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Back To The BasicHouses Preparation and
BiosecurityChick Quality and
TransportationFeed Quality and FeederWater Quality and DrinkerManagement and KnowledgeGood Production
CHICK QUALITY Broiler placements should be plan
ned to ensure: ✔ Differences in age and/or im
mune status of parent flocks are minimized.
One parent flock per broiler fl ock is the ideal .
For large farm complexes, on e production house could be
considered to be one flock.
PREPARATION FOR CHICK ARRIVAL Litter material should be spr
ead evenly to a depth of 3 – 4 in (7.5–10cm) and t hen l evel
l ed and compact ed i n t he b rooding area.
The necessar y equi pment m ust be assembl ed i n t he ap
pr opr i at e confi gur at i on.
PREPARATION FOR CHICK ARRIVAL Equipment in the house (i.e., f
eeders, drinkers, heaters and fa ns) should be arranged to allow
chicks to maintain body temperature without dehydration and t
o find feed and water easily . Configuration will depend on t
he brooding system and on othe r equipment being used.
PREPARATION FOR CHICK ARRIVAL
Suppl ement ar y f eeder s and dr i nker s shoul dbe
pl aced i n cl ose pr oxi mit y t o t he mai n syst ems.
PREPARATION FOR CHICK ARRIVAL
Houses should be -pre heated fo r a sufficient period to achieve t
arget house and litter temperatures prior to chick arrival.
Temperature should be monitor ed regularly to ensure a unifor
m environment exists througho ut the whole brooding area.
WATER AND FEED Priort o chi ck del i ver y, a fi
nal check must be made o f f eed and wat er avai l a
bi l i t y and distribution w i t hi n t he house.
WATER AND FEED Drinker lines should be flush
ed and sanitized prior to bird arrival.
The water quality, purity, and temperature must be checke
d in advance. Water should be within the c
orrect temperature range 6( 5 75– ºF; 18–24ºC).
WATER AND FEEDContaminated water can s
pread disease and cause di arrhea, leading to dehydra
tion and death in younger f locks.
All chicks must be able to eat and drink immediately
on placement in the house.
WATER AND FEED Ideally, t he chi cks shoul d be p
l aced at t he f ar mand pr ovided water and feed in l
ess than 8 hours from ti me of hat ch.
Longer delays could lead to dehydr at i on and chi c
k weight shrinkage.
WATER AND FEED I f t he chi cks have been i n
transport for a long period (3 hrs. up) , pr ovi di ng wat er f o
r t he fi r st 3 or 4 hours , a nd then providing feed is sug
gested.It is imperative that chicks be encouraged to consume water as soon as possible.
WATER AND FEED add some sort of sweeten
er substance, like sugar to t he water ( 4% solution ) for t he first few hours of life.
The sugar helps to replenis h the depleted energy in th e chicks, and may stimulate
the chicks to consume feed.
WATER AND FEED The sweet water can also ma
y loosen up the impacted inte stine and prepare the gut linin
gs for the incoming feed. After the addition of sugar, it i
s recommended to add a vita min supplement to the water f
or the first three days of life, t o boost the chicks' vitality.
WATER AND FEED With the exception of water v
accination time, drinking water must be adequately chlorinate
d. The chlorine level at the drinke
r level should be - 1PPM nipple drinkers, - 2 ,PPM plasson drinkers and - 3PPM trough drinkers
WATER AND FEED 85A newly hatched chick is %
W WWW . 1 0 % WW WWWW W WWW r is lost, it becomes a WWWW WWWWW WWW W WWW WWWWW WW , 2 0 % dehydr at i on , the chick could WWW .
WW WW WW WWWWWWW WW WWWWWWW WWW W hick adequately and promptly.
WWWW W WWW promote feed consumption WWW better body weights.
WATER AND FEED If water and feed are consu
med in sufficient amounts an d correct brooding temperat
ure and air quality are provid ed,
A broiler chick should be able to quadruple(4x) -the post
hatch body weight by seven days of age.
