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CHAPTER 7: BROODING
The young chicks do not have adequate body temperature since their downy
feathers are not adequate to keep them comfortably warm. Additionally, chicks
consume less oxygen per unit time as compared to adults for they are less
efficient in metabolising the dietary energy. Because of all these reasons, young
chicks need supplementary heat. The process of providing supplementary heat
to young chick under downy stage is called brooding.
Why do chicks need brooders?
• Inadequate Body Temperature
• Adult body temperature is attained only on the tenth day after hatching.
• Feather Growth: The downy feather is not adequate to keep the chicks
comfortably warm.
• Oxygen Consumption: Chicks consume less oxygen per unit time compared
to adults, thus chicks are less efficient in metabolizing dietary energy.
Natural Brooding
The hatched chicks provide the stimulus to the hen to change her work from
incubating eggs to brooding young. This form of brooding chicks is the easiest if
only a few chicks are raised because the mother hen does all the work. Under
natural brooding, chicks can easily be fostered under a broody hen at night, and
she will raise them as her own even if they are pheasants, turkeys, quail, or
waterfowl.
Artificial Brooding
Sources of Heat
Depending upon the availability, the following sources of heat can be used to
brood young chicks.
a. Electricity
b. Kerosene Heaters
c. Solar energy (solar cells)
d. Other sources
• Wood
• Charcoal
• Coal
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• Rice hulls
• Sawdust
Methods of Supplying Heat
a. Localized heating b. Corner heating c. Room heating d. Whole house
heating
Factors to Consider in the Selection of a Brooder
a. Efficiency and reliability b. Convenience c. Cost of the brooder and its
operation
The Brooder House
• Should provide enough protection against weather and good insulation in the
walls, ceiling and floor to retain the heat and reduce heating costs.
• The brooder house should be at least 30 meters away from the old stock on the
farm to prevent risk of transmitting disease.
• Routine work in each morning is first carried out in the sheds of young stock
before entering the house of adult birds.
• A brooder house must have one age group stock.
• Laying strain chicks should be kept in the brooder house for at least four
weeks.
• Broiler chicks should be kept for 10-14 days in the brooding unit. But at the
same time, room temperature should be considered. If heating is required at all,
brooding must be continued until you accurately find out that brooding is not
essential anymore.
Brooding Management
1. Preparation of a Brooding House
• Clean the brooding house thoroughly with water.
• Spray disinfectants and pesticides, and clean it thoroughly with water again.
• Leave the house to dry to couple of day
• Spread 3-4 inches of dry litter as bedding (sawdust, rice husk, or powdered
maize cobs), which will build up to deep litter system.
• Old newspapers or related material must be laid over litter for at least couple
of days to prevent curious chicks from eating the litter. This will allow time for
chicks to differentiate litters from feed.
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• The brooder house is operated 24 hr. ahead of the chicks’ arrival to allow the
brooding area to warm up and reach the required temperature of 35°C.
• Provide brooder guards for chicks grown in litter-floor pens.
• Block corners of the brooder house to prevent chicks from huddling
• Brooder guard should be provided o A brooder guard is a low walls of
cardboard/wood/plywood about 18” to two feet high placed around the brooder o
Brooder guard keeps the brooding area dry o Brooder guard keep the chicks
close or near to the heat source. o Brooder guard should be kept one to two
weeks depending on the weather and insulation value of the house.
Optimum Temperature
Behavior of chicks is the best indicator of temperature prevailing in the brooding
area.
Signs if the heat requirement is met or not:
a. Chicks huddle together under the brooder, pile over the others and make chip-
chip sound.
Low temperature
b. Chicks move away from brooder spread their wings and pant through their
beaks. When the atmosphere is too dry, feather of chicks do not grow well. Feed
consumption decreases but water intake increases. Excreta become too wet.
High temperature
c. Evenly spread throughout he brooder space
Right temperature
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