On the hygiene of keeping poultry

INCUBATION HYGIENE.

For incubation, eggs are selected based on external signs and by examination with an ovoscope. Eggs that do not meet the relevant requirements are discarded.

To prevent infectious diseases in embryos and ensure high yields, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness of the air in the hatchery premises (timely ventilation).

Before the start of the incubation season and during breaks after each batch of hatching, equipment and premises are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. To do this, use a 20% solution of freshly slaked lime, a 1% solution of potassium or sodium hydroxide, a 2-4% solution of creolin or formaldehyde.

Eggs for incubation are disinfected by irradiation with a mercury-quartz lamp or formaldehyde vapor, iodization and treatment with chloramine are used.

How to properly set up a poultry house

It is possible to raise healthy livestock that produce sufficient quantities of eggs using cage and floor housing. If you plan to raise chickens as a business, then you should take a closer look at cage keeping, because with this method, per 1 m2 of usable area, when cages are arranged in 2-3 tiers, there will be a minimum of 4-6 chickens, and a maximum of 16-24, then As with floor keeping, it is recommended to raise no more than 4-5 heads of adult birds. It is not recommended to exceed these standards, otherwise the bird will lag behind in development and its egg production will decrease.

You can build a chicken coop from various materials, but most farmers prefer wood as the cheapest material. You can also build from foam concrete, aerated block or any available material. Such chicken coops do not need to be insulated; they are suitable for summer and winter maintenance. In addition to the form of keeping, it is necessary to decide at what time the bird will be kept (from spring to autumn or year-round).

When building a chicken coop with floor-based poultry housing throughout the year, it is necessary to provide:

Foundation and slight elevation of the floor relative to the ground to avoid dampness, rodents and predators.
Wall design to prevent drafts. But with mandatory ventilation.
Possibility of disinfection.
Walking area at the rate of 1 m2 per 1 individual. Enclosures must be fenced. For these purposes, metal or polypropylene mesh is used.
Insulate the floor or use a bedding made of straw, sawdust or sand. Perch for chickens at a height of 60-90 cm from the floor.
Lighting and heating of the room.
Feeders, drinkers, nests for laying and incubating eggs.
All installed equipment must allow easy access and movement during cleaning and disinfection.

If you are raising livestock for the purpose of developing your own business, you should take a closer look at cage keeping. Keeping birds this way reduces the incidence of disease, since the bird does not come into contact with its droppings. In addition, the bird does not have the opportunity to scatter feed, because of this, feed consumption is reduced by 15-20%. Thanks to the specially designed design, it becomes easier to maintain cleanliness, disinfect, feed and collect eggs.

The main disadvantage of cage keeping is considered to be more careful maintenance of feed balance, feeding the birds with vitamins, and regular monitoring of diseases. Indeed, due to crowded housing, any disease affects a larger number of livestock.

Cages are made from various materials, but it is preferable to make them from washable materials that do not absorb odor, for example, galvanized profiles or metal.

For proper maintenance of livestock during the construction of cages or cage batteries, it is necessary to provide:

Poultry have free access to feed and water.
Approximate dimensions for keeping 4-5 individuals: Height 0.45 m, depth 0.5 m, width 1 m. Accordingly, to keep 1000 heads, 200 such cages are needed. When installed in 3 tiers, the required area for their installation will be 34 m2. In addition, it is necessary to provide passages between the cages to allow cleaning and caring for the livestock.
The floor is made of galvanized mesh with small cells. The optimal size is 12*25mm, if the size is increased, then when placing chickens in a cage, physical injuries to the paws are possible.
Inclined trays for collecting litter. Since chicken droppings are liquid, you can immediately provide for the possibility of draining them into a separate container.
Feeders are installed just above the egg receptacle, and drinking bowls are installed above them. Make the front wall from a 50*100 mm mesh.

Below is a standard cage shape for laying hens.

To reduce the negative impact of caged livestock, some poultry farmers recommend taking the cages with birds out into the fresh air in the summer, be sure to feed them with fresh vegetables and herbs, and most importantly, do not overpopulate them.

Broilers are kept in similar cages, but given the significant weight gain, a maximum of 4 birds are kept in cages with the above dimensions. Accordingly, the housing area for 1000 heads with a three-tier design will be 42 m2.

HYGIENE OF RAISING YOUNG CALM.

