HOW TO TAKE CARE OF BROILERS AND COCKERELS IN POULTRY BUSINESS
Broilers:
These are birds with a high potential for fast growth. They are only reared for meat purposes and neither for eggs nor for breeding. Broiler quality is developed following several generations of crosses between birds that possess genetic quality for big size. Most broilers are white in colour. The gene for white plumage is usually dominant over gene for coloured. Similarly in the genes for body size, fast-growing is dominant over slow-growing quality. The result is that during crosses for producing fast growing birds, white feathering and fast growth rate go to one side, and the offspring comes out possessing white feathers as well as fast growth potential. (Genes are biological entities existing in pairs and located in each of the pairs of chromosomes found in the nucleus of body cells. These genes carry messages which tell what any offspring from the carrier of such genes will look like or will behave like. Such qualities include things like egg-laying ability, broodiness, feather colour, size of body, etc)
Good broilers are expected to attain a weight of at least 3l/21bs (1.5kg) at the time of marketing. They are usually marketed at9-10 weeks of age. At this time the profit derived from them is highest. There is however a problem of consumer’s acceptance at this age. Most people prefer to buy them when they have attained 12-14 weeks of age. At this time, there is still a good profit made, although the percentage here is lower than percentage profit when sold at nine weeks or ten weeks of age; provided there is enough demand.
From the day of arrival until sold broilers are fed and watered ad lib. Where possible they should be encouraged to feed at night also.
The chicks are started with ‘Broiler Starter1 ration which should contain about 24% protein. They feed on this until they are 8 weeks old. After this time, they are fed with Broiler Finisher which should contain about 22% protein. They continue feeding on this until they are sold out.
Whenever there is scarcity, and the farmer is not able to find broiler starter to continue his feeding, it is better to feed chicks mash to these broilers, rather than any other available type. More importantly, whenever such scarcity affects availability of broiler finisher, the choice should be chicks ‘mash. Where chicks’ mash is not available, growers’ mash may be fed.
The brooding and rearing of broiler chicks is just as is done with other types of chicks.
Cockerels:
Cockerels grow to become cocks when they attain five months of age. They are however better not used to cross hens kept for production of eggs for hatchery until they are up to 8 or 9 months of age.
Apart from keeping them for the purpose of breeding, cockerels are not usually reared. This is because they yield only very small profit as meat birds. They are acceptable in the market for meat when they are 4-5 months old. Because of their relatively slow growth rate, the difference between their selling price and the total cost of keeping them until they are 4 months is so small that it is considered a waste of effort to keep them for meat. By the time they are fed till they attain 5 months of age, the farmer is bound to sell them at a loss. The longer they are kept the higher the loss. But if they are being kept for the purpose of crossing hens in future; it is no longer considered as loss because the gain from the chicks to be hatched through them will off-set all that it costs to keep them.
Cockerels can be sold quite profitably at 3 months of age if market for such small-sized birds of 3 months can be found. Most cocks weigh between 2-3lbs at three months of age. At this same age, most broilers weigh between 5-6
1/2lbs, (or 2.5kg).
In some big commercial farms, chicks are ‘sexed1 after hatching. (Sexing here refers to separation of males from females). The females are kept, while the cockerels are destroyed. Farms of this nature are not interested in wasting time, labour and effort only to make small profits by rearing these cockerels till market age
These are birds with a high potential for fast growth. They are only reared for meat purposes and neither for eggs nor for breeding. Broiler quality is developed following several generations of crosses between birds that possess genetic quality for big size. Most broilers are white in colour. The gene for white plumage is usually dominant over gene for coloured. Similarly in the genes for body size, fast-growing is dominant over slow-growing quality. The result is that during crosses for producing fast growing birds, white feathering and fast growth rate go to one side, and the offspring comes out possessing white feathers as well as fast growth potential. (Genes are biological entities existing in pairs and located in each of the pairs of chromosomes found in the nucleus of body cells. These genes carry messages which tell what any offspring from the carrier of such genes will look like or will behave like. Such qualities include things like egg-laying ability, broodiness, feather colour, size of body, etc)
Good broilers are expected to attain a weight of at least 3l/21bs (1.5kg) at the time of marketing. They are usually marketed at9-10 weeks of age. At this time the profit derived from them is highest. There is however a problem of consumer’s acceptance at this age. Most people prefer to buy them when they have attained 12-14 weeks of age. At this time, there is still a good profit made, although the percentage here is lower than percentage profit when sold at nine weeks or ten weeks of age; provided there is enough demand.
From the day of arrival until sold broilers are fed and watered ad lib. Where possible they should be encouraged to feed at night also.
The chicks are started with ‘Broiler Starter1 ration which should contain about 24% protein. They feed on this until they are 8 weeks old. After this time, they are fed with Broiler Finisher which should contain about 22% protein. They continue feeding on this until they are sold out.
Whenever there is scarcity, and the farmer is not able to find broiler starter to continue his feeding, it is better to feed chicks mash to these broilers, rather than any other available type. More importantly, whenever such scarcity affects availability of broiler finisher, the choice should be chicks ‘mash. Where chicks’ mash is not available, growers’ mash may be fed.
The brooding and rearing of broiler chicks is just as is done with other types of chicks.