Hens broilers are a meat breed of poultry, the peculiarity of which is a genetically fast weight gain at a relatively low cost for feed. As early as 2 months, broilers reach a weight of 2 kg or more. They are grown exclusively for meat, as they carry few eggs.
General characteristics of the breed
Broilers are representatives of the chicken breed, which is a hybrid of meat-oriented individuals.
Speaking about this variety, it is worth mentioning that it is not entirely correct to use the word “breed” with respect to broilers. This term defines a meat-oriented hybrid and is suitable for describing not only chickens, but also geese, ducks and rabbits. A hybrid is obtained by crossing different breeds.
Varieties of chickens obtained in this way receive the best qualities from their parents. Thanks to the crossing, broiler chickens are actively developing and are ready for slaughter for 50 days already. Broilers older than 50 days lose their profitability: the costs of their maintenance and food are not justified, since at this age they stop gaining weight.
To obtain broilers, breeders cross two breeds of chickens with a meat bias. They are White Cornish and White Plymouth Rock. The bred individuals are re-crossed with representatives of the White Cornish breed.
The main feature of hybrid chickens is fast weight gain. In one day, the chick gains from 30 to 80 g of mass.
Broilers have wide breasts and strong legs. The wings are small, the color of plumage is white. The skin of hybrid chickens is yellowish or completely yellow.
Hybrid individuals are not able to transmit their data by inheritance.
Advantages and disadvantages of broiler breeding
Breeders often purchase broiler chickens for business. The quick production of poultry meat with good palatability makes broiler farming especially profitable.
The benefits of this activity include the following:
- high productivity - rapid growth and weight gain: at 6 weeks of growth, the broiler reaches 2-2.5 kg, after 50 days the chicken body weight is up to 3 kg, the cockerel is up to 5 kg;
- undemanding birds to the conditions of detention;
- high survival - this indicator is 94-98%;
- the ability to get fleshy breasts and massive legs;
- 100% guaranteed sales of products;
- the best ratio of spent feed and resulting products.
The disadvantages of the broiler breeding business include the following:
- the need for constant feeding;
- the need for careful selection of high-quality feed, as otherwise the risk of mortality and the development of various diseases increases;
- continuous monitoring of temperature and humidity in the chicken coop;
- the inability to independently raise full-fledged broiler chickens;
- the need to constantly provide birds with clean water of a certain temperature.
Broilers require high-quality feed and decent living conditions, but at the exit the breeder quickly receives a large amount of quality products, which makes such a business especially profitable.
Breeding Chicken Breeds
There are such breeds of broiler chickens that most often prefer to breed in an industrial environment:
COBB-500
This is the most famous type of broiler chickens. Representatives of this breed are resistant to various diseases, young individuals show good survival rates. A characteristic feature of broilers KOBB-500 is a bright yellow skin color.
The meat of this breed is the most popular on the market. They have powerful legs and a wide brisket. They are suitable for slaughter at the age of 6 weeks. At this stage, their weight is about 2 kg.
Competitor 3
Hens are resistant to infectious processes, have good performance indicators. They have a wide chest, strong hips and legs. These broilers are also characterized by good egg production.
Representatives of the breed Competitor-3 gain 50 g of weight per day. For a month and a half, their weight increases to 2 kg or more.
ROSS 308
Representatives of this breed are stunted, have a well-developed muscle mass. The color of their skin is not pronounced, the integument is pale. The bird has a fairly wide breast. After a month, the weight of the chicken is 2.5 kg.
Gibro 6
Broilers can produce up to 160 eggs in 40 days. At 1.5 months, the chicken reaches a weight of 1.5 kg. During the day, each individual gains from 30 to 80 g.
Shift 8
This variety of broilers was bred in Russia. Representatives of the breed are well acclimatized, give a quick increase. Slaughter of chickens can be done on the fortieth day. Weight at this stage reaches 3 kg or more.
Broiler-m
Hens of this species are a hybrid of mini-hens and cockerels of other breeds. Their bodies are compact in size, their legs are short.
Despite their small size, broilers of this type carry large eggs: the weight of one reaches 60-65 g. Egg production - up to 160 units per season. At the age of 2 months, the weight of the bird is 1.5-1.8 kg.
Tricolor
These broilers were bred in France. They have a specific color: their feather is painted in three different colors. Tricolors have a large and wide torso. Chickens reach 4 kg, roosters - up to 5 kg. Laying gives up to 300 eggs per season.
Breeding chickens breed “KOBB-500”
Breeding chickens breed "Competitor-3"
Breeding chickens breed “ROSS 308”
Breeding chickens breed “Gibro-6”
Breeding chickens breed "Change 8"
Breed of chickens "Broiler-M"
Breeding chickens breed "Tricolor"
The most effective meat producers among broiler breeds are KOBB-500 and ROSS 308 broilers.
Broiler chickens
In order for broilers to develop fully, it is necessary to provide them with comfortable conditions.
Arrangement of a chicken coop
To build a chicken coop, you can use any traditional materials: brick, wood, cinder block. Sheathing the walls can be plywood or metal sheets. The height of the walls should be at least 2 m.
