What’s The Stocking Density Limit for Broiler Farming?

Learn how to decide on the maximum stocking density for your broiler farming operation

Situation

Stocking density – or, the number of broiler birds reared per m2 or ft2 of floorspace – is commonly reported by experts as a key success factor of broiler farming…

• performance,
• welfare, and;
• ultimately profits.

Co-factors, such as:

…climate, types of broiler housing, ventilation systems, target weight and governmental animal welfare regulations should all feature in your stocking density approach.

In other words, the number of birds within a confined space and your control of their environment impacts their ability to thrive, grow and enjoy life. And this topic is hotly contested from a variety of viewpoints.

Consideration

If you are planning:

• broiler house construction;
• broiler husbandry management;
• the ideal poultry farm ventilation solution –

…then, it’s critical for your business that you make the right stocking density decision.

Under-subscribing floor space for your broilers could lead to flock frustration, poor growth performance, or even bird trauma/death. Besides this, of course you are obligated to ensure your operates within parameters set by governmental law.

Also, when coupled with poultry house design, maximum stocking density acts as a good yardstick for gauging optimal house set-up.

This, in turn, will assist you in reaching the optimal poultry project ROI.

Case Study: What’s The Right Stocking Density for Broiler Farming?

What you get…

The eCourse Begins Here

Problem

You’re planning the construction of a broiler house. Before you get engrossed in the practicalities of the build, you need to rest on some key fundamentals – because once, built, there’s no going back.

From research, you understand that one of the key success factors for broiler farming is getting the stocking density right.

But looking further into the subject you realise that planning for the ideal stocking density for your broiler farm is much more than just choosing a number.

Stocking density is a judgment that takes into account all factors related to controlling the poultry house environment.

And that’s just the performance end of things.

But beyond just weight gain, there is also the consideration of animal welfare, a much-debated political issue, attracting attention from many influential activist groups. Plus, there’s the regulatory guidelines.

So, you decide to build a stocking density decision-making framework using leading statistics for navigating this critical planning issue.

Supporting Facts

1. Your planned broiler farm will have a flock headcount of 5,000 birds.
2. You are weighing up the merits between:
   • open-sided vs. solid-wall poultry houses
   • evaporative cooling vs. foggers
     • …and their respective impact on stocking density.
3. You’re adopting an aggressive 1-1-5 broiler rearing model i.e. with 5 broiler houses for finishing, the floor space differences between housing scenarios will be magnified by the model.

Expert Approach

You discover a published data table from breeder, Cobb in their management guide detailing a comparison with scenarios of:

• poultry house type,
• ventilation type,
• cooling equipment, and then,
• presenting a maximum stocking density.

Within the document you find the following maximum broiler stocking density recommendations with data points to assist your decision-making framework design:

1. A naturally ventilated, open-sided poultry house using stir fans…
   • …maximum stocking density = 30kg/m2 or 6.2 lbs/ft2
2. A cross-ventilated, solid-walled poultry house using foggers and directional perimeter inlets…
   • …maximum stocking density = 35-42 kg/m2 or 7.2-8.6 lbs/ft2
3. A tunnel-ventilated, solid-walled poultry house using foggers…
   • …maximum stocking density = 39 kg/m2 or 8 lbs/ft2
4. A tunnel-ventilated, solid-walled poultry house using evaporative coolers…
   • …maximum stocking density = 42 kg/m2 or 8.6 lbs/ft2

Solution

Broiler House Flock Size Calculation Based on Maximum Stocking Density

1. Choose house, ventilation and cooling equipment based on your local climate extremes and available capital budget.
2. Identify your maximum broiler stocking density.
3. Declare your final expected broiler body weight (i.e. day before catch).
4. Decide on your target broiler flock size.
5. Multiply your flock size by the target end weight.
6. Divide the product of the above multiplication by the maximum stocking density in the desired units.
7. The result of the above division is the minimum floor space required for rearing.

Use the quick calculator

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