Chicks are transported from hatchery stations to farms no later than one day old, and at poultry farms they are transferred to rearing workshops 6-8 hours after hatching. Overexposure of young animals in an incubator weakens them and leads to high mortality.

Chickens are transported in special boxes. At the same time, you need to make sure that they do not overheat or overcool, or suffocate from lack of air.

On large farms, brought young animals are placed in special heated rooms: chicken coops (brooders), turkey coops, duck coops, and goose coops.

Broiler Flock Management Tip: What Are My Chickens Telling Me?

Providing your chicks with the right breeding conditions will give them a good start. Temperature and humidity must be monitored regularly, but one of the best indicators of proper breeding conditions is chick behavior.

Achieving the right environmental conditions will ensure:

Good development of appetite, feeding and drinking
Increased chick activity
More uniform herd development
Optimal Health and Growth

Hygiene in raising young chickens

The rearing of young poultry of different ages is carried out in special premises:

At the age of 1 to 60 days - in chicken houses (brooder houses) or in cage workshops.
To raise chickens, a poultry house (chicken house) is built on the floor, which is equipped with a special set of equipment.

Chicken houses are heated (especially in the early days of chick placement) using electric brooders, which are suspended on blocks and have guards on the floor.

Observing the behavior of chickens, you can always see how comfortable the environmental conditions are for them.

Too cold environment:

chicks huddle together or under a heat source and can be noisy and disturbing.

The environment is correct:

the chicks are evenly distributed and the noise signifies contentment.

Too hot environment:

chicks move away from the heat source, are quiet and panting, and their heads and wings droop.

When raising chickens outdoors, the temperature at the edge of the brooder umbrella in the first two days should be at 33-35°, followed by a decrease of 3-3.5° per decade.

After being kept in cages for 2 months and up to 4 months of age, breeding and replacement chickens are raised in acclimatizers. The room is equipped with a set of equipment, heating, forced supply and exhaust ventilation. From acclimatizers, birds are transferred to floor or cage housing.

Before the next placement of chickens, the room undergoes thorough mechanical cleaning, routine repairs, disinfection and ventilation.

There must be a preventive (sanitary) gap of at least ten days between the transfer of a batch of young animals and the placement of the next batch of chickens in cages, and at least two weeks for floor housing.

Raising replacement chickens.

When raising replacement chickens from 1 to 60 days on the floor on deep litter, the maximum capacity in a large-sized poultry house should not be more than 20 thousand birds. In this case, the room should be divided into sections: no more than 1000 heads each for breeding chickens and no more than 2500 heads for industrial chickens.

The stocking density of chickens per 1 m2 of floor area is 26 birds aged from 1 to 30 days and 16 birds aged from 31 to 60 days.

In rooms for chickens from one day to five days of age, a fence (shields) is installed around heating devices (brooders), inside which feeders and drinking bowls are placed.

Rearing of young animals for commercial laying hen flocks from 60 days of age can be carried out on deep litter, mesh, slatted floors or in cages.

In the warm summer, it is advisable to raise young animals intended for the repair of the breeding herd in colonial houses with unlimited ranges.

Planting density of young animals per 1 sq.m. floor when kept on deep litter, on mesh or slatted floors:

at the age of 61-150 days - 9 heads,
at the age of 151-180 days—5.5 heads.

For replacement young animals (pullets) older than 60 days, it is recommended to arrange perches at a height of 50-60 cm from the floor. The length of the perch bar for one head is 12-15 cm with a bar width of 4 cm and a distance between them of 20-25 cm.

After raising each batch of broilers, bedding and equipment are removed from the premises, the floor and walls are cleared of droppings, washed and disinfected. When cleaning and disinfecting chicken houses, feeders, drinkers and brooders are not dismantled.

After disinfection, the poultry house is ventilated and dried for 2 days. If necessary, disinsection and deratization are also carried out. A disinfectant barrier is installed at the entrance to each poultry house.

To prevent diseases, routine vaccinations are carried out. When feather-eaters appear, the bird is subjected to special treatment.

The general hygienic provisions for raising turkey poults, ducklings and goslings are the same as for chickens. However, species characteristics are also taken into account.

Thus, in recent years, the practice of raising ducklings for meat without the use of ponds has begun. Young animals of meat breeds of ducks with appropriate feeding reach 2 kg by the age of 55 days at a cost of 3.5-5.4 units per 1 kg of weight gain.

