Poultry Management: Broilers - Essay Example

Poultry Management Name: Institution: Poultry Management Broilers are a type of chicken that is reared and bred for meat purposes. Most people across the world keep chicken for domestic use making them the most common and diversely domestic animal. By the year 2011, the number of chicken around the world had decreased with a bigger percentage, but the number still outweighs that of any other bird across the globe. Broilers are known to grow faster as a result of the kind of feeding they are given. These birds are carnivorous by nature; therefore, they are fed with food substances rich in protein making them to grow at a faster rate. Damerow (2010) asserts that, broilers are ready for slaughter at the age of five to seven weeks if fed appropriately; however, other factors might prolong this process to about fourteen weeks. As a result of this fast growth, broilers behaviours and physiology resembles that of an immature chicken on most cases. Since these birds are grown for meat purposes exclusively, both sexes are grown together under intensive conditions. Growth and development around the globe demands changes in all fields of life including farming processes. Today, people have become too knowledgeable and demand quality products and services. Health matters have raised concerns among people; therefore, people demand for healthy and quality products especially foodstuffs. This has made rearing of chicken a more sophisticated process where farmers are required to go beyond the normal if their birds are going to sell well in the market (Robson, 2013). Issues of bird welfare also have made broilers management an important task for farmers. Management of broilers is vital for the farmer to achieve desired live weight, feed conversion, uniformity and meat yield. Handling chicks at the early stages of their growth determines how successful one is going to be in relation to broilers management. To some extent, breeding and managing broilers is not an easy task; therefore, it requires commitment, dedication and passion for the business. Management and research are two events that cannot be separated; without one, the other suffers failure. For managers to deal appropriately with broilers, they need to know what exactly is affecting these birds. One cannot cure a disease that he or she has no idea of the cause. Broiler production takes place in a sequence, and the success of this performance is tied entirely to each step being completed successfully. Nuthall (2011) argues that, birds develop at different stages, and it is the duty of the farmer to make each step a success if they expect quality results. Most farmers ignore the first steps especially the transition from hatchery to the broiler farm. This is the first step and once ignored it can lead to massive losses. The development of the chick within the first two weeks determines its survival chances. Broiler chickens go through three main stages including hatchery, the broiler farm and the processing plant. Between each stage are transitional phases that require management to reduce bird stress. These phases include chick emergent, transportation of the chick, development of appetite in the young bird; change from supplementary feeding to the main system and finally catching and transporting the broiler at depletion, commonly known as harvesting. Success of broilers development especially during this transition depends on good environmental conditions that provide birds with ventilation, air quality, temperature and space. In addition, provision of the right nutrition and medical attention to broilers is a key aspect of the bird’s development (Manning et al., 2008). A farmer who is committed to keeping his business at the top of the market will always be attentive to bird welfare at every stage. The first step of broilers development is the transportation of the chick from hatchery to the farm. One-day-old chicks are not able to produce their own heat; therefore, it is necessary that they get enough heating, ventilation and feeding as soon as they are hatched. They are transported by use of ventilated boxes in air-conditioned tracks. A mistake done at this stage will cost the life of the young ones, which is a great loss to a farmer. Before the young chicks are placed in the shed, preparation such as preparing the bedding material for the chicks, preheating the shed and checking feed ad water systems are necessary. This assures the farmer that the place is safe for the purposes intended. On arrival, the one-day old chick is placed on the floor and provided with a heating system, a process called brooding. The supplementary heating is gained from gas heaters or heat lamps. The bedding, feeding and water dispensers at the brooding area are changed as often as possible to reduce levels of contamination and spoiling. Although both male and female chicks are grown at the same time, some operations may be favourable to one sex leading to variation in growth and development. Sometimes a farmer might decide to grow male and female broilers separately depending on the market demand. Insch (2008) claims that, the standard temperature for baby broiler chicks within the first two days should be between 31-32 degrees. Scientists argue this level of temperature allows comfort, health and survival to the chicks. Temperature demands keep reducing as the birds grow. After the first two days, the temperature of the shed is reduced every day at a rate of point five degrees until it reaches 21 to 23 degrees at the age of eleven days. From here, the temperature is maintained constant although, at the later stages, a farmer may choose not to include any warming effect depending on the number of broilers one is keeping. Managing ventilation helps manage heat and the general level of temperature within shades. Water mists and stirring fans also helps manage temperature in broilers sheds. The kind of litter used for the sheds should be carefully chosen especially when the birds are still at their early stages. Poor choice of the kind of litter to make the bedding material can cost a farmer a lot more than money. According to Robson (2013), Chicks can survive in their York for at least three days, but it is necessary that they be provided with water as soon as they arrive at the sheds. Veterinary personnel suggest that, for the first three days, a chick should be offered a mixture of one tablespoon of molasses in a