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Poultry farming |
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Poultry farming is a very versatile industry, adapting itself to a full time or part time job. The routine operations are so simple, that women, children or elderly persons alike can easily manage small poultry units. However it is said to be a business, netting the profit in the quickest time possible while at the same time equally quick to lose. With the increase in feed cost, the margin of profit in egg production is being gradually reduced. Only the most efficient producer can remain in poultry business for long. Hence there is a need for improvement in the poultry farming in almost every aspect viz., breeding, housing, economic feeding and health control. The preservation and marketing of poultry products have been neglected so far and such these areas also require equal emphasis, for development of poultry. The success and profit in the poultry farming depends on good genetic stock and their sound and efficient management. Therefore, great care should be given in the selection of the right type of chicken, with regard to local conditions, the need of the market and the performance of layers with respect to important economic characters like egg production, feed conversion, mortality etc. Under Goa conditions, HH 260 layer is found to be one of the most suitable commercial layers for intensive system of poultry keeping. . It is also important that chicks should be purchased only from a reputed hatchery where good genetic stocks are maintained. The site for poultry farming should be carefully selected, considering the suitability from two different aspects, viz.; (1) biological aspect and (2) business aspect. From the biological point of view, poultry needs a clean, dry, well-ventilated, quiet and comfortable place. There should be a perennial source of drinking water and preferably electricity also. From the business point of view, there should be good facilities for transport and communication and also the site should be close to egg and feed market so that the expenditure on transport can be minimised. POULTRY HOUSE FROM BIOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW It is necessary to look at poultry housing from three viewpoints viz.; (1) biological (2) engineering (3) economic. Proper housing of poultry is important as a means of providing proper environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, aeration, and light for maximum production. The suitable engineering design will make it possible to control these conditions for a flock of a given size within reasonable cost. A poultry house should provide the hens adequate protection from unfavourable weather conditions and natural predators. It should also be convenient for the operator to take care of the flock with minimum effort and expenditure. Design: The design of poultry house should be well suited to weather conditions of the locality. Narrow houses (width 6 to 7m) with length according to the number of birds to be housed (generally 30 to 35m) is preferable, as control of moisture, ventilation and light is easier in narrow houses. Foundation: The foundation must be solid enough to support the building and should be raised at least 30 cm. above the ground level so that floor remains dry. At the plinth level there should be a concrete slab projecting about 60 cm on all sides, so as to prevent the rats snakes etc., entering the shed. The floor should be cemented damp-proof, free from cracks and possible to clean easily. Direction: For effective cross ventilation, the linear axis of the shed should be at right angles to the direction of wind. Therefore the direction of poultry shed should be north-south. Walls: Complete masonary walls should be made on both north and south ends, with doors of about 1.5m x 2m. The central height should be minimum 3m. and sides about 2m. The linear sides on east and west must have 50 cm masonary wall and remaining 1.5m. wire netting with pillars at 3 m intervals to support the roof. Roof: Sloping roof made of tiles, corrugated galvanised iron or asbestos - cement sheet is suitable. There should be sufficient over hangs (minimum 1 m) of the roofing on the sides. so that rain water will not enter the shed. For small units even thatched roofing may be sufficient, but it requires regular attention and occasional rethatching. Deep litter and cage system are the two systems of intensive poultry keeping. Deep litter system: Under this system the birds are confined in rooms in which litter material is spread and the droppings being regularly collected and mixed with litter material to form built in litter (deep litter,. Deep litter is insulative and nutritive and therefore suitable for a wide range of climatic conditions and less care is required. Since the dropping is not removed from the room less labour is involved. But the problems are the difficulty in litter management during humid climate; spread of diseases, incidence of intestinal parasites and prevalence of vices like feather plucking, cannibalism etc. Cage system: In this system the birds are kept in cages made of wire mesh arranged in rows supported by iron bars. The advantages are less space, early to control diseases, parasites etc., and easy to keep accurate records enabling easy culling out unproductive birds. But this system is not suitable for places with extreme climate. Moreover high initial investment is required. Further there may be problems of wet dropping and flies in the sheds. Thus each system has got certain advantages and disadvantages, hence the choice depends upon availability of land, climatic conditions, type of bird etc. Sometimes a combined system is followed i.e. the chicks are reared under deep litter system and later the pullets are kept in laying cages. Poultry equipment must be of proper design to be convenient and efficient. Separate equipment are required for different systems and also for different stages. A. For deep litter system: 1. Brooders ( Fostermothers) Brooders with thermostat fittings for automatic temperature control is most effective. Brooders made of GI shed or wood, fitted with electric bulbs are quite sufficient. Where there is no electricity, ordinary bamboo baskets with hurricane lamp can be used for small batches of chicks ( 50 to 100 chicks ). 2. Chick guards: About 40-45 cm. high card board or plywood guards around the brooder, about 60 to 90 cm. away from the edge of the brooder is to be placed to avoid the chicks to stay away from the source of heat. 3. Feeders: (a) Chick feeders: Chick feeders are generally linear type, made of GI sheet with a lip of about 1 cm. to avoid feed wastage. The top must be protected by iron grill to avoid the chicks entering feeder and spoiling the feed (anti-roosting device) (b) Grower and layer feeder: This can be either linear type or round type. Anti-roosting device and a lip (1.5 - 2 cm) is required to avoid feed wastage.