From the acclimatizers, the young birds are transferred to a room for adult birds. However, the best results when raising replacement young animals from the 1st to the 140th day are obtained in one room without transplantation.

When raising young birds, it is very important to handle them calmly; the room is kept quiet, and unauthorized persons are not allowed to enter. In a calm environment, young birds grow better and have high resistance to diseases. Feeding and watering of young animals must be uninterrupted, in full accordance with zootechnical standards.

Broiler chickens are raised in special rooms equipped with electric brooders. 500 heads of young animals are placed under each of them. In the first days of rearing, screens made of light fabric about 30 cm high are installed around the brooders so that the chickens do not leave the feed and water.

In mechanized large poultry houses, meat chickens are kept on deep litter until 60 days of age.

Before laying the bedding, fluff lime (500 g/m2 of floor) is scattered on the floor. Dry litter of crushed corn cobs, small wood shavings or sunflower husks is poured in a layer of 10-15 cm.

At the time of placing the chicks, the air temperature is:

the temperature in the room should not be lower than 28-30°C;
under the brooder 30-32°C,
in cells 28-32°C.

After 4 weeks of cultivation, the brooders are turned off, and the room temperature is maintained within 20-22°C. As temperatures rise, chicks overheat, their growth deteriorates and the fledging process slows down. When the temperature decreases, feed consumption per 1 kg of body weight gain increases. The air temperature in rooms for replacement young animals with floor and cage housing should be at least +14°.

Ventilation of premises must operate uninterruptedly and reliably.

Daylight hours during the entire growing period should be 16-17 hours with a specific lighting power of 5 W per 1 sq. m. floor.

Broilers are fed only dry food in the form of complete feed. They are fed in the first 3-4 days from tray feeders, and from 4-5 days until two weeks of age - from troughs with a side height of 4 cm; later food is given from automatic feeders.

The chickens are fed from automatic balloon drinkers in the form of a glass jar tipped into a tray, and after two weeks of rearing - from automatic drinkers in the form of troughs filled with water from a tap.

Raising breeding cockerels.

Breeding males up to 60 days of age are raised separately in cages or on the floor. From the age of 60 days they are kept on deep litter in premises with walking areas.

Raising chickens.

Usually hens intended for flock repair are

up to 50 - 60 days of age are raised in chicken coops (9 - 10 birds per 1 m2);
before the start of egg laying (up to 140 - 150 days of age) - in acclimatizers on permanent bedding (5 birds per 1 m2).

Basics of hygiene for outdoor chicken keeping.

In intensive poultry farming, different forms of floor keeping of chickens are used:

on the floor with deep bedding;
on deep litter in combination with litter boxes;
on mesh or slatted floors.

In the southern regions of our country (Caucasus, Crimea, etc.), floor-based poultry is kept in lightweight rooms with an open facade in aviaries.

At poultry farms, young animals are often raised in ordinary camp houses for 150-200 birds. These houses are connected into blocks up to 100 m long, placed parallel in lines and equipped with trough feeders and drinkers.

Contents on deep litter.

Preliminary preparation of poultry house floors is required.

Lime (fluff) is first sprinkled onto a clean, dry and compacted floor at the rate of 0.5-1.0 kg per 1 sq.m. floor, and then lay bedding 6-8 cm thick, which is gradually, as needed, refreshed, that is, fresh bedding material is layered.

The thickness of the permanent litter reaches:

15-20 cm when keeping young animals;
20-25 cm when keeping an adult bird.

The following is used as bedding material:

fibrous peat;
straw cutting;
crushed corn cobs;
sunflower husk;
chaff;
sawdust or small shavings;
other materials.

Average annual norm of bedding material per chicken:

fibrous peat 12-15 kg,
chopped straw 18-20,
sawdust or small shavings 9 kg.

When keeping chickens, bedding is required:

up to 60 days of age, you need 2-2.5 kg;
from 61 to 150 days of age, you need 3-3.5 kg.

In the thickness of the litter, biological processes take place with the release of heat, and, according to some scientists, the accumulation of B vitamins.

It has been established that peat litter absorbs ammonia 7 times, carbon dioxide 6 times and moisture 3 times more than other materials (straw, sawdust).

Contents with litter boxes.