The foundation walls should be raised 30-40 cm above the ground. This is necessary in order to create protection against rodents and other pests.
Before proceeding with the arrangement of the chicken coop for broilers, you need to calculate the area of the room. It will depend on the number of individuals. For 1 square. m should be no more than 10 chicks. If cellular maintenance is provided, then in the same area, depending on the number of floors, you can place 2 times more chicks.
Before you settle the chicks in the chicken coop, it is necessary to carry out the following preparatory measures:
- Disinfect the room thoroughly. The walls should be plastered and coated with lime, which inhibits the process of reproduction of microbes. If flooring is planned, the floor is also covered with lime.
- Organize a quality ventilation system. Accumulation of ammonia and inappropriate indoor humidity levels increase mortality. In the chicken coop for broilers, you need to maintain humidity in the range of 50-60%.
- Lay the flooring. It must be dry and loose. You can use sawdust or straw. Pour it in a layer up to 10 cm.
- Plaster all cracks sources of draft. It is not recommended to plug them with rags or use other temporary options, since out of curiosity birds can peck this section of the wall and damage their tongue or beak.
- Install heaters and incandescent lamps. Regardless of the time of year, in the first weeks of life of broilers, the temperature should be maintained within 30 degrees. In the future, as the deadline approaches, it can be reduced to 20 degrees.
Accommodation options
There are two main options for the location of broilers in a separate room: floor and cell.
The floor version is simpler to execute and organize, as well as cheaper, but it has such significant disadvantages compared to the cellular one:
- irrational use of the area;
- increased costs for heating the chicken coop, electricity and ventilation;
- high degree of pollution, which increases the risk of developing diseases;
- the need for more frequent cleaning of the room.
When growing broilers in cages, the temperature regime should be higher than with the outdoor version. In this case, this indicator should not be lower than 34 degrees in the upper tiers.
When arranging the cells, it should be borne in mind that there should be a metal mesh at the bottom, and below it a pallet designed to collect excrement.
It is worth making a choice in favor of cell content if the number of livestock is large.
The premises must have an equipped drain for sewage. Also, the chicken coop must have lamps for lighting. Near the main indoor premises should be built aviary for walks, fenced with a grid.
Necessary equipment
For the full equipment of broiler chickens are required:
- perches: per chicken requires a perch 30 cm wide;
- vertical drinkers (for chickens under the age of 3 weeks);
- front drinkers (for broilers aged 3 weeks and older);
- feeders;
- heater lamps of 100 W each;
- feed hopper;
- cell batteries (for the cell method of growing birds);
- thermal fan (when keeping the birds on the floor);
- feed storage compartment.
In order to save money, you can make feeders and drinkers with your own hands. The simplest drinker is made from a five-liter bottle of water, placed in a wide bowl or basin. The feeder can be made from a large plastic bottle, cut in half.
Power Features
To soon get well-fed broiler carcasses, you need to properly organize the diet of the bird.
Standard feeding schedule
The diet of broiler chickens depends on their age.
- up to 18 days the birds are given starter feed;
- in the first week, 15 g of feed per one chicken, 30 g in the second, 50-60 g in the third, and 80 g in the fourth;
- from the end of the second week, a little ground corn is added to the diet.
The daily broiler ration includes:
- ground barley (8%);
- dairy products (sour milk, kefir, whey) - 12%;
- oilcake (14%);
- crushed wheat (16%);
- crushed corn grains (50%).
From two weeks of age, calcium is introduced into the diet. Its sources for broilers are chalk, eggshells, shells.
For broilers from the age of a month, a different composition and proportion is needed. Birds need:
- feed fat (1%);
- milk powder (3%);
- greens (3%);
- feed yeast (5%);
- fish or bone meal (7%);
- chopped wheat (13%);
- meal (19%);
- chopped corn (48%).
To feed the birds, you need a large amount of feed with the addition of ground corn, barley, millet.
After the chickens reach the age of 3 weeks, boiled potatoes are introduced into the diet. They can replace a fifth of the grain.
From the age of a month, broilers can be given cabbage leaves and beet tops.
New products should be introduced gradually, not all at once.
Prohibited Products
In no case should broilers be given the following:
- boiled potatoes;
- leftovers of smoked meats, sausages;
- new milk;
- Cheeses
- expired, stale products;
- chocolate;
- crusts from melons and watermelons, melon of melons;
- citrus.
Vitamin Supplementation
When broilers turn 5 days old, vitamin supplements begin to be introduced into the food. In most cases, water-soluble vitamins are used for these birds.
Birds that are kept indoors should be given fish oil, Tetravit, Tetramag. They are added to the drinker 2-3 times a week.
On the first day of life, chickens need to be given a sugar solution (a teaspoon of sugar per liter of purified water).
Possible diseases
Despite the resistance of most varieties of broilers to various diseases, the risk of their development should not be excluded.
Most often, broilers suffer from chicken diseases such as:
Coccidiosis
With this disease, damage to the organs of the gastrointestinal tract occurs. With coccidiosis, chicks develop diarrhea, feces are yellow or green. The weight of birds is rapidly declining. The disease is characterized by a high mortality rate.