4. Waterers: (a) For Chicks: For chicks, automatic fountain type of waterer made of plastic, aluminium or earthern-vase is commonly used. Fountain type waterer consists of a shallow plate and small pot with a hole at the neck about 2 cm. from the mouth so that the level of water is always maintained at 2cm. Hence there is no chance of chicks getting drenched. (b) Growers and layers: Waterers for growers and layers can be trough type protected with grills or running water channel. 5. Laying nest : Laying nest at the rate of one nest for every five hens should be provided for production of clean eggs and to avoid breakage of eggs. Usually community nests are used. They are 60 cm. wide and 1.25 to 3.65 m. long with 20 cm. opening. The nest should be dark inside, easy to clean, easy for birds to enter, easy for collection of eggs, should have clean litter material inside and be easy to close during night. B. For cage system: Feeders, waterers etc. are fitted to the cages and therefore cages of different size for different stages of birds with all fittings are the equipment for cage system.
Overcrowding of birds in poultry houses will lead to stunted growth, spread of diseases and vices, resulting in more number of culls. Therefore optimum floor space, feeder space, waterer space etc., are to be provided as per the table given below for optimum growth and production.
The care and management of birds through is not much different in different systems, vary with different stages of bird. Thus the care and management of birds are the same in the two poultry keeping systems, but except that frequent removal of dropping and cleaning of poultry house, is required in cage system. The routine farm operations are different during brooding period, growing period and laying period as the requirements are different in different stages of the birds life. They are given below: A. Brooding period (0 - 8 weeks) This is the most crucial and difficult period in the management of birds. Brooding and rearing of chicks is really an art, based largely on practical experience. For efficient brooding of chicks, the following guide lines are to be followed: Preparation of brooder house 1. Before the arrival of chicks: i) Remove all equipment (Brooders, feeders, waterers etc..) and old litter from the brooder house. ii) Thoroughly clean and disinfect the brooder house by scraping and removing all dirt from floor, walls, wire netting, roof etc. wash all surfaces with 40% caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), white wash wall and roof, use a flame gun for metal fittings and hard to reach positions. Do all repair work. Spray Malathion or lysol and keep the house vacant for 3 or 4 weeks. iii) Thoroughly clean and disinfect brooders, feeders, waterers, etc. (with a detergent and warm water followed by dipping in potassium permanganate solution and sun dry). iv) Put about 8 cm layer of clean, fresh, dry litter material (paddy husk, saw dust, or a mixture of both). v) Arrange the brooder fitted with electric bulbs to provide about 2 watts per chick, the feeders and waterers alternately around the edge of brooder. vi) Provide a 45 cm. high chick guard around the brooder about 60 to 90 cm away from the edge of the brooder so that the chicks do not stay away from the source of heat. vii) Keep the house well-ventilated, avoiding draughts. viii) Start the brooders 24 hrs. before the arrival of chicks and check frequently to make sure that 95o F temperature is maintained under the brooder about 5 cm. above the litter level. 2) On arrival of chicks: i) Receive the chicks promptly, bring them immediately to the farm and release under the brooder kept readily running. ii) Check the number of chicks and the instructions if any sent along with the chicks, Make sure they are vaccinated. iii) Provide fresh starter-ration (spread on a paper for 2 or 3 days and after that in the feeders) and clean water all the time. iv) Observe chicks frequently during day and night to see whether the temperature is optimum and chicks are comfortable and they are able to locate feed and water. If the temperature is more, the chicks will remain away from the brooder and start panting; if less, they will crowd near the source of heat; but when heat is optimum, they evenly spread out and will feel comfortable. v) Pull the card board guards from the brooder (by 50 cm) each day and remove after 7 to 10 days. vi) Reduce the brooder temperature by 5o F every week and remove the brooder after 6 weeks. vii) Provide continuous