DOC =40g
7 Days=160g
WATER AND FEED To monitor if
chicks are cons uming adequat
e feed, it is reco mmended to se
lect chicks and palpate their cr
ops. The crops sho
uld be quite full .
WATER AND FEED If the crop feels half empty or em
pty , there must be something wrong i
n the management, and the abo- ve discussed points must be revi
ewed very carefully. It is never too late to act and ma
ke corrections , but a problem mu st be detected before it can be c
orrected.
WATER AND FEED Supplemental feeders sh
oul d be fi l l ed and pl ac ed i n t he brooding area i
n a proper ratio (e.g. with box lids – 1/100 chi cks) .
CHICK PLACEMENT If the mixing of chicks from differe
nt age breeder flocks is unavoida ble, chicks should be grouped by
breeder age as much as possible Ensure light intensity and duratio
n are set prior to chick arrival (2.5 foot candles / 25 lux; 23 hr).
CHICK PLACEMENT Expect ed del i ver y t i me
of chi cks shoul d be est abl i shed so t hey may be unl oaded and cor r ect l y
pl aced as qui ckl y as possi bl e.
CHICK PLACEMENT The longer chicks are in t
ransport boxes, the great er the degree of dehydrat
ion. This may result in earlymortality and reduced gr
owth potential.
CHICK PLACEMENT Chicks must be tipped q
uickly, gently and evenly over the brooding area.
Empty boxes should be removed from the house
as soon as possible.
CHICK PLACEMENT 12Chicksshouldbel ef t t o set t l e f or – hr t o bec
WWW WWWWWWWWWW WW WWWWW WWW WWWWW onment.
WWWW WWWWW W WWWWW, shoul d be ma de to see that all chicks have easy
WWWWWW WW WWWW and water and tha tchi cks ar e act i ve.
Adjustments should be madet o equi pm ent and temperatures where nece
ssary.
CHICK PLACEMENTThese checks should be made ev
ery 4–6 hr after placement for the 24first hr.
From two to three days of age , eWWWWWWW feeders and drinkers shou
ld be repositioned and adjusted a nd additional ones introduced as
the illuminated area is increased.
CHICK PLACEMENT
During the early brooding period, f eed shoul d be pr ovi de d i n cr umbl e f or m on sup
plemental feeders (1 /1 00chicks) so chi cks have easy
access.
CHICK PLACEMENT Mechani cal f eeder s shoul d a
lso be char ged bef or e arrival. Remove13/ of the supplement
al feeders on each of days 8, 9 10and .
Chicks should be gradually trai ned to the main feeding system
wi t hi n t he first 10 days of placement.
BROODER MANAGEMENT The objective of proper bro
oding is to develop appetit e as early as possible.
Feed intake will be reduced if chicks are kept at temper
atures greater than those a ppearing in Table 22.
BROODER MANAGEMENT Two basic practices for broo
ding broilers are: Spot brooding Whole/partial house brooding
Both systems are effective i n getting chicks off to a goo d start if managed properly.
BROODER MANAGEMENT Brooder guards may be em
ployed to assist in controlling early chick movement.
The contained area shouldbe expanded from three day s of age until finally remove d by five to seven days.
BROODER MANAGEMENT Chicks should be placed ev
enly throughout the brooding area.
The use of stirring fans will e nhance air quality and unifor
mity of temperature and RH. Refer to Figure 2.1 for typic
al spot brooding layout.
BROODER MANAGEMENT Heat i s pr ovi ded by con
vent i onal canopy br ood er s.
For maximum effectiven ess, brooder guards shoul
d be used t o keep birds c onfined to the desired are
a of heat, feed and water.
BROODER MANAGEMENT• For whole/partial house brooding m
easured at feed and water sources;• F or spot brooding , measured at bro
oder edge 60. Assumes RH of %.• Recommended temperatures will in
crease or decrease relative to ambi ent RH. 2.3
BROODER MANAGEMENT Chick behavior is the best
indicator of correct broode r temperature.
With spot brooding , correc t temperature is indicated
by chicks being evenly spr ead throughout the broodi
ng area (Figure 2.2).