For treatment and prevention use drugs Koktsidiovit and Baykoks, which are added to drinking water or animal feed. To prevent the development of coccidiosis, hygiene standards must be maintained.
Bronchopneumonia
This disease is one of the most dangerous abnormalities that pose a threat to the life of a bird. Bronchopneumonia usually occurs against the background of severe hypothermia. Characteristic signs of the disease: difficulty breathing with wheezing, cough, rhinitis, lack of appetite, poor feather condition.
Treatment of the disease is carried out with antibiotics. Prescribe drugs Gentamicin, Tetracycline, Levomycetin. It is necessary to begin treatment immediately when the first symptoms appear. At the advanced stage, it is very difficult to cure birds.
Dyspepsia
This deviation is more often observed in chickens under the age of 2-3 weeks. It is associated with the underdevelopment of the digestive system, a lack of enzymes. Dyspepsia develops due to the use of moldy acidified food, drinking stale water.
Prevention of the disease is the constant replacement of feed and water. Treatment is with a solution of glucose and ascorbic acid. The weakest chickens are given mineral-vitamin supplements (Forte Universal).
Colibacillosis
This disease causes purulent-necrotic changes in the internal organs of broilers. The causative agent is Escherichia coli, which enters the body of the bird along with food and water, as well as the feces of infected birds and animals.
Symptoms: blue beak, loss of appetite, severe thirst, fluid bowel movements, green, sometimes with blood. The pathological process can spread to the eyes - in such cases, the bird loses sight.
Treatment is possible only in the case of a subacute or chronic course, since in the acute form of colibacillosis, the bird quickly dies. The basis of treatment is the antibiotic Levofloxacin.
Maintaining cleanliness in the chicken coop, a good diet, clean water, and the absence of drafts in the room - all this significantly reduces the risk of developing diseases in broiler chickens.
Common mistakes when growing broilers
Often, inexperienced breeders make mistakes, which affects the state of birds and the process of their growth.
The most common errors are:
- The wrong diet in the first week of life of chickens. During this period, the digestive system of broilers is weak, so birds cannot digest heavy foods. In the first seven days, chicks should not be given cottage cheese, cereals, boiled eggs and greens. Chickens need special balanced feed.
- Violation of the temperature regime in the chicken coop. Newborn chicks require high temperatures - in the range of 32-34 degrees. The transition to lower indicators should be smooth. Weekly temperature must be reduced by 1 degree. At the same time, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the chicks: if they are too hot, then their appetite and activity decrease.
- Providing too spacious area. In order for birds to quickly gain weight, they need to be kept in a limited space, in a room where they cannot lead an active lifestyle.
- Refusal of prevention. To prevent the risk of developing diseases among broilers, you need to vaccinate the chicks, as well as give antibiotics from the first days. The drugs will prevent the mass mortality of the livestock from pasteurellosis, salmonellosis and other serious pathologies.
Another important and dangerous misconception is the belief that broilers do not require special care.These birds need regular cleaning of the premises and replacement of the remaining water and feed with fresh food and drink.
Broiler Chicken Breeding Business Plan
Having decided to breed broilers as a profitable activity, the entrepreneur must develop a detailed business plan.
Initial investments include the following expense items:
- registration of activities, obtaining permits - about 20,000 rubles;
- purchase of chicks: the cost of one chicken - from 40 rubles;
- purchase of the first batch of animal feed - about 50,000 rubles;
- chicken coop equipment (including feeders, drinking bowls) - about 200,000 rubles;
- installation of ventilation and lighting systems - about 100,000 rubles.
If you do not have your own premises, you need to add the costs of its purchase or rental to this list. The cost of ready-made houses, designed for 1000 individuals (“turnkey”), will be about 1,500,000 rubles.
It is also necessary to pay attention to monthly expenses. This list includes the following items:
- maintenance - about 20,000 rubles;
- utility bills - about 15,000 rubles;
- purchase of feed - 50,000 rubles;
- purchase of consumables, litter - 10,000 rubles;
- registration of veterinary certificates, certificates - 5,000 rubles;
- transportation costs - 10,000 rubles.
In addition, funds are needed to pay employees salaries and pay tax.
The profitability of this type of business will be 30%. The payback period is from 12 to 14 months.
An entrepreneur has several distribution channels. It:
- point in the market;
- delivery to retail chains;
- implementation through the online store;
- delivery to catering enterprises.
As production develops, related products appear that increase profits. This is not only carcasses of birds, but also feather, fluff, bird droppings for fertilizers, eggshells and waste from cutting carcasses for the production of feed.
It is also possible to sell daily and grown chickens to private individuals.
Another option for doing business is buying an incubator and eggs. In this case, one-day-old chickens can be put up for sale.
Watch a video about the features of growing broiler chickens for sale:
Hens broilers are gaining weight quickly. They are ready for slaughter for 40-50 days. They have large breasts and powerful legs, so it is economically advantageous to breed these birds. The business will be profitable provided that birds are properly cared for and maintained.