light during brooding period. For 9 m2 area, one 40 watt bulb kept at 2m. height with 30 cm. reflector is sufficient. viii) Grade the chicks once or twice in a month or at least when the chicks are handled for vaccination, debeaking etc. Small chicks are looked after separately to avoid culls at pullet stage. ix) Cary out vaccination as per recommended programme (Table IV ). Debeaking may be done any time during 2nd week. x) Isolate sick birds and take care of them separately; carry out post-mortem of dead birds to diagnose; take adequate control measures to prevent the spread of disease in the flock, by disposing off the dead birds properly by burning or burial. B Grower-period: i) Clean the grower house and disinfect as in case of brooder house and keep ready with fresh litter, clean feeders and Waterers. ii) Transfer the chicks during early hours without much, stress. Remove all culls, weak chicks, cockerals etc. if any. iii) Provide dimlight for 3 to 4 days and then discontinue. iv) Change the starter feed to grower feed gradually and provide clean water all the time. v) vaccinate the birds according to the recommendation, deworm the birds once in a month with Helmacide @ 2ml/lit of water. vi) Inspect a few birds regularly for checking thc external parasites. Isolate sick birds and take care of them separately. Dispose off dead birds properly after post-mortem examination to diagnose the disease so that preventive measures can be taken to save the flock.
C layer period: i) Clean the layer house and disinfect as in case of brooder house and keep ready with fresh litter, clean feeders, waterers and nests. Ensure enough clean feed and clean water. ii) The pullets are to be transferred to layer house a few weeks before laying starts. Deworm the birds at least one week earlier to transfer. iii) Transfer the birds preferably in the early hours, culls are to be removed during transfer. iv) The feeders and waterers are well distributed in the pen for easy access to birds. Adjust the height of the feeders to the level of the Back of birds when standing to avoid feed wastage. v) Change the grower feed to layer feed slowly. vi) Provide enough nest boxes with clean litter material and collect eggs from the nests about 4 to 5 times a day. Pick out an floor eggs immediately so as to discourage floor laying. vii) Check a few birds periodically for external parasites and take control measures if required. Deworm the birds once in a month, but must be avoided during peak production. viii) Regularly remove obvious culls, non-layers broody hens, diseased /injured birds, etc. ix) Carry out post-mortem of dead birds to diagnose disease so that timely control measures can be taken to save the flock. Dispose off the dead birds properly by burning or by burial to prevent disease spread. Management Practices: In addition to the above mentioned day to day operations, special care should be given for proper feeding, litter management, debeaking, lighting arrangements, culling etc. Feeding: Feeding is the most important aspect of poultry production because feeding alone constitutes about 70% of the cost of production. Therefore, efficiency in feeding more or less determines the profit and loss of the farmer. For economic feeding, the feed should be prepared sample feed from locally available ingredients, for are given in table II for chicks, growers and layers.
To minimise feed wastage, the following guide-lines are to be followed i) Always provide good quality, well balanced feed. Economic feed is that which supplies all the nutriti onal requirements at the lowest cost. ii) Store the feed properly, but do not store for more than 2- 3 months because during storage, feed gets spoilt due to rancidity. fungus growth, pest attack etc. iii) Use properly designed equipment, eg. feeders with lip and anti-roosting mechanism. iv) Feeders should be filled only upto ½ to 2/3 level. v) Adjust the feeder height always to shoulder level of birds. vi) Remove balance feed from the feeder and mix it with fresh feed while refilling. vii) Use green fodder like lucerne, green leaves of vegetables, grass etc which are good sources of protein, vitamins, minerals and yolk colouring pigments. viii) Remove culls like non-layer/poor layer, broody hen diseased birds etc., which will be consuming feed without production. ix) Prevent the entry of wild birds, rodents etc., in the poultry shed and feed store. x) Follow restricted feeding during growing period ( 80% of adlibitum feeding) to save feed and economise production.
