Pen for broilers at home. How to grow broilers at home. The temperature regime in the brooder was

Growing broiler chickens - today this activity is of increasing interest among owners of personal farms, countryside and even country houses. This enterprise is considered profitable - broilers can be slaughtered for meat already at the age of two months. This means that even during the summer season, chickens can be raised, weighing about one and a half to two kilograms. Cooking from a broiler is better than from ordinary chickens. Its meat is dietary, has a delicate texture and excellent taste.

Hybrid breeds of meat chickens, which differ from others in high growth rates, vigorous development and rapid accumulation of meat, are called broilers. The main benefit of keeping them, in addition to rapid growth and weight gain, is the low cost of feed per kilogram of growth, compared to young poultry of other poultry.

The name "broiler" - tracing paper from the English "broil", which means - to cook on fire by frying. Immediately there are associations with tender juicy chicken fried on a spit. Broilers are all young roosters and chickens that are grown specifically for slaughter for meat.

Breeding broilers contains two fundamentally important points:

1. meat ripeness;
2. egg production index.

With meat, everything is clear - it is taken from the young. High egg production is needed for the reproduction of broiler breeds. To an adult state, those chickens that will reproduce offspring are raised. They are not suitable for slaughter for meat, but must be well laid so that new meat broilers can hatch from the eggs.

Who are crosses and what are they for?

Cross is a line of chickens bred specifically for certain inherent properties. Until the active selection of domestic chickens, carried out by specialists, began, no one conducted a special selection of chickens in terms of productivity or increase in meat mass. Today, pure breeds of chickens are bred only in private farms. In large factories, hybrid crosses are grown with the highest productivity.

Crosses are a multi-breed cross, which is adapted specifically for growing in artificial conditions and a controlled environment. Therefore, they are grown in poultry farms and large farms, in poultry houses, under certain specified conditions.

Meat breeds of crosses are suitable for obtaining good meat broilers in household conditions.

Pure breeds (domestic)	crossbreeds
"Dominant"	"Adler"
"Ross"	"Anniversary"
"Tetra"	"Silver"
"Change"	"Rhodailanp
"Tibro"	"Kuchinsky"
Avian Farms	"Plymouth Rock"
"Lohmann".	The quality of the meat of crossbreeds is lower than that of pure breeds.
Imported:
"Cobb 500",
"ROSS-308".

General characteristics of broilers

• Body sizes are larger than those of ordinary chickens
• The weight is high - up to 4.5 kg in an adult chicken and up to 5.5 kg in an adult rooster.
• The body is tightly knocked down, compact, located horizontally.
• Egg production is low, but the incubation instinct is well developed.
• The temperature is calm.
• Short wings and legs.
• The rapid build-up of muscle and fleshy mass.

How to choose chickens for personal rearing

It is advisable to buy chicks from breeders who specially grow them for sale in accordance with all norms and rules. The second option is to purchase both in poultry farms and at incubator stations. In both the first and second cases, you need to be careful and clearly understand the purposes for which young animals are purchased, that is, which of the two indicators is more important - getting eggs or meat.

Important!

Universal hybrids that equally quickly build up muscle mass and regularly regularly lay eggs do not exist in nature. If an unscrupulous chicken seller assures you of this, don't buy from him. In laying hens, the meat will turn out to be sinewy, and meat ripeness will come no earlier than six months later. Meat broilers will not give the expected number of eggs, but by the age of two months they will gain two kilograms of weight.

At what age should you buy chickens

This question is quite important, since many producers sell day-old chicks at bargain prices. It is very difficult to grow such chickens to a safe age without special incubation conditions. Most likely they will die. The first seven to ten days of chicks' life are characterized by the maximum mortality. Therefore, it is best to buy a ten-day young.

Rooster or hen

For meat broilers, this is not a big deal, but if you want to choose, then you can tell the sex at chicken age by the wings. Straighten the wing. A rooster will have feathers of the same size, while a chicken will have different lengths. Regardless of gender, it is necessary to choose mobile, active chickens that have shiny, clear eyes. If the chicken is squalid, sits all the time, and his eyes are cloudy, he is sick and will not live long

In a healthy chicken, the tummy is soft, not swollen, taut. The down is uniform, the wings in a calm state are not spread out, but tightly pressed to the body.

Healthy chicks respond well to sound. If you knock on the box or crate in which they are placed, they will rush towards the source of the noise.

Features of growing broilers

Depending on the conditions that the owner of a personal farm can provide to his feathered pets, there are two methods of keeping broilers - extensive and intensive.

In the first case, a batch of broiler chickens is purchased in the spring and grown until mid-summer, until commercial qualities are obtained. After readiness, the entire batch is clogged. Breeding stops until the next season.

When using the second method, new young animals are acquired every three months throughout the year. Breeding is possible all year round and is not seasonal.

Important!

Growing broiler chickens longer than 70 days is considered uneconomical. After this period, their mass loses growth rates, and feed consumption increases. Thus, the cost of maintenance increases, which is not necessary. Two and a half months is the maximum age for meat broilers ready for intended use.

