Poultry: Basic Husbandry for Broilers

Agdex#:	452
Publication Date:	02/93
Order#:	93-035
Last Reviewed:	02/93
History:	Original Factsheet
Written by:	Diane Spratt - Poultry Specialist/OMAFRA

Table of Contents

1. Handy Hints
   
   

Criteria	Norms During Growth	Norms After Maturity	Trouble Shooting Checklist
Temperature (At birds height)	Day Old: 28°-32°C Lowered: 2°-3°C per week to 21°C at 6 weeks	Breeders: 21°C for bird's comfort	Too High: pasty cloacas, frequent wing spreading and flapping, panting, crowding away from heat source, listless, no peeping Too Low: feather ruffling, rigid posture, huddling and piling near heat source
Ammonia (P.P.M.)	Maximum: 25 ppm (see next page)	Maximum: 25 ppm	Too High: higher incidence of breast blisters and respiratory problems, blindness
Air Movement	0.11 m3 per minute per kg live bird or 2.75-3.0 cfm per kg live bird	0.11 m3 per minute per kg live bird or 2.75-3.0 cfm per kg live bird	Poor: high ammonia levels, caked areas in litter, uneven distribution of birds throughout pens (see next page)
Lighting	First 5 Days: 20 lux After 5 days adequate light for normal intakes and activity	Daylight Interval: Intensity must be 10 X greater than dark interval to ensure good production levels (for breeders)	Too High: cannibalism, flighty, nervous behavior Too Low: poor growth and feed conversion (see Figure 1)
Feeder Space (per bird) - ad lib Water Trough (per bird)	Pans or Troughs: 5 cm/bird 2.5 cm/bird (or) 1 nipple/5-20 birds	5 cm/bird or Hanging tube feeders 3/100 birds 2.5 cm/bird or 7 round drinkers per 1,000 birds	Not Enough Space: poor intakes, poor growth and feed conversion, more starveouts
Density - Floor or Cage Space (per bird)	0.09 m2 (1 sq. ft) per bird up to max. 10 wks of age	0.09 m2 increased at 10 weeks up to 0.18 m2 (2 sq. ft.)	Too Dense: feather picking, cannibalism, more injuries, more flip overs (S.D.S.), decreased comfort results in poorer carcasses or lower feed efficiency Breeder production levels drop

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Handy Hints

Humans can detect the smell of ammonia at 7 p.p.m.

When human eyes are affected (watering/burning), ammonia levels are at least 20 p.p.m.

Figure 1. Guideline: Lamping Requirements for Poultry
Chart Shows Number of Square Feet per 60 Watt Bulb
by Peter Nicholas, Energy Advisor - Agriculture, Ontario Hydro

Text Equivalent of Figure 1

Example (Real Barn):

A maintained light level of 20 lux may be achieved by using one standard 60W/120V incandescent bulb for every 200 square feet of floor space, or by using one long-life 60W/130V incandescent bulb for every 120 square feet of floor space in a dark barn.

Example (Research Lab):

A white clean room will have 40 lux with about one lamp per 280 square feet, or about 20 lux if one bulb per 560 square feet is used.

Save Energy: Use 9 Watt to 11 Watt compact fluorescent lamps instead of 60 Watt/130 Volt incandescent bulbs

Save Energy: Use 13 Watt to 15 Watt compact fluorescent lamps instead of 60 Watt/120 Volt incandescent bulbs

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