brooder guard
• Heating source may be electrical, gases like natural gas, LPG and methane, liquid fuel like kerosene and solid fuel like coal, wood can be used as a heating material.

Charcoal stove / kerosene stove

• Where electricity is not available, ordinary charcoal / kerosene stoves are used to provide supplementary heat to chicks.

These stoves are covered with plate / pans to dissipate the heat.

Electrical brooder

• It is also thermostatically controlled heating system that spread required amount of heat uniformly above large area, this avoid crowding of chicks under brooder directly.
• One electrical brooder can be used for 300 to 400 chicks.

Infra red bulbs

• It is a self reflecting bulb. One 250 watts IR bulb can provide brooding for about 150 to 250 chicks.

• Gas brooder Natural gas, LPG or methane is connected to heating element which is hanged 3 to 5 feet above the chick to provide heat. Now practised particularly in semi-environmentally controlled and environmentally controlled houses. These are costly but can take care of 1500 to 2000 chicks

Reflectors

• These reflectors are called Hovers . Flat type hover – These hovers are provided with heating element, heating mechanism and pilot lamp and in some cases thermometer is also there in order to record the temperature.
• Canopy type hover – These reflectors are in concave shape consisting of ordinary electrical bulb, thermostat mechanism and in some cases thermometer.

Brooder guard / chick guard

• They are used to prevent chicks from straying too far away from heat supply until they learn the source of heat.
• We have to provide brooder guard with a diameter of 5 feet, height of the brooder should not exceed 1.5 feet.
• For this purpose, we can use materials like cardboard sheet, GI sheet, wire mesh, and mat etc. depending upon the season of brooding.
• During summer season, brooding is done for 5-6 days. In winter season it is 2-3 weeks.

Heater coils

• Hater coils may also be provided for warmth instead of bulbs.
• Heater coils of various watts capacities with thermostats, reflector hoods and hanging chains are available for providing heat to chicks. These coils are more suitable for cold climates, because they give more heat. Separate tube lights have to be provided for lighting the house. They have to be hanged above the reach of the chicks

• Centralised heating system of brooding is followed in environmentally controlled poultry houses; where the room temperature is maintained at an average of 32^°C during first week of age
• Battery brooders – Multi-tier cage brooding is also practised. Bulbs or heaters with thermostats are used to provide warmth to chicks in the battery cages
• Bio-gas brooders – Certain farms use the cage droppings and cow dung to generate bio-gas; which will be used to provide light and heat to the birds