VENTILATION Airqual i t y i s cr i t i cal dur i ng t he
broodingper i od.Vent i l at i on i s r equi r ed dur i ng
the brooding period to maintain temperatures at t he t ar get ed l eve
l and t o al l owsuffi ci ent ai r exchange to prevent the accumulati
on of harmful gases such as car bon monoxide, carbon dioxide andammonia.
VENTILATION Establishing minimum ventil
ation rates from one day of a ge will ensure fresh air is su
pplied to chicks at frequent, regular intervals.
Stirring fans can be used to maintain evenness of air qu
ality at chick level.
LIGHTING Historically, l i ght i ng pr ogr ams have consi s
t ed of cont i nuous lightr egi mens t o m aximize daily weight gain.
These regimens consistof a l ong cont i nuousper i od of l i ght , f ol l owed by a
short dark period (e.g. 0 .5 –1 hr ) t o al l owbi r ds t o become accustomedt o da
rknessi n t he event of a power f ai l ur e.
LIGHTING Other lighting programs have be
en devised to modify growth, mi nimize FCR or reduce mortality.
To stimulate early feed intake, a ny lighting program should provi de a long day length (e.g. 23 hr l
ight) and adequate intensity forthe first seven days.
LIGHTING Light intensity at placement sh
ould be 2 –2 .5 foot candles ( 2 0 –2 5 l ux) at the feeder le
vel, then be gradually reducedso thatby28daysitisapproximately0.30–0.50f oot candl es
(3 –5 lux). Light intensity should be unifor
m throughout the house.
MONITORING EARLY CHICK PERFORMANCE
As a result of continued g enetic gains in growth rat
e, brooding has become a n increasingly greater pro
por t i on of t he l i f e of th e flock. In addition,
MONITORING EARLY CHICK PERFORMANCE
S - even day body weight is highl y cor r el at ed tomar ket age wei
ght. It is strongly recommended th
at a sample of each flock be w ei ghed at seven days to evalu
at e growth performance again st standards for the given prod
uct.
MONITORING EARLY CHICK PERFORMANCE
Scal es used shoul d be capabl e of weighing in 1 g increments.
Minimum sample size should be 1 percent of the flock,
With sampling done in at least t hree separate areas of the house
. Refer to the attachments for pro
duct weight objectives.
MONITORING EARLY CHICK PERFORMANCE
A general rule of thumb wou ld be a - seven day target of4x dayold chick weight.
Average weights below 130g should prompt investigati
on as to causative reasons.Seven days weight below
1g release 6g at 42 days.
HUMIDITY Relative humidity (RH) in the
hatcher, at the end of the incubation process will be high (
approx. 80 percent). Houses with whole house he
ating , especially where nippledrinkers are used, can have R
H levels as low as 25 percent.
HUMIDITYHouses with more conventi
onal equipment (i.e., spot brooders, which produce moi
sture as a byproduct of com bustion and bell drinkers, w
hich have open water surfa ces) have a much higher R
H (usually over 50 percent ).
HUMIDITY To limit the shock to thechi
cksof t r ansf er f r omt he i n cubator,
RHl evel s i n t he fi r st t hr ee days shoul d be mai
nt ai ned near 7 0 percent .
HUMIDITY RH within the broiler house should b
e monitored daily. If it falls below 50 percent in the first
week, chicks will begin to dehydrate ,
C ausing negative effects on performance.
In such cases, action should be take n to increase RH.
HUMIDITY If the house is fitted with -high press
ure spray nozzles (i.e.,foggers) for c ooling in high temperatures, then t
hese can be used to increase RH du ring brooding.
Chicks kept at appropriate humidit y levels are less prone to dehydrati
on and generally make a better, mo re uniform start.
HUMIDITY Ast he chi ck gr ows, ideal RH fall s.
HighRHf r om18days onward can c ause wet litter and its associat
ed problems.As broilers increase in live wei
ght, RH levels can be controlled using ventilation and heatingsystems.
INTERACTION BETWEEN TEMPERATURE AND HU
MIDITY Chickens lose heat to the environm
ent by evaporation of moisture pri marily from the respiratory tract.