Also, when growing, you can use two ways of arranging chickens - in cages and on the floor (on a litter).

Video - growing broilers at home

Here, an important role is assigned to the embankment on the floor, so its composition is of great importance. It should be loose, dry, hygroscopic, absorb harmful gases.

The best litter option is well-dried sawdust without large fractions, pieces of wood and bark.

Arrangement of the premises

1. The floor is covered with quicklime powder - one kilogram per square meter.
2. A layer of sawdust of at least 10 cm is placed on top of the lime layer.
3. If you purchased one-day-old chicks, take care of the room lighting around the clock.
4. You should also provide good ventilation.
5. In the first weeks, the chicks need a high temperature of keeping - from + 26 ° С to + 33 ° С. It is especially necessary to ensure that it does not go down at night.
6. After a month, the temperature can be lowered to +20°С and maintained at about this level (not lower than +18°С) throughout the entire growing period.
7. The humidity in the chicken coop for young chickens is maintained no higher than 65%, later it can be increased to 70%.

Important!

With a decrease, even a short one, the growth of chickens is delayed and they die. To maintain the required temperature in the poultry house, electric heaters will be needed.

Cells must be equipped in a special way. With cell growing, you can save a lot of space by placing nestling dwellings in several tiers on shelves.

It is important to maintain the required temperature in each tier. For growing in cages, the temperature should be higher - + 34 ° С ... + 35 ° С, since the chickens are deprived of the opportunity to move freely and choose the warmest place, as when kept on the floor.

Cage bedding is not needed. They need to be cleaned and disinfected in a timely manner. Content in cages is most welcomed by sanitary and epidemiological stations, as it is hygienic and safe for birds and humans.

For ventilation and other parameters when cell content the same requirements are imposed as for the content on the litter.

What and how to feed broilers

In the photo - broiler chickens near the feeder

The most important issue is the issue of feeding broilers. From proper diet and compliance required mode depends on the rate of weight gain and the quality of chicken meat. Also not the last parameter is the amount of feed costs.

In the first days of life, young meat broilers are fed the same way as egg-laying chickens. egg breeds. Then the style, quality and frequency of feeding change.

Table 2. The order of feeding broiler hens.

Age	Feed
From the first to the third day of life	The main food is a whole boiled egg (yolk and protein). Chickens in the first days of life need a lot of protein. Milk and cottage cheese can also become its source.
Starting from the third day	Fresh chopped greens (grass, nettle leaves) are added to the diet. You can replace it with herbal flour if the cultivation takes place in the winter. Another option is to replace it with germinated grain (barley). Fresh herbs in the diet can be up to 20% of the volume, sprouted grain - 10-15%, but herbal flour should be given per day no more than 5 g per individual. It contains a lot of fiber, which is slowly absorbed by the body of the chicks.
On the fifth day	Minerals are added to the feed for chickens. These include bone meal, crushed shells or chalk. For one chicken per day of minerals, there should be at least three grams. Eggs can be given from now on with their shells (crushed).
On the fifteenth day	You can add grated carrots and boiled meat to your diet. Cereals appear in the diet - millet (millet), oatmeal, crushed wheat, small barley crushed, corn grits. Grain makes up at least 60% of the total nutrition.
From three weeks of age	20% of the norm of grain is replaced by boiled potatoes. All components of the diet are kneaded in a wet mash. Wet feedings alternate with dry grains.
From the second month	The amount of protein feed decreases, and juicy, herbal components increase in volume.

Broilers need to be fed a lot, plenty, often. If you follow a balanced diet, they are not in danger of becoming overweight.

• In the first week of life, feeding should be eight times a day.
• From the second week, you can switch to six meals a day.
• From the third week you need to feed four times.
• Starting from a month until slaughter, chickens are fed twice - in the morning and in the evening.

Important!

Chicks should always have fresh, clean water in the drinker. It is necessary to monitor its temperature. Broilers will not drink water warmer than + 30 ° C.

Before reaching the age of two weeks, chicks should not be fed with raw water, it must be boiled. And it is better to add a weak decoction of chamomile or wild rose to the drinkers, for a beneficial effect on digestion.

Every little chick needs at least 40 ml of water per day. If there is not enough fluid, broilers become dehydrated, which requires the therapeutic intervention of a veterinarian.

Useful information about feeding with compound feed

Compound feed is the main element of nutrition for broiler chickens in all poultry farms and poultry farms. In private farmsteads, when grown in chicken coops and cages in small batches, for personal needs, without special conditions, feeding compound feed may not justify itself.

1. Firstly, in industrial cultivation, the norms of compound feed are strictly dosed.
2. Secondly, for each age of the chickens, a certain type of compound feed is selected, with a different percentage of nutrients, in accordance with the urgent needs of the chickens' body.
3. Thirdly, when fattening at poultry farms, young animals are weighed weekly in order to calculate the dose of compound feed they need for the next week.

