Poultry Your Way - Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems ...

MANAGEMENT
ALTERNATIVES
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BROODING (day-old to grow-out)
Poultry Your Way
MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES
POULTRY BASICS
Figure 22: Management Standards by Stage of Production
Chicken hatchings, turkey poults, ducklings, goslings, and captive game brooders should be ordered and scheduled
to arrive with enough time to finish them to market weight, which varies according to the final product desired.
Look for breeders or hatcheries that are pullorum- and typhoid-free and flocks that have no history of sinusitis or
air-sac infection. Vaccinations are often administered at the hatchery. Most brooders are reared inside, although
some farmers are returning to range rearing during summer. Before the hatchlings arrive, your brooder house
(where young birds are raised) should be set up with brooder rings and adequate floor space (seven to twelve
square inches per chick), feed (such as a starter mash), water, litter, and a heat source. Hatchlings are stressed
easily and very susceptible to drafts and dampness. Clean and disinfect the brooder house at least two weeks
before brooders arrive. Cover floors with two to four inches of absorbent litter material such as wood shavings,
rice hulls, or even ground corncobs. Warm the space to a temperature appropriate for your birds at least 24
hours before they arrive (heat requirements differ by species and even breed). Adjust temperatures throughout
the brooding period according to supplier recommendations. Specially formulated starter rations and grit are
available for chicks, turkeys, waterfowl, and game birds.
GROWING/GROW-OUT (pullets up to start of lay; meat birds from end of brooding to finishing)
During this stage of production, birds grow quickly. Birds may be housed in confinement or put on pasture to
roam. Stocking rates vary by species and management practice. Adequate floor space is important to prevent
overcrowding and stress. Overcrowding can lead to death loss through smothering and cannibalism. Broilers are
fed a diet that produces a fast rate of gain while layers and roasters are fed on a slow rate of gain or “grower”
diet. In the Midwest, turkeys are typically fed a ration of ground corn and soybean meal along with supplemental
vitamins, minerals, and fat.
FINISHING (last one to two weeks before processing)
Chickens, turkeys, and other birds are typically finished in the same housing used for growers. Heavy meat birds,
such as turkeys, often are fed supplemental corn or a “finishing diet” during the last two weeks before processing.
At the end of the finishing stage, growers typically clean confinement facilities to remove manure and litter.
LAYING (hens aged 22+ weeks)
The typical laying cycle for hens is 13 to 15 months. Hens naturally molt (shed feathers) at about 18 to 20 months
of age and begin laying again after a 4- to 8-week rest period. The most critical management factors for laying
flocks are housing, light, temperature, and feed. For years, confinement style housing has been favored for layers
because it keeps eggs clean and safe from predators. Because of strong marketing preferences for “free-range”
products, however, some producers are returning their layers to the field and providing mobile nesting shelters.
Range shelters and confinement housing must include nest boxes and roosting bars as well as an artificial light
source if laying and molt cycles are to be controlled throughout winter. Feed and nutritional requirements vary
by breed and size, climate, and age. Protein needs, for instance, are higher during the beginning of the birds’ laying
cycle when egg production is at its peak. On average, each bird requires one-quarter pound of complete feed per
day, depending on housing conditions and opportunity to supplement feed rations with pasture. Poultry author
Leonard Mercia describes feed requirements for brown and white egg layers by stage in his book Storey’s Guide to
Raising Poultry (see Resources under Poultry Husbandry).