At high RH, less evaporative loss o ccurs increasing the birds’apparent
temperature. The temperature experienced by t
he birds is dependent on the dry bu lb temperature and RH .
INTERACTION BETWEEN TEMPERATURE AND HU
MIDITY
High RH increases the appar ent temperature at a particu
lar dry bulb temperature,W hereas low RH decreases
apparent temperature. The temperature profile in T
able 2 .2 , assumes RH in t he range of 60 percent.
Heat Stress Index CalculationTemperature %RH
oC4
0
4
5
5
0
5
5
6
0
6
5
7
0
7
5
8
0
8
5
9
0
9
5
1
0
0
350.
3
7.2
3
8.9
4
0.6
4
2.8
4
5.0
4
7.8
5
0.6
5
3.3
5
6.7
6
0.0
6
3.9
6
7.8
7
1.7
344.
3
6.1
3
7.8
3
9.4
4
1.1
4
3.3
4
5.6
4
8.3
5
1.1
5
3.9
5
7.2
6
0.6
6
4.4
6
8.3
339.
3
5.0
3
6.7
3
8.3
4
0.0
4
1.7
4
3.9
4
6.7
4
8.9
5
1.7
5
4.4
5
7.8
6
1.1
6
5.0
333.
3
4.4
3
5.6
3
7.2
3
8.3
4
0.6
4
2.2
4
4.4
4
6.7
4
9.4
5
2.2
5
5.0
5
8.3
6
1.7
328.
3
3.3
3
4.4
3
6.1
3
7.2
3
8.9
4
0.6
4
2.8
4
5.0
4
7.2
5
0.0
5
2.2
5
5.6
5
8.3
322.
3
2.8
3
3.3
3
5.0
3
6.1
3
7.8
3
9.4
4
1.1
4
2.8
4
5.0
4
7.2
5
0.0
5
2.8
5
5.6
317.
3
1.7
3
2.8
3
3.9
3
5.0
3
6.1
3
7.8
3
9.4
4
1.1
4
3.3
4
5.0
4
7.2
5
0.0
5
2.2
311.
3
1.1
3
1.7
3
2.8
3
3.9
3
5.0
3
6.7
3
7.8
3
9.4
4
1.1
4
3.3
4
5.0
4
7.2
4
9.4
306.
3
0.6
3
1.1
3
1.7
3
2.8
3
3.9
3
5.0
3
6.7
3
7.8
3
9.4
4
1.1
4
2.8
4
5.0
4
6.7
300.
2
9.4
3
0.6
3
1.1
3
1.7
3
2.8
3
3.9
3
5.0
3
6.1
3
7.8
3
8.9
4
0.6
4
2.2
4
4.4
294.
2
8.9
2
9.4
3
0.0
3
1.1
3
1.7
3
2.8
3
3.9
3
5.0
3
6.1
3
7.2
3
8.9
4
0.0
4
1.7
289.
2
8.3
2
8.9
2
9.4
3
0.0
3
1.1
3
1.7
3
2.2
3
3.3
3
4.4
3
5.6
3
6.7
3
7.8
3
9.4
283.
2
7.8
2
8.3
2
8.9
2
9.4
3
0.0
3
0.6
3
1.1
3
1.7
3
2.8
3
3.9
3
5.0
3
6.1
3
7.2
278.
2
7.2
2
7.8
2
8.3
2
8.9
2
9.4
3
0.0
3
0.6
3
1.1
3
1.7
3
2.2
3
2.8
3
3.9
3
5.0
272.
2
7.2
2
7.2
2
7.8
2
7.8
2
8.3
2
8.9
2
9.4
2
9.4
3
0.0
3
0.6
3
1.1
3
2.2
3
2.8
267.
2
6.7
2
6.7
2
7.2
2
7.2
2
7.8
2
7.8
2
8.3
2
8.9
2
8.9
2
9.4
3
0.0
3
0.0
3
0.6
256.
2
6.1
2
6.1
2
6.1
2
6.1
2
6.7
2
6.7
2
6.7
2
6.7
2
6.7
2
6.7
2
6.7
2
7.2
2
7.2
244.