Of course, all these manipulations home cultivation broilers are also possible, but may cause some difficulties. Therefore, feeding chickens with compound feed is impractical.

Video - feeding broilers without compound feed, feeding features

Broiler farming mistakes

There are a number of mistakes or negligence that can greatly affect the quality of broiler chickens raised, both in meat flavor and quantity. Some negligence can even lead to diseases and the fall of broilers.

1. Drinking bowls with water should not be placed on the litter when kept on deep litter. For this to be special place that does not get wet (a small concreted area or something else at the discretion of the owner). In excessively damp bedding, on which water is constantly spilled, various fungi and mold actively multiply. From this, the chickens will get sick, grow poorly, and may die.
2. Contaminated litter must be frequently changed to fresh, and the cages must be cleaned of litter and disinfected. Otherwise, infectious diseases that have arisen due to unsanitary conditions and microbes are provided to broilers.
3. In no case should the diet be monotonous. The balance and percentage of protein, fiber, carbohydrates, the green component, grains - all this must be observed. Failure to comply is fraught with deterioration in the quality of meat and disease.
4. Feed should always be given to chicks at the same time. Young chicks should be fed under light until they are two weeks old (lights are on 24/7).
5. If there is a risk of serious infectious diseases (there were precedents in the past breeding), it is possible to vaccinate the flock, especially if you are raising egg-laying broilers along with meat ones. With a mass disease, you can lose everyone at once, both laying hens and young.

The degree of fattening of broiler chickens and their readiness for slaughter can be determined by probing breast fat deposits or visually. If the breast feathers are inflated, a yellowish-white layer of fat should be visible through the skin of a broiler that has grown to the maximum amount of mass.

With the proper organization of broiler breeding, even in a small summer cottage for only spring-autumn season, you can grow two batches of full-fledged meat broiler chickens without much cost and hassle.

Video - 5 main mistakes when breeding broiler chickens

Growing broiler chickens is now gaining more and more popularity among owners of personal subsidiary farms, suburban and even suburban areas. This business is considered profitable, since broiler chickens can be slaughtered for meat as early as 2 months after birth. And this suggests that even during the summer season, you can safely grow a bird up to one and a half - two kilograms. Broiler meat dishes are much tastier than conventional chicken meat. In addition, the meat is considered dietary, has a delicate texture and excellent taste.

Why are broiler chickens bred?

Hybrid breeds of meat chickens, which differ from the rest in high growth rates, rapid development and rapid accumulation of mass, are called broilers. The benefit of raising broiler chickens lies not only in rapid growth, but also in minimal cost for food per kilogram of growth, when compared with young individuals of other poultry.

It should be highlighted two main breeding points broiler chickens:

• meat ripeness;
• egg production index.

High egg production here is necessary for the reproduction of broiler breeds. That is why, in order to reproduce offspring, it is necessary to raise chickens to an adult state. Such birds will not be suitable for slaughter for meat, but they must be well laid so that new broiler meat chickens hatch from the eggs.

What are crosses for?

crosses are called lines of chickens that are specially bred on the basis of certain properties inherent only to them. At present, an active selection of domestic chickens, carried out by professionals, has not yet begun, a special selection of poultry in terms of performance indicators and increasing meat mass is not being conducted. Now pure breeds of chickens, as a rule, are bred only in private farms. On large poultry farms, cross-hybrids are grown, which have the highest productivity.

Crosses can be called a multi-breed crossbreed of chickens, which is specially adapted for growing in artificially created conditions and a controlled environment. That is why they are bred in large poultry farms, farms, in poultry houses based on certain modes.

General characteristics of broilers is as follows:

How to choose the right broiler chickens for growing at home?

It is best to purchase chicks from breeders who breed broilers specifically for sale, following all the rules and regulations. You can also use another option - to buy young animals in poultry farms or at incubator stations. However, in both cases, before buying, it is necessary to clearly understand for what purposes the bird is purchased - for the sake of obtaining eggs or meat.

When buying, it is important to understand that universal hybrids that are both good egg production and fast growth do not exist in nature. So, if the seller assures you of this, you should not trust him. Laying hens have more sinewy meat, and meat ripeness occurs only at the age of six months. Meat broilers will not produce many eggs, and at the age of two months they will already weigh about 2 kg.

Now let's look at how to care for broiler chickens at home.

Broiler care

Available two main methods of keeping broiler chickens:

• Extensive;
• Intensive.

The choice of method depends on the conditions that the owner of a personal farm can provide to his birds.

In the first case, broiler chickens are bought in the spring and grown until mid-summer, until they receive marketable qualities. After such qualities are acquired, the entire batch of birds is slaughtered. Breeding is suspended until the next season.

In the second case, a new batch of broiler chickens is purchased every 3 months throughout the year without interruption. Cultivation takes place all year round and is not seasonal.

When raising chickens, you should pay attention to the fact that if the bird keep longer than 70 days, then it will be economically disadvantageous.

You can grow a bird in cages or on the floor on a litter. Let's consider both options in more detail.

