Brooding Instructions
“And Educated Farmer is a Successful Farmer”
PLEASE READ CAREFULLLY TO MINIMIZE LOSS OF CHICKS AND
MONEY!
Q: What is the advantage of brooding your own chicks/ducklings vs. Ready to
lay?
A: It is a common notion that getting ready to lay or RTL is the quickest and
fastest way to earn from poultry farming. It is quick but not profitable in the long
run. Since you are dependent on the outcome of your stocks to another person,
the assurance of good quality will be a problem. Cost cutting measures can be
done by the grow‐out farmer that supplies the Ready To Lay or RTL. That will be
detrimental to the productivity of the animal.
On the other hand, growing your own chicks/ducklings can be the best start up
you just need to learn to save money PLUS produce good quality chickens! Which
farmer can produce the best quality chickens? Himself! Nobody can give the best
care, good quality feeds and management than the farmer himself. Also a farmer
who learns the proper brooding techniques can produce good quality
chickens/ducks all year round without worrying about the cold or hot climate.
It is normal that on the first 2 times of brooding some adjustments or corrections
are needed. Since this is livestock farming, expect mortality along the way.
Eventually, you will have the full grasp of brooding and good quality produce is
easier to attain.
Q: Why do you need to perform brooding for day old chicks and ducklings?
A: Day old Chicks and ducklings are born without the ability to maintain heat in
their bodies in the first 21 days of life. Under natural conditions with the presence
of the mother hen or duck, the young will stay under the wings of their mother to
keep them warm. Especially during cold seasons and throughout the night. What
we are trying to copy is to provide a warm comfortable environment for the
chicks to stay and be nourished.
Q: Is Brooding an important procedure in producing good quality poultry
produce?
A: Definitely YES – The chicks to survive their young stage will need to have a
suitable environment to prepare them in their productive period. Whether the
purpose is for meat or egg production, the quality of produce will be highly
dependent on how GOOD the BROODING was done! This means Good Brooding =
Good Production.
Q: What are the common errors in brooding?
A: Cold flooring, No heat available for chicks, no curtains, wind or draft present
overcrowding, over‐ heating, high carbon dioxide levels.
Q: What are the negative results of these errors?
A: Dead chicks found in the morning, while the rest of the flock looks normal but
will eventually get stressed. After 3‐4 days the remaining chicks becomes weak
and stressed, whitish excreta are found at the rear of the stressed chicks. The
reason for this is the chicks are not able to rest at night time due to the cold
temperature of the flooring or draft wind. The chicks will huddle together the
whole night. The chicks found at the far end will be crushed.
Q: Are there differences in the brooding of the meat types as compared to the
layer types and inasal types? Also pekin ducklings as compare to layer
ducklings?
A: Meat Type or Broiler type chicks and ducklings are more tolerable to variances
in low temperature or cold. This means that these types can withstand the stress
of cold more compared to the layer type and inasal types. Thus more particular
attention should be given to small framed chicks like inasal and layer types as well
as layer ducklings which are more sensitive.
Q. Is it Okay to mix meat types with inasal or layer types? Also Mixing ducklings
and chicks?
A: No. since the feed and water intake as well as comfort of the smaller frame
inasal or layer types will be greatly affected due to the high feed intake of meat
types. Also not advise‐able to brood together ducklings in chicks in one setting.
Q: Is it not advisable to brood during the cold season?
A: You can brood all year round once you have the background on proper
brooding. Some adjustments are just needed if the climate changes from summer
to cold season or vice‐versa.
Q: What is the ideal size of the area for brooding?
A: For a size of 100 chicks or ducklings you need 1.5 to 2 square meters of
brooding area for the first 7 days. Expand to an additional 1 square meter for the
second week. On the 3rd week additional 1.5 square meters more.
Q: What is the shape of the brooding area?
A: The best shape to use is a rounded brooding area. We call this the brooding
ring. This is to prevent piling‐up or stampede deaths to occur. If you have a
rectangular or square cage, just put some plastic or G.I. flat metal sheet curves at
the corners to prevent chicks from being pinned down at the corners.
Q: What are the important points to consider in Brooding
A: 1. A closed environment with our any wind or draft. Elevated cages need to be
enclosed from the ground level up with plastic or sack curtains. It is like enclosing
a small room with curtains even if it is done on the ground or elevated.
long per 100 heads of chicks) MUST be placed in a small heater room (see
2. A warm insulated flooring for the chicks:
DO’s
a) Use rice‐hull or rice husk (most preferred) as the main flooring of
the chicks 4 inches is ideal. Remove after 21 days.
b) You can also use rice straws finely chopped
c) Another alternative is Wood shavings 5 inches thick
d) If no rice‐hull or wood shavings available, finely shredded
newspaper 6 inches thick can be used. Replace every 5 days
DON’Ts
a) Never use a spread of newspaper or carton to use as flooring
b) Never use the earthen ground as flooring
c) Never Use chicken wire or bamboo slats as flooring.
Q: What are the types of heaters to keep the chicks warm?
A: 1) Charcoal in tin pails (for 100 heads : 1 small palayok o 1 gallon paint can)
2) Incandescent bulbs ( 1 watt per bird or 100 heads : 100 watts)
3) Heater pipes or bottles ( 4 bottles of long neck or 2 G.I. Pipes 18inches
pictures).
4) LPG heaters – for commercial use already
Q: What is a small heating room?
A: It is a sub room created in the brooding area to provide and maintain heat. The
chicks can choose it’s environment when it feels cold or hot by moving in and out
of the heating room. Not all chicks have the same tolerance to heat. Forcing too
much heat to chicks can also produce bad results like dehydration stress. Thus a
heating room was created. On a 1‐2 meter diameter brooding ring, you can create
a 1/3 size heating room the top cover is made from used flour sacks while the
front curtain facing the chicks are flour sacks with 1/3 of the height slashed to
provide easy entry.
Q: How to prepare a brooding area?
A: Here is the list of materials for 100 heads at 2 meter diameter:
1. 3 sacks of fresh rice hulls
2. G.I. Sheet 2 pcs cut in half length‐wise (please be careful to fold the
edges).
3. 8 – pcs kawayan stick as “sipit”
4. Trapal of curtain – close the brooding area with a curtain around 6
square meters
5. G.I. wire or rope – sampayan to hold the curtain
6. Katya or used flour sack or feed sack
7. 2 kilos old newspaper
8. A long bamboo stick about 2.5 meters
9. Heater source – Charcoal or incandescent bulb or hot water bottles
10. Heater guards – can be a chicken wire
11. 10 used feed sacks
12. Feeders and waterers
Procedure:
‐ Secure the curtains surrounding the brooding area with the trapal and G.I.
wire. For elevated brooding houses, the space below must be enclosed with
trapal also.
‐ Place the old feed sacks on the floor on the ground or if elevated on top of
the kawayan or chicken wire flooring.
‐ Place the brooding ring at the size of 2 meters diameter. Use sipit to hold
the G.I. flat sheet. Into a circle.
‐ Place the rice hull inside an spread it around.
‐ Place the old newspaper on top of the rice hull – 5‐6 pages stacked and laid
out
‐ Place the bamboo stick across the G.I. Sheet – 1/3 part
‐ Cover the top with katya or feed sack (your heating room)
‐ Cover the front with 1/3 slashed katya
‐ Place the feeders and waterers as seen in the diagram
‐ Place and activate the heating system 1 hour before arrival of chicks