2
5.6
2
5.6
2
5.6
2
5.6
2
5.6
2
5.6
2
5.6
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
4.4
2
3.9
2
3.9
233.
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
4.4
2
4.4
2
3.9
2
3.3
2
2.8
2
1.7
2
1.7
2
1.1
222.
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
4.4
2
3.9
2
3.9
2
3.3
2
2.2
2
1.7
2
0.6
1
9.4
1
8.3
211.
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
5.0
2
4.4
2
3.9
2
3.3
2
2.2
2
1.7
2
0.6
1
9.4
1
8.3
1
6.7
INTERACTION BETWEEN TEMPERATURE AND HU
MIDITY
Table 2.3 shows the predicted d ry bulb temperature required to
achieve the target temperature profile over a range of RH.
The information in Table 2.3 ca n be used in situations where R H varies from the target range ( 60percent).
INTERACTION BETWEEN TEMPERATURE AND HU
MIDITY
If RH is outside the target range, the temperature of the house at
chick level can be adjusted to ma tch that given in Table 2.3.
At all stages, chick behavior sho uld be monitored to ensure chick
s are experiencing an adequate temperature.
INTERACTION BETWEEN TEMPERATURE AND HU
MIDITY
If subsequent behavio r indicates chicks are to o cold or too hot,
the house temperatur e should be adjusted ap
propriately.
Conclusion Before chicks arrive, insp
ect the house closely to e nsure proper setup.
After a poor start, there i s little time to compensat e for the lost growth as a
chick's life is only approxi mately 1000 hours.
Conclusion Thus, every hour represents
0.10% of the chick's life. In a- 24 hour period, 2.4% perform
WWWW WWW WW WWWWW Many pr oducer s r ecogni ze
t hat per f or mance l ost t he fi r st day or fi r st week wi l
l be r efl ect ed i n fi nal per f or mance r esul t s.
HEAT STRESS Heat stress negatively aff
ects growth rate and livability.
Effects of heat stress can be minimized by altering
t he envi r onment to redu ce the temperature exper
ienced by the bird.
CONTROL OF HEAT STRESS Normal body temperature of a broiler ch
icken is106ºF (41).
Absolute temperature at which a broiler is under heat
stress is related to its age, temperature a WW W.
As a rule of thumb, for fully feathered bi rds, a “heat stress index” ( RH pl
us temperature in ºF) of 160 is consider ed heat stress.
CONTROL OF HEATSTRESSThe longer the exposure
to high temperatures, the greater the stress and its effects. (See Figure 2 .8
) .
CONTROL OF HEATSTRESS Broilers regulate their body temperature
by two methods: radiation/convection of heat and evaporati
ve cooling throughrespiration. Within the temperature range 5 5 –7
7ºF (1 3 –2 5 ºC), heat loss is mainly a ccomplished through physical radiation
and convection to the cooler environment.
CONTROL OF HEATSTRESS As the temperature rises above
8 6 ºF (3 0 ºC) the majority of heat l oss is accomplished by e
vaporative cooling and panting,and increasedr espi r at i on r at e.
The relationship between the two types of heat loss and envir
onment al t emper at ur e i s i l l ust r at ed in Table 2.4.
CONTROL OF HEATSTRESS Panting allows the bird to control body te
mperature by evaporation of water from the respiratory surfaces and air sacs.
The process uses energy. In conditions of high humidity, panting is less effective.
Where high temperatures are maintained for long periods, or humidity is very hig
h, panting may be insufficient to control body temperature and the bird may expe
rience heat stress.
CONTROL OF HEATSTRESS As the bird passes into acondi t i on ofheatst r ess, r ect alt emper at ur e r i ses, hea
r t r at e and met abol i c ra te increase and oxygenati on of t he bl ood decr eas
es.
ACTIONS TO REDUCE HEAT STRESS
Lower i ng st ocki ng densi t y wi l l reduce temperature experienced byt
hebi r d. Birds lose heat by evaporation of
moisture during panting and therefore require increased amounts of drinking water.
Adequate fresh water should be available at all times.
Insulation of storage tanks and water pipes will help reduce heat stress.