Litter management : Litter management is very important because bad litter is an invitation to diseases. Litter material to be used (paddy husk, wood shaving, saw dust etc. ) should be clean, fresh and free from mould growth. Litter should be started during dry months and at a time only 5 to 8cm. layer should be added as per requirement. It should be raked at least once in a week so that it will remain dry and will not form cakes moisture content of litter depends on number of birds in a pen, quantity of litter, humidity ventilation, leaking roof or waterers, salt content in the feed etc. Therefore, if the litter is wet or caking, remedia1measures shou1d be taken depending on the cause. Litter Management becomes difficult during monsoon season. During this season, the excess moisture in the litter can be controlled by reducing the number of birds in the pen and by spreading quick lime @ 1 kg / m2 area and frequent raking. Debeaking : Debeaking is done by cutting the upper beak mid-way between the point and nostrils by a sharp hot blade and touching the tip of the lower beak on the hot blade. Care should be taken to protect the tongue from injury and to ensure that there is no bleeding after debeaking. Debeaking is done to prevent vices like the picking, feather pulling, vent picking, head or tail picking etc. Debeaking is usually done during the 2nd week and re-touching is done before shifting to layer house.
Lighting arrangement: Light plays very important role in the development and production of layers. It influences the pitutary gland and thereby sexual development of birds. There should be decreasing day length during the growing period to ensure sexual maturity at appropriate time. But after 20-21 weeks of age, the day length should be gradually increased which will prolong peak production. The fundamental rule in lighting programme is "Do not increase lights during growing period and do not decrease lights during laying period" Chick Stage (0-8 weeks) : Provide light throughout night by providing one 40 watt bulb with 30 cm. reflector at a height of 2 m per 9m2 floor space. Grower Period (9-20 weeks) : If transferred to new grower house, provide some low intensity light for 3-4 days. Afterwards do not provide any artificial light. layer Stage: Provide a total of 16 hours light including day light from 20 weeks of age. After six months lay, provide additional light to make a total of 17 hours light including day light. In any case, do not decrease the amount of light once the birds are in lay. Culling: Unproductive birds from the flock are to be removed. This is very important to avoid loss; by eliminating unproductive birds, the average production in the flock and feed conversion improve. Culling has to be done at all stages to avoid feed wastage on inferior birds. Crippled, weak, and runty chicks should be culled out and disposed off from the brooder house, as it is uneconomical to keep such chicks. Moreover, they may be carriers of disease. Pullets which are undersized, deformed, or diseased should be culled out in laying flock, the birds should be closely watched and poor layers are to be culled out. This should be more or less a continuous process and some culling has to be done each week or month. A guide for identifying poor layers: Table III
COMMON DISEASES AND THEIR CONTROL Disease control is very important because poultry diseases cause heavy economic losses due to mortality morbidity and low production. Disease may occur due to nutrient deficiency, ingestion of toxic substances, injury or physical stress or as a consequence of harmful action of microbial and parasitic agents. Therefore, the control measures depends on the causative agent. A. Preventive measures: 1. Isolate individual shed or at least the units i. e. brooder houses should be away from grower houses and layer houses, 2. Control traffic of birds, equipment, attendants etc., between units. Visitors should not be allowed. 3. Maintain cleanliness in the shed and surroundings and provide good ventilation in the shed. 4. Purchase only healthy chicks from a reputed hatchery where chicks are produced hygienically. 5. Never mix birds of different age groups or from different sources. 6. Observe proper litter management. Litter should be dry and free from ammonia smell. 7. Provide fresh, properly balanced feed and clean water. 8. Isolate all sick birds at the first sign of illness, get accurate diagnosis and proper treatment from a qualified veterinary doctor specialised in poultry. 9. Carry out post-mortem examination of dead bird identify the cause of death and take all precautionary measures to prevent any spread of disease in the flock. Also dispose off the dead birds, properly either by burning or by burial. 10 Strictly follow the recommended vaccination programme. VACCINATION PROGRAMME Table IV : Vaccination programme for Chicks
B. Treatment for common poultry diseases Some of the poultry diseases commonly occurring in Goa, their symptoms and cheap Homeopathic treatments are given below Table V : Common poultry diseases and their Homeopathic treatment
Keeping accurate records is in no way less important than good flock management, rather it is a pre-requisite. For a good management, maintenance of records is necessary with a view to analysing the poultry enterprise. This will enable improving the management too. The following records will be valuable. 1. Inventories of birds, equipment, feed etc., at the beginning. and end of laying period. 2. Egg production record by day and by month. 3. A record of death losses and cause of death. 4 A record of income from sales of products. 5. Feed records. 6. Record of expenditure etc |
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