Here, special attention should be paid to the flooring itself, or rather, its composition. bedding should be loose, dry and absorb all harmful gases. The best option would be dried sawdust from a tree without large chips and bark.

Arrangement of the premises:

It is worth paying attention to the fact that you will need electric heaters to maintain the required temperature in the room in which the chickens are kept.

If broiler chickens are kept in cages, then it will be necessary to adhere to other norms and conditions. In one cell cannot keep more than 20 birds, and the quantity requirement will not change with the age of the broilers.

Cells can be arranged in several tiers, which will significantly save space in the room. In each tier, certain temperature standards must be observed - the temperature should not fall below 35 degrees, since chickens in cages do not have the opportunity to calmly move and look for a warmer place, unlike chickens that are kept on the floor.

There is no need to lay bedding in the cages, but they must be cleaned and disinfected regularly. Sanitary and epidemiological stations prefer keeping poultry in cages rather than on the floor, as it is hygienic and safe for both chickens and humans.

In the room where the cages are, there should also be ventilation.

These are the care requirements that must be observed when keeping broiler chickens at home. Now it is worth familiarizing yourself with the rules for feeding birds in more detail.

Feeding broilers at home

The issue of feeding broilers is the most important in terms of care and maintenance at home. From proper feeding and adherence to the regime depends on the rate of mass growth, as well as the taste of meat. Feeding costs are also important.

In the first days of life, meat broiler chickens are fed in the same way as egg-laying chicks. After a certain period, the style and quality of feeding should be changed.

The order of feeding broilers:

When feeding, pay attention to the fact that broilers need to be fed a lot and often. If you follow the right diet, then the danger of obesity will be absent.

In addition, it is worth considering that the chickens in the drinker should always have fresh and clean water, the temperature of which should not exceed 30 degrees.

Broiler chickens differ from ordinary chickens in that they grow quickly, and there is little cost for their maintenance and feed. Therefore, it is profitable to grow them. Upon reaching 2.5 months of age, chickens go for meat, eggs do not go for sale. The weight of chickens reaches 1.4 kilograms. Compared to adult birds, broiler meat has improved palatability. It is dietary, suitable for the nutrition of the sick, the elderly, children. But the features of the content will be different. You will need a certain light regime and a warm house.

Chicks must be selected carefully. To do this, many turn to well-established manufacturers, trying to acquire individuals who are no more than a day old. But day old chicks die quickly. Therefore, it is recommended to take those chickens that are already 10 days old. You should contact special poultry farms. Preference should be given to moving chicks with a clear look. To determine whether the cockerel is in front of you or the hen, raise the wing. Chickens have feathers of different lengths, while cockerels have the same feathers. Good broiler chickens are distinguished by a clean “butt”, a taut belly, even feathers, and fluff.

Particular attention should be paid to the wings. They must be pressed to the body. There is a way to test chickens - they should respond well to noise. Knock on the boxes, the chickens should react.

For growing at home, it is better to choose meat breeds of chickens. It can be:

• Lohmann;
• dominant;
• Ross;
• Change;
• Tetra.

Birds Crosses are especially valued. There are a number of breeds whose meat qualities are lower, but they are distinguished by other characteristics. These are Plymouth Rock, Adler, Kuchinsky anniversary. Day old chicks can die, so regardless of breed, get 10 day old broilers.

The most popular meat breed- "Smena-7". The best imported chickens are ROSS-308 and Cobb 500.

Cross-country chickens Cobb 500

Great option for selling meat. The skin of chickens has a good shade. The weight gain is very high. In 35 days, the chicken is gaining weight of 2 kilograms. Reaching the age of 35-42 days is considered optimal for slaughter.

Broiler 61

The presented species is distinguished by the fact that at low feed costs, a large increase can be obtained. For 1 kg of meat, you need only 2 kg of feed. For 7 weeks, the weight of the chicken becomes equal to 1.7 kg. The survival rate of the bird is 98 percent!

Ross 708

The presented type of chickens has a high productivity. For a month, the young are gaining 3 kilograms of weight. Among all other breeds, this one is the most successful. The only drawback is pale skin. Chicks grow fast, she just doesn't have time to pick up color. Broiler chickens are very demanding to care for.

Ross 308

The main difference is an excellent increase in muscle mass. For a day it can reach 60 grams. Chickens are slaughtered already at 6-9 weeks. The weight of the chicken reaches 1.6 kilograms.

offspring are viable. The presented breed is well carried. The only drawback is the pale skin color.

Growing broilers. Part 1 (video)

Features of maintenance and cultivation

Broilers at home feel good. Growing them is a profitable venture. Chickens grow quickly and gain weight. Compared to conventional, broiler chicken weighs 2 times more! What should be the conditions for keeping?