ACTIONS TO REDUCE HEAT STRESS
Digestiongeneratesheat ; t her ef or e, f eedi ng d uring the hottest part of the
day should be avoided in ope- n sided housing.
A significant amount of heat is lost by convection and, at high humidity, convective heat loss becomes more important.
ACTIONS TO REDUCE HEAT STRESS
Increasing the air flow ov er the bird promotes heat
loss by convection. Anairflowofatleast5 0 0 f t / mi n ( 1 5
2m/min), measuredj ust above bi r d level, provides optimum
heat l oss by convection.
ACTIONS TO REDUCE HEAT STRESS
- In open sided housing, this ca n be achieved by using supple
mental, 36 in (91 cm) fans, pl aced at an angle of 32º, every
33 ft (10 m) across the house. Fans should be set to move ai
r in the same direction as the prevailing wind.
ACTIONS TO REDUCE HEAT STRESS
High humidity reduces th e eff ect i veness of evap
or at i ve heat l oss. The litter is a significant
sour ce of moi st ur e i n t he chi cken house, so litte
r condition should be man aged carefully.
ACTIONS TO REDUCE HEAT STRESS
Radiant heat from the su n will increase house tem
perature, par t i cul ar l y i f r oof i nsul at i on i s i nadequat
e. Water sprinklers on the r
oof ridge will reduce this s ource of heat.
ACTIONS TO REDUCE HEAT STRESS
- In open sided houses, plastic netting hung from the eaves
t o cover 3 0 percent of the open ar ea may be used as a s
cr een against radiant heat. Install tunnel ventilation and
evaporative cooling systems.
ACTIONS TO REDUCE HEAT STRESS
Refer to AviaTech bulleti non “Get t i ng Br oi l er Hou
ses Ready for Hot Weat her” (Vol I No 3 ).
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
Risks of feed spoilage du e to mold growth and/or v
i t ami n l oss are increase d at high temperatures.
Feed storage time should bemi ni mi zed.
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
The two main changes which c an be made to diet compositi
on to partially compensate for heat stress are:
✔ Adjustment of nutrient levels to take account of lower feed i
ntake ✔ Reduct i on of heat i ncr eme
nt of t he f eed
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
Increasing feed nutrient densit y will be effective in reducing h
eat stress providing the birds h ave the capacity to respond by
increased growth. The effectiveness of this treatm
ent will depend on t he t emper a t ur e and t he amount of st r ess
exper i enced by the birds.
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
As an appr oxi mat e gui de, f eed i nt ake i s reduced by
5 percent per degree tempe rature rise bet ween 90º and 100ºF (32º and 38ºC) comp
ared with 1percent 15to . pe 68 8rcent between º and
6ºF 2030( ºand ºC).
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
If feed intake is down by 5 per cent or 1 0 percent , then th
e nutrient WWWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWW WW WWWWWWWWW WW WWWWWWWWWWW
It is particularly WW WWWWWWW WW adjust the amino acid, vitami
n and mineral fractions of thefeed.
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
An increase in amino acid levels may be beneficial if feed intake
is reduced due to high ambient temperatures.
Excess protein is broken down and eliminated from the bird by
deamination and excretion, pro cesses which have a high heat i
ncrement.
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
Underal l ci r cumst ances of heat s tress, amino acid requirement
s should be met at the lowest possible total protein content.
Sour ces of hi gh qual i t y pr o t ei n and synt het i c amino acids will help to achieve
this aim.
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
In addition to minimizing prot ein excess, the heat incremen
t of the feed may be reduced by substituting good quality fa
t for carbohydrate. Fat inclusion may also stimula
te intake and, under some circ umstances, give a beneficial b
oost to energy intake.
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
Birds suffering heat stres s exhibit r educed l evel s
of pl asma carbon dioxide andbi car bonat e.
NUTRITION AND HE AT STRESS
Pant i ng i nduces r espi r at or y alkalosis , which may be correct
ed by a variety of supplements to either the feed or the water (
e.g. sodium bicarbonate). There is also a l oss of pot assi
um by birds suffering heat stress, which may be corrected by a dministrationof pot assi umchl or i de.