gallon of warm water. The chicks are provided with enough lighting to allow visibility and be able to access food and water, but some dark periods each day are necessary to allow the birds to sleep or rest. In addition, dim lights are used to enhance calmness. Lighting, temperature, ventilation and other fitness matters are adjusted either manually of by use of an automated system. Occasionally, farmers are advised to remove the brooder to allow fresh air circulation and health maintenance. Food and water is supposed to be available to the birds for 24 hours in a day although some people may decide to regulate the growth of the birds by providing food at specific meal times, a process that helps avoid over growing of the birds. Farmers’ check the birds regularly to ensure that the litter is not contaminated, remove dead birds and ensure proper lighting and heating in the sheds. Poor litter damages air quality and lead to deteriorated birds’ health. On the other hand, constant adjustments of ventilation, feeds and temperatures within the shed reduce the number of deaths a farmer gets in a specific season (Damerow, 2010). As the birds grow older, farmers should provide enough space to allow free movement and exercise. At the end of the process, only 4 percent of the population is lost maybe due to normal processes or by the farmer’s choice to maintain a reasonable number. As the birds grow water and feed locations are adjusted so that the birds cannot contaminate them. Baby chicks are given soluble antibiotics at the early stages. Research suggests that it is valuable to administer vitamins and electrolytes within the first three days of a chick’s life. This helps manage the stress gained from transportation from hatchery to the shed, as well as provide the young bird with a strong immunity base. The appetite of birds at this stage is rather challenging, and administering vitamins will assist in taking care of body metabolism. However, depending on different locations and seasons, a farmer may choose another kind of medication to administer to the chicks. Whichever way, it is mandatory that young chicks receive medical care especially within the first three days for adaptability purposes. Chicks are vaccinated against Newcastle diseases or Gumboro within the first fourteen days without which the birds are at risk of infection. According to Nuthall (2011), he most appropriate means of administering these vaccines is through eye-drop although most farmers prefer using water administration. Broilers farms are keenly guarded lest people carry diseases to the shed through footwear, vehicles, hands or even clothing. A keen farmer would establish keen principles to prevent diseases from this environment. Maintaining bio security in the farm can take many forms. Disinfectant washing baths are placed at the entry points of the farm first to prevent unauthorised entry and at the same time ensure diseases are not carried to the sheds through hands and footwear. Wild birds are known to be carriers of many types of infections; farmers ensure that there is good disposal of waste to discourage wild birds from coming to the farm. In addition, farmers use pest control mechanisms to avoid spreading of diseases by rodents (Insch, 2008). The last stage of the bird’s development is the processing stage. The quality of the bird is determined by all the aspects discussed in this paper right from feeding to environmental protection, however, the harvesting process contributes a great deal on the quality of the carcase. Poor harvesting can lead to wings breakage, injuries or even internal bleeding hence jeopardizing the quality of the meat. Therefore, bird harvesting should be done in a more careful manner to keep the quality of the products. In addition, harvesting does not just happen; it has to be planned for some period. The feeding procedures need to be adjusted before the bird is caught and transported to the processing plant (Robson, 2013). This helps avoid massive losses of weight from the time the bird is caught to the time it is ready for processing. Chickens are mostly harvested at night when they are settled to avoid injuries and stress. The transportation materials are well ventilated and are designed to minimise bruises as the birds are moved to the processing plants. Feed, light and watering systems need to be adjusted as a way of preparing the bird for catching. After the weight is managed by light reduction, it is advisable to provide the birds with a 23-hour lighting system to ensure calmness during collection. Before slaughter, birds are fed with a feed known as withdrawal feed to avoid contaminating the meat. The standard time that the bird is supposed to stay without feeding ranges between eight to ten hour within which the bird is supposed to be caught and transported (Nuthall, 2011). If this time is prolonged or reduced, the quality of the meat might be compromised. Harvesting should be done up to four times depending on market requirements between thirty days to sixty days. In conclusion, the management of broilers is no longer the norm. The world is evolving, and so are the rest of aspects. Managing chicken has become more sophisticated as a result of economic and commercial demands; therefore, farmers have to pull up their skills to match the growing world. Consumer demands are changing every day, another reason why farmers need to invest more in quality management of their produce. In fact, majority of people keep their own broilers at a small-scale level, therefore, are more knowledgeable of quality. According to Robson (2013), if a farmer does not manage the housing, brooding, feeding, medication and harvesting steps of the broilers development since the day they are hatched; their products might not interest anyone in the market. References Damerow, G. (2010). Storey's guide to raising chickens: care, feeding, facilities. North Adams, MA: Storey Pub. Insch, A. (2008). Triggers and processes of value creation in Australia’s chicken meat industry. The British Food Journal, 110(1), 213. Manning, L., Baines, R. & Chadd, S. (2008). Benchmarking the Poultry Meat Supply Chain. Benchmarking an International Journal, 15(2), 56-67. Nuthall, P. (2010). Farm business management the core skills. Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK Cambridge, MA: CABI. Robson, J. (2013). How to raise day-old chicks in your back yard. Retrieved from http://www.webelfin.com/chickens/ Read More