Growing broilers is somewhat more difficult than conventional chickens. Requires special conditions of detention and diet. Let's deal with the conditions:

• the room in which the chickens will be kept must be clean and well ventilated. The best option is cages for broilers. But you can also on the floor in the barn, as long as the temperature is right;
• when kept on the floor, they make a corral. Clean chopped straw, hay acts as bedding. As the chickens grow, the corral is increased. 50 heads can fit on 6 square meters;

• cleanliness is the key to health. Since broiler chickens lead a sedentary lifestyle, it is necessary to create perfect cleanliness, otherwise they can get sick and die;
• Birds do well in cages. Up to 18 chickens and up to 10 adults can fit on 1 square meter. It is important to periodically carry out ventilation;
• when purchasing day old chicks, be prepared to provide them with an ambient temperature of 30 degrees and constant lighting. It is necessary to create the presented conditions within 2 weeks. During this time, the young will grow up, get stronger;
• in winter, broiler chickens are placed in a special corral in the greenhouse. In this case, it is not necessary to monitor the temperature, the main thing is to ventilate the room.

Growing broilers. Part 2 (video)

How is feeding done

What you plan to feed your chickens will determine their health and weight. It is recommended to use compound feed for broilers from the first days. It has everything you need: protein and vegetable elements, vitamins, salts, a substance that improves digestion. There are a lot of chickens, there's nothing wrong with that. There should be clean water near the feeder.

In the first 5 days of life, chickens are soldered with a special drug that stimulates metabolism and growth. Compound feed for broilers is also given. You will learn about which drug to choose by getting a consultation in veterinary pharmacy. Every year there is something new.

If you have the opportunity, chickens should be given curdled milk. It is good for growth. From the third day you can give cottage cheese.

At the same time, green fodder is introduced into the diet. Garlic, onion, carrot tops, dandelion are twisted. Do not give beet tops - it weakens. From the fifth day, you can give grated carrots. River sand, fine gravel are placed next to the feeder. They are needed to improve digestion. Continue to feed as directed for 20 days.

Then you can introduce a mash into the diet - the grain part is changed to potatoes mixed with bran and yogurt. It is better to feed the chickens with fresh mash to prevent intestinal diseases. The presented food option will protect against pecking. Watch how the goiters fill up. If not completely, separate the chick from the rest and feed separately.

Compound feed for broilers must be available at all times. The mixture is given 3-4 times a day. In the first 4 weeks, chickens grow most intensively, therefore, they eat a lot.

From 4 weeks, crushed corn and wheat are introduced into the diet. You can give chopped apples, cucumbers, other vegetables from the garden. Everything except beets. Grow chickens for 80 days. Then they go to the slaughter. The weight of an adult chicken reaches up to 3 kg.

Growing broilers at home. Part 3 (video)

How to make the bird develop normally, not get sick? The rules must be followed.

• When pecking appears, the chicken is drunk with citric acid, previously diluted in water. The causes of pecking are bright light, damp bedding, lack of protein or gravel in food.
• The space in the house must be organized so that the chicks can feed evenly.
• For good development, create optimal conditions for the bird to live in the poultry house. Nutrition, lighting, humidity must be matched to a specific breed.
• Requirements regarding air humidity - it should be exactly 60%. If the humidity is high, the bird will begin to wither.
• At first, chickens need 8 meals a day. Then you can reduce the meal up to 4 times a day. There should be water in the drinker all the time - you can use both cold and warm. Do not raise it to a temperature of 30 degrees, otherwise the bird will stop drinking. Drinkers and feeders must be clean. They are washed daily. Once a week, soap or soda treatment is carried out.

• It is better to purchase chickens aged 1-10 days. They go to slaughter at the age of 60 days. Keeping birds longer is irrational, they stop gaining weight, the meat loses its quality.
• Chickens often have digestive problems. You can get rid of them in a simple way- at the age of three weeks give a solution of potassium permanganate. The procedure is repeated every three weeks.
• Determine feeding efficiency in the following way Chickens are weighed every week.
• As for the air temperature, it should not be too high so as not to irritate the mucous membrane of the bird.

Growing broilers at home. Part 4 (video)

If you are interested in meat, not eggs, you should give preference to growing broilers. The breed should be chosen based on the goal, on how quickly you intend to raise poultry and sell meat. It is important to remember that chickens of this type require considerable attention. Requirements apply to both food and content.

Reviews and comments

Sergey 04/21/2015

Thanks a lot for the detailed article. I will try to grow a couple of dozen broilers this summer according to your tips)

Tatyana 21.09.2015

But in vain the author of the article about broiler eggs somehow did not write intelligibly. Broiler eggs are very good: they do not taste different from ordinary chicken eggs, but are much larger. Chickens lay like ordinary chickens - about 200 eggs a year. Very often chickens lay eggs with 2 yolks. In our market, my grandmother has regular customers for these eggs.

Nina 27.10.2015

feed the bird better feed one manufacturer, because they make different feeds with a composition and when switching from one to another, broilers may begin to get upset. By the way, raw potatoes help very well with loose stools.