CATCHING AND LIV E HAUL
OBJECTIVE To manage the final phase of
t he pr oduct i on pr ocess sot hat broilers are transferred
to the processing plant in optimum condition, ensuring the p
rocessing requirements are met and humane t r eat ment i
s mai nt ai ned.
PREPARATION FORCATCHING When using lighting prog
rams, i t i s essent i al t o returnto23 hr of light at least two
t o f our days priort o depl et i on.
PREPARATION FORCATCHINGThis will ensure the birds
are calm during catching. A withdrawal ration must
be fed in accordance withl ocal legal regulations p
rior to slaughter to elimin at e t he r i sk of controlledf eed ad
ditiver esi dues i n t he meat .
PREPARATION FORCATCHING Feed shoul d be withdraw
n 8 –1 0 hr before processing .
This period should includ e catching, transport and
holding time.
PREPARATION FORCATCHINGIf feed withdrawal time is
prolonged, water absorbe d f r om body tissues accu
mulates in the digestive t ract resulting in reducedyi el d.
Fecalcont ami nat i on may al s obe i ncr eased.
PREPARATION FORCATCHING Unlimited access to water should b
e available for as long as possible p rior to catching to reduce shrink los
s. Prior to catching, all feeding equip
ment should be raised above head height of the catching personnel (i.
e., >6 ft, 2 m), removed from the h ouse or positioned to avoid obstruct
ion to birds or personnel.
PREPARATION FORCATCHING In larger houses, separati
on of birds into pens will avoi d unnecessary crowding.
It will also allow access t o water for birds not imm
ediately due for catching.
PREPARATION FORCATCHING High humidity reduces th
e eff ect i veness of evap or at i ve heat loss.
The litter is a significant s our ce of moi st ur e i n t h
e chi cken house, so litter condition should be mana
ged carefully.
PREPARATION FORCATCHING Light intensity within the
house must be r educed toaminimum, but must be sufficient to
allow safe and careful catching.
PREPARATION FORCATCHING Blue light has been found to
be satisfactory for this purpose.
The best results are achieve d when birds are allowed to
settle after lights have been dimmed and when there is
minimal disturbance.
PREPARATION FORCATCHING The use of curtains over
mai n door s of t he housei s helpful when catching
during daylight hours.
PREPARATION FORCATCHINGThe opening of doors and re
moval of birds will affect ventilation of thermostatically c
ontrolled environments.The ventilation system shou
ld be monitored and adjusted carefully throughout the c
atching procedure.
CATCHING AND HAULING Most downgrading observed at
slaughter will have occurred du ring the previous 24 hours when
birds were being caught and ha ndled.
Catching is an operation which should be planned carefully in a dvance and supervised closely
at all stages.
CATCHING AND HAULING Handling of birds must be
carried out by appropriately trained, competent pers
onnel in order to avoid unnecessary struggling by the
birds to minimize bruising, scratching or other injuries
.
CATCHING AND HAULING Broilers should be held by th
eir feet and shanks, never by t hei r t hi ghs.
They should be caught and h eld by both legs to minimize
distress, damage and injury. Birds should be placed caref
ully into modules or crates.
CATCHING AND HAULING Modules have been show
n t o result in less distress and damage than conven
tional crates. Cratesor modul es shoul d neve
rbe over fi l l ed.
CATCHING AND HAULING The number of broilers p
er crate or module must b e reduced in high temper
atures. Transport time should be
within current guidelinesor regulations.
CATCHING AND HAULING At all times, from loading to the
holding sheds, adequate protection from the elements is essent ial.
Ventilation, ext r a heat i ng and/orcoolingshoul d be us edwhen necessar y.
Bird stress will be minimized in trailers designed to provide ade
quat e ventilation.
CATCHING AND HAULING Heat stress will develop rapidly
when the transport vehicle is stationary, -particularly if on boa
rd ventilation is not available or in hot weather.
Vehicles should leave the farm as soon as loading is completed
. Supplementary ventilation in t
he holding sheds should be ava ilable to inimize heat stress.