More frequent cleaning of poultry houses is required, since the release of ammonia increases by about 8-10 times compared to deep litter.

Contents on mesh floors.

When keeping birds on slatted or mesh floors, the latter are made of separate removable frames, which are covered with metal mesh or filled with slats. Frames with mesh or slats are placed on stands 60-80 cm high from the floor.

The droppings fall through the gaps between the slats or through the mesh cells onto the floor.

Poultry houses with mesh or slatted floors may have work aisles that do not have these floors.

Specialization and methods of keeping poultry

Of course, some physiological functions of birds when kept in cages may be impaired to some extent, but the whole essence of this method of keeping is aimed at ensuring that these technological conditions are more consistent with the biology of a living organism.

Keeping poultry on the floor (especially with walks) gives it the opportunity to move freely, enjoy a sufficient amount of fresh air and sunlight, which ensures normal metabolism and contributes to high natural resistance to diseases, less wear and tear on the body and a longer economic life of the bird. Although such housing is often called an extensive system, it should be used for certain groups of birds (breeding core, etc.). Compared to cage-free cage housing, birds using floor cage housing with paddocks produce eggs with better incubation qualities; in addition, the preservation of young animals during rearing increases. However, floor housing for poultry also has its drawbacks: a shortage of high-quality bedding materials; the complexity of carrying out veterinary, preventive and zootechnical measures; hens laying part of their eggs (10%) on the litter and collecting eggs by hand; constant contact of poultry with litter contaminated with droppings, which quite often leads to the emergence of various infectious and invasive diseases.

One of the options for floor housing of poultry, excluding the use of litter, is housing on slatted and mesh floors, which allows increasing the bird stocking density by 10% compared to housing on deep litter.

Slat and mesh floors are made from separate removable frames measuring 1.8-2.0 x 1.0-1.5 m, which are laid on a stand 60-80 cm high from the floor. A metal mesh is stretched over the frames (mesh size is at least 35x35 mm) or wooden slats are stuffed so that the droppings fall freely. The bars of frames and planks are made round or trapezoidal. Planks with a cross section of 13-18 mm are placed on the edge with a gap of 38 mm between them. In rooms with such floors, there may be a free passage in the middle. Slat floors have a number of advantages over mesh floors. At night, chickens sit on slats across the entire floor area. A mesh floor is less durable than a slatted floor, and it quickly deteriorates under the weight of the bird.

The quality of hatching eggs, as well as their quantity obtained from chickens kept on slatted and mesh floors, is not lower than that of chickens kept on deep litter.

Poultry houses with slatted and mesh floors provide free movement of birds and convenient access to feeders, drinkers and nests. Feeders and drinkers are placed above the manure box. Perches are made on top of the mesh flooring at a distance of 35 cm from each other. Removal of litter under such floors is usually mechanized.

It is advisable to use floor housing of the parent flock in those poultry farms where the number of birds of parental forms does not exceed 30-50 thousand. Most poultry factories have transferred the birds of the parent flock to cage housing. This allows us to intensify the production of hatching eggs and unify the conditions for keeping breeding and industrial poultry. It should be noted that along with the positive aspects of the intensification of poultry farming, a number of negative factors appear that are associated with a violation of ethological reactions, called “frustration” and manifested in the form of hysteria, aggressiveness, and excessive timidity of birds. Frustration is caused not only by a reduction in living space, but also by a number of stresses caused by an unfavorable microclimate, transfers, uncomfortable conditions, physical inactivity, and unbalanced feeding. As a result, cannibalism occurs, mortality increases, and productivity decreases. Keeping chickens in windowless rooms with a complete absence of ultraviolet insolation and air ionization at high density leads to group pathologies of poultry due to physical inactivity and hypoxia.

Hygienic requirements for premises and technological equipment for poultry keeping

Specialized poultry farms operate as closed enterprises. It is strictly prohibited for unauthorized persons to enter production areas, as well as for any type of transport not related to farm maintenance. Maintenance personnel are allowed to enter the enterprise territory only through a veterinary and sanitary checkpoint, and vehicle entry is allowed through a permanent disinfection and washing room. All other entrances to the production areas of the poultry farm (farm) must be closed at all times.

The territory of poultry farms is constantly kept clean. Each room (poultry house) is equipped with containers for manure, which is transported daily by special transport assigned to this area to a processing shop for powder or to a manure storage facility for biothermal disinfection and use as fertilizer.

