Litter Management in a Poultry House

Litters are absorbent materials, typically in granular form, straw, or other plant materials used as bedding for animals. Every poultry pen floor is expected to be filled with litter, mostly deep-liter systems. These help in absorbing the moisture from the bird's pop and make the pen clean and safe from disease manifestation.

Why are litters significant in poultry management? 

It's a known fact that poultry birds take in food and water, process it in their body systems, and release it out through their vents. Once this is done, the process continues not only for one bird, but for all. To avoid air pollution and to make the pen easy to clean, litter is introduced into the pen as an absorbent and also as a layer to protect the floor from being stocked with the feces of the birds.

What are the implications of bad litter?

Bad litter causes numerous complications for the farmers in the farm house. Starting with the moisture, the pen always gets wet quickly, more like water is being poured on the floor nonstop, which will make the room uncomfortable for the birds, and likewise, the farmer, whose stress is increased with regular cleaning. Furthermore, it harbors numerous diseases, which leads to an increase in disease transmission among the birds. This happens as soon as there is ammonia buildup inside the pen.

What type of litter is best for poultry pens? 

There are several available litters being used by farmers; some are bad and some are good. Straws, sawdust, wood shavings, rice husks, shafts, and other agricultural litters are examples. All the mentioned litters being used by farmers, only one is generally accepted as the best of them all, which is wood shavings. Some mistake wood shavings for sawdust; both are different. Sawdust is harmful to birds, mostly chicks. It is observed that it causes chronic respiratory disease and also harbors numerous diseases associated with it. The rest of the litter's level of moisture retaining capacity is very low, which makes them unreliable for poultry pen floors. 

How can I get good litter?

These never require any special tactics, so find them. As stated earlier, wood shavings are the best litter for poultry pen floors. To get wood shavings, all you need to do is visit any sawmill around you. If you are finding it difficult to find one, consult your carpenter to help you out with getting it. Some sawmills will give you this free of charge depending on the quantity, while most will charge you for it per sac. 

Poor litter management is not an experience you would like to have. Once there is an outbreak inside the farm, tracing the source will be a bit difficult for the vet. To control the breakout will require tackling the litter first before any solution can be implemented to avoid recycling of the disease. If you have more questions or wish to share your experiences with us, kindly use the comment box. 

Lighting Management in the Poultry Brooding House

In daily human activities, light plays an important role, be it eating, drinking, working, and playing. This is also applicable to the lives of animals as well as plants. Light is the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible, while the process of dealing with or controlling things or people is known as management.

 

This article, Lighting Management in the Poultry Farm Brooding House, aims at the managerial aspect of the lighting source in the brooding house, the importance of lighting, and the duration.

 

Why is an extra light source essential in the poultry farm brooding house?

This is a question that most farmers ask almost every time. Some just give light to the chicks because they are told to do so without knowing the significance of doing so. Still, the question still baffles them. Light, as it has been stated earlier, is the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. It is observed that chicks require a percentage of nutrition in their diet in the first week of their life. This is mainly to help speed up their growth rate, build their feathers in other ways, protect them from colds and build their immune systems.

 

What's the time frame for using light?

As light is important to the chicks, there is time for everything. Light sources should be made available for the chicks nonstop, meaning throughout the day and night every day, and the minimum time for the withdrawal of light sources from the birds in the brooding house is 3 days. It depends on your financial strength, the breed of birds, and the purpose of the birds. For those raising broiler chickens for a targeted time of 5 to 6 weeks of production, it is best to provide constant lighting for the birds until sales, which should be at 5 weeks of age.

 

Can't I just give them light at night alone?

Giving the chicks light at night is not a bad idea. Running the light nonstop creates a situation whereby some parts of the brooding room are dark, making some chicks cluster despite an excellent room temperature and some avoiding feeding. To give light only at night, the farmer must make sure there is a perfect reflection of light rays entering the room.

 

I don't know the best light source I can use.

Truly, not all lighting sources are reliable enough to be used inside the brooding house. The use of the lantern will consume kerosene, and still, the reflection won't be enough to reach every corner of the room; also, the fuel might finish at an awkward time. Using a generator as a power source is a good idea, but it's very costly to maintain it. The best lighting sources for the brooding room that I can suggest are any battery-powered lighting sources like rechargeable lamps or solar power sources.

 

Having a good power source helps to relieve the stress and panic level of the farmer when combined with good management and biosecurity. Lighting management is one of the key roles in setting up a poultry farm, and becoming a successful farmer requires good management skills. Don't forget to share your experiences with us in the comment box.

 

Heat Management in Poultry Birds' Brooding

Heat management in poultry birds' brooding is the monitoring and controlling of the form of energy that is transferred by a difference in the temperature of the poultry pen. It is highly important to have a maximum control of the room temperature at the stipulated temperature of 35 °C, which is the required room temperature for day-old chicks for the first 3 days.

You might be wondering why heat is essential?

To give an answer to your question, Let me start with this: since they are also living things, they go through some cycles that involve fertilization, egg formation, and hatching. During the process of hatching, the egg undergoes a level of temperature which helps in the development of the chicks inside the eggshell. Which brings me to the real point: they need time to adjust to the temperature outside the shell and to solidify their body systems, just like human beings.

What form of heat source can I use?

We have various heat sources, be it firewood, charcoal, lanterns, electric bulbs, electric heaters, stoves, etc. But not all the listed sources can be used in brooding houses as a source of heat. The most common heat sources used by poultry farmers are: lanterns, charcoal, brooding gas lamps, electric heaters, and bulbs. Most of these heat sources are easy to monitor and regulate to get a good result.

When should I start and stop using heat?

Knowing when to start and when to stop things brings out the perfection of the thing. This is applicable to brooding; you need to know when to introduce the heat, likewise the withdrawal period. It is best to introduce the heat into the brooding room a day before the arrival of the chicks to regulate the room temperature and humidity. Adjustment of the temperature on their arrival might not be conducive for some of the birds. A heat source is only needed during the first 3 days; after that, the temperature will be adjusted gradually till they have all their feathers grown, which should be at the age of 4 weeks old.

How will I know if the temperature is high or low?

To confirm the brooding house temperature, it is recommended to use a thermometer to have an accurate room temperature and humidity. In cases where this device is not available, check the activity of the birds to see if they cluster towards the heat source or move far away from it. Clustering means there is a drop in temperature while running away from feed and heat source shows excess heat. To get this right, ensure you feel heat when you are inside the room, about to sweat and not suffocating.

In conclusion, ensure you avoid using heat sources that produce smoke to avoid carbon monoxide buildups, which can lead to chronic respiratory disease (CRD) and other diseases in birds. Don't forget to share your experiences with us in the comment section.