28.03.2016

We have been keeping broilers for ten years in a row. Of course, not everyone always survives, year after year is not necessary. We take daily allowances, feed them for two weeks with the special food “Prestart”, then for three weeks with the food “Start”, then 2-3 weeks with the food “Finish”. Be sure to drink vitamins for the first 5 days (a special first-aid kit for chickens). After 2 weeks of age, you can mix feed from wheat, corn and a little cake into the feed.

anatosha 11/10/2016

how do you give potatoes?

Nikolay 18.05.2017

A lot of useful information!

Add a comment

Growing broilers at home is not a serious problem. Even a person who is just trying himself as a farmer can cope with this task. Birds are absolutely unpretentious in maintenance and do not require special care, while they are characterized by rapid growth and impressive size, they provide first-class meat suitable for frying and other processing methods.

Growing broilers at home is not a serious problem

The word "broiler" comes from the English broil, which translates as "fry on fire." This name is applied to young chickens, which are grown specifically in order to obtain high-quality meat. If the breeding of broiler chickens at home is carried out in accordance with all the rules, then already at 2 months they weigh about 2.5 kg. After the young growth reaches this weight, it is sent for slaughter.

If meat is obtained mainly from chickens, then chickens are raised for the purpose of reproduction. Leave only those birds that are distinguished by high egg production. In the future, they are mated to produce offspring with high meat precocity.

Until the breeders got down to business, no one even thought that broiler chickens should be selected for any specific characteristics. Farmers carried out breeding of purebred breeds and did not divide them into several directions. Almost all individuals were distinguished by good egg production, rapid growth and active muscle building. All these characteristics made it possible to use representatives of the breed to obtain modern crosses that demonstrate high productivity.

Today, broiler chickens for growing for meat are used only in private farmsteads and small farms. Several breeds are especially popular:

• fireroll;
• cornish;
• Dorking;
• cochinquin;
• langshan;
• brahma, etc.

Large poultry farms breed hybrid crosses with higher characteristics, including good productivity. These varieties of broilers are multi-line and multi-breed. They were obtained specifically for cultivation in artificial conditions, where it is possible to adjust the environmental conditions.

Each breed of chicken has its own distinctive characteristics. However, there are several criteria that unite all representatives of the species:

• impressive body size;
• a compact body placed parallel to the ground;
• short wings and limbs;
• low egg production compared to other breeds;
• developed incubation instinct;
• very rapid growth of muscle mass;
• calm, even phlegmatic character.

The weight of an adult individual largely depends on its gender. Chickens usually grow up to 4.5 kg. In roosters, this figure is slightly higher. Them average weight- 5.5 kg.

Growing broilers at home (video)

How to choose chickens for breeding

Regardless of whether broilers are bred at home as a business, or a person raises birds for his own consumption, he must responsibly select individuals for the parent flock. Only high-quality purebred chickens and roosters can become producers, the main purpose of keeping them is to get chickens. When choosing birds for further reproduction, you need to consider a few simple nuances:

1. Strong and viable broilers cannot be obtained from old, sick and weak breeders. Therefore, before buying birds for the parent flock, you need to make sure that they are not sick.
2. Ideally, the ratio of roosters to hens is 1:11. Changing this proportion in any direction can adversely affect fertilization.
3. Contrary to popular belief, young broiler chicken is not the best way for breeding. It is not recommended to take eggs from a young laying hen for incubation. It is better to use chickens at the age of 8-13 months for this purpose.
4. Keeping broilers at home requires special living conditions. Breeding birds should be kept in a chicken coop, where the necessary equipment and special equipment are provided.

Breeding broilers is a profitable business. Healthy young growth can only be obtained from selected birds, so you need to follow the basic rules when choosing chickens. Otherwise, there may be a great risk of getting poor-quality chicks, which will lead to serious losses.

If meat is obtained mainly from chickens, then chickens are raised for the purpose of reproduction.

Peculiarities of parent stock care

In order to properly maintain broilers, it is important not only to correctly select individuals for the parent herd, but also to provide them with decent living conditions. Breeding broilers at home for beginners and experienced farmers is not difficult. The main thing is to follow a few simple recommendations:

1. It is advisable to make sure that the room in which broiler chickens live is well ventilated. A constant supply of fresh air, as well as the ability to control the influx of air masses, will help to avoid serious health problems in birds.
2. It is not recommended to place water containers for birds to drink on the litter, since in this case there is a high risk of spilling liquids. Damp bedding is an excellent breeding ground for mold, fungi and bacteria. Such a neighborhood is unlikely to make the chickens healthier.
3. If the bedding in the nests or on the floor becomes soiled, it should be replaced immediately.
4. It is important to ensure that chickens only lay in specially equipped nests, and not on the floor. If this begins, immediate action should be taken to wean the birds from the bad habit.
5. The diet of adults should be of high quality, varied and healthy. Feeding broilers at home is desirable to carry out strictly by the hour.
6. Before egg-laying begins, it is necessary to carry out preventive vaccination of chickens against all possible infectious diseases.

