The Poultry Entrepreneur Blog

Benefits of consistent poultry production…

[Read more…] about Consistent Poultry Production

(Image source: AA Aviagen)

11 factors of poultry farming

1. 1. Chick quality: the ‘seeds’ of the entire poultry farming process. All future growth potential of the birds is derived from a combination of the genetic potential of the selected breed of chicks.
   2. Health: there’s no secret that broilers and layers are most vulnerable to health challenges as chicks. In fact, it is said that getting past the 1st 7 days is indicative of future poultry farming success.
   3. Bird welfare: once on the farm, stockmanship is the management process by which the ‘good start’ your chicks gained from the hatchery pays off in the long run.
   4. Nutrition: ensuring the birds have optimal feed composition, condition, particulate size, availability, and formulation for each stage of growth is a critical input for performance.
   5. Temperature: as chicks, poultry cannot thermoregulate. This places them at the mercy of your stockman’s environmental temperature management at their most fragile phase.
   6. Water supply: clean, cool and constant water supply – provided via an accessible system (if drip fed, under good pressure, or drinkers distributed sufficiently). Water is commonly recognised for its precursor effects in regulating appetite for feeding.
   7. Vaccination status: obtaining chicks from a reputable hatchery means they arrive on your farm site with a complete vaccination status (in accordance with best breeder practice).
   8. Ventilation: a well-ventilated poultry house is key to temperature and humidity control, as well as air quality for optimal growth performance.
   9. Stocking density: space allocation for your poultry flock is a critical factor for performance. It impacts their ability to access adequate food & water. Also, overstocking can lead to overheating, litter saturation (and associated issues like skin lesions), and high airborne ammonia levels.
   10. Lighting: a well-designed lighting programme ensures sufficient rest and activity/feeding periods during the brooding, laying, and growth stages.
   11. Feed supply: adequate, high-quality feed, specially formulated for the appropriate stage of growth or production of broilers and layers, leads to optimal performance.

Other factors

Stockmanship

Management of the above 11 factors will contribute to and compound overall performance. It’s the stockman’s responsibility to execute the optimal management plan. If managed well, the birds have the best chance of achieving their genetic potential.

Business management

Without the necessary resources (quality, quantity, and timing), none of the above is possible. So, a prudent business management style is required to ensure the inputs necessary for success are available.

With so much said about feed conversion and poultry farming profits, it could almost be forgiven that we downplay the crucial role of water intake.

Yes, whilst feed conversion is the bedrock of poultry meat or egg production – it must be remembered that there are contributors.

And for turning grains into broiler meat or layer eggs, water is the most influential contributor to the process.

Water is a powerful regulator of appetite and a crucial chemical substrate for metabolism. An essential ingredient for the thriving of all flocks.

Simple as this may sound, the practical delivery of water can present challenges that affect uptake by birds.

And if such kinks or creases are not ironed out of the rearing process, adverse outcomes in feed conversion can be witnessed.

And unless a robust approach to root cause analysis is taken, this failure in achieving genetic potential can be wrongly attributed to other factors…perhaps, feed formulation or even feed quantity.

However, the key to successful water delivery is an effective drinker system.

In poultry farming, 2 predominant drinker systems exist:

• Bell drinkers
• Nipple drinkers

Both systems have their given pros and cons – but equally, either can be deployed successfully where the prerequisite conditions for optimal use are met.

Each format of water delivery system has its own related best practices. If they are followed, this should yield optimal results and support feed conversion – for reaching the peak genetic potential.

Each drinker system requires maintenance and adjustments that mirror physiological changes in the flock.

This means you and your stockmen must be sensitive to flock changes and reactive to meet their needs.

Staying ahead of the change curve and upholding optimal water delivery, helps to keep your farm in peak performance.

In fact, aside from feed consumption, monitoring water consumption will also help you benchmark against the standard.

Water levels are a giveaway. Regular readings will show you if your flock is on target for feed conversion, or not.

Also, flock observation will indicate how easily birds are able to drink water.

Bottom line – water is a very necessary and key determinant of the feed conversion equation (although we might not think it).

How’s your flock water consumption going? And how does it line up with your flock’s feed conversion ration?