To grow broilers and get high-quality offspring, the main rule is compliance with sanitary standards. Growing livestock needs cleanliness. It is necessary to regularly clean the floor in the chicken coop, disinfect the room and all inventory. Proper nutrition also plays an important role.

It is important not only to correctly select individuals for the parent herd, but also to provide them with decent living conditions.

Rearing chicks on deep litter

Growing broiler chickens at home is easy. Getting quality chickens is not enough, you also need to grow them. Moreover, it is required to do this so that the grown young animals give tasty and high-quality meat. Growing chickens at home is possible in several ways: on the floor on deep litter and in cages. The owner needs to make sure that the floors in the room retain heat well and are waterproof.

Before broiler hens are settled, the house should be carefully prepared:

1. Cleaning, washing and disinfection of the chicken coop. After completing these works, the room is thoroughly dried.
2. Floors are recommended to be covered with lime. It is desirable that for each square meter accounted for about 1 kg of funds.
3. A litter is laid on lime in several layers. It may include sawdust or wood shavings, fibrous peat, or any other similar material. It is important that the bedding is dry and clean.
4. In order for the chickens to feel as comfortable as possible, the humidity in the chicken coop should be maintained at 60-65%. A few days later, as soon as the young offspring get used to the new conditions, the humidity is increased to 70%.
5. Approximately 2 days before settling the pets in the house, you need to warm it up to + 26 ° C. When the chickens settle in a new place, the optimum temperature for them will fluctuate in the range of + 28 ... + 35 ° С.
6. During the first 2 weeks of life, birds need constant light. For active growth and stable weight gain, the chick constantly eats and moves around. But in the dark, he cannot perform these simple actions, which is why he grows more slowly.
7. Floor maintenance of broilers is also possible in the cold season. The main thing is to carefully ensure that the optimum temperature is always maintained in the chicken coop. Under the right conditions, organized for broilers in winter, birds grow no worse than in summer.

It must be remembered that there should be no more than 12 heads per 1 m² of area. This density will allow pets to comfortably exist for as long as the broiler grows before slaughter. As a rule, birds are allowed for meat at the age of 7 weeks.

Cell content

It is known how to raise chickens at home with outdoor content. Many are interested in learning about breeding young animals in cages. Birds of this breed are not afraid of crowding, so they feel quite comfortable even in small confined spaces. Up to 10 chicks can be housed in one cage with a floor area of ​​about 0.5 m². This allows you to significantly save space in the chicken coop and the materials used to create the litter. Some farmers put cages in several tiers. This is a very convenient option, but it requires more attention to the birds. It is necessary to carefully monitor all tiers and maintain the same temperature everywhere.

From the standpoint of hygiene and sanitation, cellular content is more desirable and safer than floor content. It brings more health benefits to pets if the owner carefully monitors the order. With a cellular content, the requirements for temperature and humidity in the chicken coop are the same as for the floor.

How to grow broiler chickens so that losses are minimal, no specialist can unequivocally answer. But if you follow all the requirements, you can get as close as possible to the desired result. Proper maintenance and feeding of birds is quite simple. All costs are more than paid off by the joy that the owner experiences, observing the fruits of his own labor.

The secrets of growing broilers (video)

Features of feeding

How to properly feed chickens - this question worries the owners of personal subsidiary plots no less than the question of the rules of keeping. In representatives of this breed, rapid growth is genetically laid down. By the age of 8 weeks, chicks should have at least 1.5 kg of live weight. In order to achieve this, special attention in raising broiler chickens should be given to feeding. Food should be of high quality and complete. The sooner the owner begins to properly feed the chick, the faster the chick will turn into a full-fledged chicken.

The owner must ensure that each individual receives food in sufficient quantities. If the chick is too weak, does not know how or cannot peck on its own, it is necessary to provide it with food from a pipette. You can give a mixture consisting of yolks and cream. A day old chick needs to eat at least 3-4 whole pipettes. After feeding, for the purpose of prevention, you can drip a drop of a vitamin preparation into the young. This procedure should be repeated after 2 days.

During the first 10 days, the chicken needs to be eaten every 2 hours. There should be at least 7-8 feedings per day. The maximum break between meals can be 6 hours. Longer intervals adversely affect the growth of pets. If broilers are bred for the purpose of obtaining meat, care should be taken to ensure that there is enough easily digestible protein in the feed. It is found in cottage cheese, boiled eggs, milk. Starting from day 5, eggs can be fed to birds along with crushed shells. Gradually, the diet is made more diverse. It includes crushed millet, corn grits and other cereals.

After the young are 10 days old, they are transferred to a vitamin-grain mixture. It consists of the following components:

• 5 parts of corn grits;
• 2.5 parts of crushed wheat;
• 1 part barley flour;
• 1 part chopped scalded nettle;
• 0.5 parts of oatmeal.

Two-week-old broilers can gradually introduce vegetables into the diet. Pureed carrots are especially useful. It is also recommended to give chopped greens and boiled meat. Additionally, you need to put a feeder filled with mineral feed in the chicken coop. Gravel, chalk, ground shells, bone meal are well suited.

Particular attention should be paid to drinking pets. It is not recommended to pour raw water into the drinker; it is better to replace it with a decoction of wild rose or chamomile. They are much more beneficial for the digestive tract. Little chicks should drink at least 40 g of liquid per day. If the indicator is lower, the risk of dehydration is high. This condition requires treatment.

From 3 weeks old, young animals can be fed the same as adult chickens. In order for the birds to grow well, feeders must be replenished with food in a timely manner. Wet mixes should also be given in time. They are prepared by adding a lot of greens.

Growing broilers at home is quite profitable business that does not require large investments. The meat of such birds is dietary, has a great taste, so there is always a demand for it. But there are some peculiarities in breeding meat chickens. Read our article helpful tips, as well as see photos and videos that will help you care for broilers from the first days of life and breed them successfully.

Features of breeding broilers

Breeding broiler chickens is no easy task. It takes a lot of attention to raise them, because chickens do not tolerate low temperatures and pollution of the chicken coop. In addition, if you want to quickly get large broilers, then they need to provide special diet and care.

Buying chicks

Breeding broilers, as a rule, begins with the purchase of chicks. In the future, you can decide for yourself how it is more convenient for you to get chickens: constantly buy young stock or raise chickens in an incubator. At the first purchase, it is not recommended to take daily broilers. They are very difficult to transport properly, and after moving they will require very specific conditions for the first few days. For beginner farmers, meeting all the conditions can be a very difficult task, so it is better to choose chicks that are at least 10 days old.

When buying, carefully inspect small chickens. All chicks should be healthy and active. If you do not know how small healthy chickens should behave, then watch a video with them. Even 10-day-old chicks should be transported very carefully. Put them in cardboard box with side cutouts. If possible, try to avoid shaking and noise during transportation, and also reduce its duration as much as possible.

raising chickens

As already mentioned, broiler chickens are very sensitive and require special conditions. In the early days, their content will require a lot of your attention, especially if you still decide to take day old chicks. In addition, you need to take a very responsible approach to feeding, because small broilers have a strong appetite and are actively growing from the first days.

For the first week, babies should be kept in a small box with a heater in the center. Keep the temperature at 30 degrees, because in natural conditions the hen constantly warms the chicks. You can look at the photo and video on the network for an approximate device of such a box.

In the early days, chicks can be given crumbled boiled eggs, ground corn or wheat grits, and millet. In addition, a growing body will need a lot of vitamins, which can be provided with finely chopped greens. From the second week, care remains the same, but it is recommended to lower the temperature by 3-4 degrees.

Starting from the age of ten, chicks can be given dry purchased food and wet mash from steamed crushed grain and bone meal. Meat and fish should not be added to the diet. Make sure they have water at all times and change it regularly. In the third week, it is necessary to set the temperature within 22-24 degrees, and by the age of one month, it is necessary to gradually reduce the temperature to 20 degrees.

Do not forget to increase the space available for the chicks in a timely manner. By the fourth week, they increase significantly in size and will require a lot of space. During this period, it is recommended to remove bright lighting in the place where they are kept and install lamps only near containers with food and water. This will allow the chicks to rest in dark places and quickly recuperate.

Month old chicks are not much different from adult hens, so they can start feeding whole grains. Part of the grains is recommended to germinate. So you provide broilers with the necessary vitamins. In addition, meat and fish can be added to the diet of chickens, but you should not give too much of such food.

Content Features

Adult broilers also require special care. Their breeding will require you a lot of time, but all efforts will be justified by a good income. First of all, it is worth noting that they are very sensitive to various contaminants. It is necessary to constantly keep the place where chickens are kept clean, because they can quickly pick up infectious diseases.

To clean the chicken coop conveniently and quickly, lay an oilcloth on the floor. So you can quickly remove the bedding in the form of sawdust or other material.

Location selection

Unlike laying hens, broilers can be reared in a small area. They do well in small chicken coops. In addition, if they are released too often in the compound, they will gain weight more slowly. If you want the birds to graze on the grass, place them in an aviary.

Experienced farmers advise breeding broiler chickens in cages. So you can control their condition well, and feeding will become much more convenient. As practice shows, keeping in cages allows birds to grow very quickly. By the age of two months, the average weight of broilers can be 1.5 kg.

Diet and feeding rules

Birds aged 2-3 months should be fed 2 times a day. The basis of the diet is wheat grain, as well as other cereals. But do not forget that broilers at home continue to grow actively and they need vitamins and minerals. At home, they can get them from fresh grated vegetables and herbs. Unlike egg-laying breeds, broilers don't really need meat or fish, but you can still give them fresh table scraps occasionally.

In winter, it is recommended to give the birds germinated grains that can meet their vitamin needs. You can also give ready-made feeds that will provide broilers with all the necessary vitamins. Proper breeding will help you reach a weight of 3 kg already in the 2nd month.

Video "Care for broiler chickens"

Watch this video to learn how to care for small broilers from the first days of their lives and how to properly breed these birds.