At the entrance to poultry houses, hatcheries, slaughter and feed workshops, warehouses and other premises for disinfecting shoes, disinfection ditches are installed across the entire width of the passage, 1.5 m long, which are regularly filled with disinfectant solutions.

Poultry houses interconnected into one building must be isolated from each other by blank walls or partitions and have exits to the outside.

The internal surfaces of premises (walls, partitions, ceilings) in poultry houses, hatcheries and egg warehouses must be smooth, without protrusions or crevices, painted (whitewashed) with moisture-resistant paints in light colors. In the poultry slaughter, carcass processing and waste disposal shops, walls are tiled to a height of 1.8 m.

The walls in hatcheries and hatching rooms, washing and feed preparation rooms must be lined or painted to a height of 1.8 m above the floor with moisture-resistant materials that allow them to be cleaned, disinfected and wet cleaned.

Floors in poultry houses are made with a hard surface, low thermal conductivity, resistant to waste liquid and disinfectants, waterproof and allowing for mechanized cleaning of deep litter. In hatcheries and ovipositors, the floors are covered with tiles. For water drainage from washing technological equipment and internal surfaces of poultry houses, hatcheries, egg warehouses, slaughterhouses, buildings must be equipped with sewerage.

The internal minimum height of production premises from the level of the finished floor to the bottom of the protruding structures of the covering (floor) must be: in premises for floor-based keeping of birds - at least 3 m; in poultry cage rooms, hatcheries, feed preparation rooms, laboratories, egg warehouses, office and other production premises - depending on the dimensions of the equipment, but not less than 3 m.

Single-story poultry houses with a pavilion type of construction usually have a width of 18 m, sometimes 21, in breeding farms - 12 m, length - 72-90-96 m; The dimensions of large poultry houses are 25 x 96 m, and some hatcheries are 36 x 144 m (23 Universal-50 incubators are accommodated).

The maximum capacity of poultry houses should not exceed (thousand heads): for cage housing of industrial chickens - 150, breeding chickens - 16, for floor housing of breeding chickens - 10; for raising replacement young chickens in cages - 200, on the floor - 20; for raising broiler chickens - 150; for keeping adult turkeys - 4; for raising replacement turkeys - 20; for raising young turkeys for meat in cages - 30, on the floor - 20; for keeping adult ducks - 5, for raising replacement young animals - 20, for raising young ducks for meat (regardless of the method of keeping) - 50; for keeping adult geese - 3, for raising replacement young geese and for meat - 10; for keeping adult guinea fowl - 6, for raising replacement guinea fowl and for meat - 20.

Large premises are recommended to be divided into separate isolated rooms and sections. The capacity of such sections should not exceed the following standards for industrial production (heads): chickens - 2000, female turkeys - 150, male turkeys - 15, ducks - 250, female geese - 120, male geese - 12, geese natural mating - 250, guinea fowl - 2000, replacement young chickens - 2500, broiler chickens - 15000, young turkeys - 250, young geese - 250, young ducks - 300, young guinea fowl - 2000. The capacity of poultry house sections at breeding enterprises should be lower for the following species and groups of poultry, and amounts (heads): chickens - 500, guinea fowl - 500; replacement young chickens - 1000 and young guinea fowl - 1000.

Partitions between sections in poultry houses and fencing for solariums are made of mesh for chickens of meat breeds and young animals at a height of 1.5 m from the floor; for turkeys, guinea fowl and their young animals - to the entire height of the room; in poultry houses and solariums for ducks and their young and goslings under the age of 9 weeks - 0.6 m; for geese and their young animals aged from 9 to 34 weeks in poultry houses - 1.2, in solariums - 1.5 m.

The mesh for constructing fencing inside the poultry house and on the paddocks must have mesh sizes (in mm, no more): for chickens under the age of 9 (10) weeks. and turkey poults from 17 weeks of age. - 30x30; for adult chickens and turkeys, as well as for young chickens over 9 (10) weeks and turkeys over 17 weeks - 50 x 50.

Poultry houses for adult geese and replacement young animals must have solariums and bathing channels. Solariums must have a hard surface with an area no less than the area of the poultry house. On three sides, the solariums are fenced with a net and separated by transverse partitions corresponding to the sections of the poultry house.

When raising young poultry for meat, the stocking density is as follows: chickens aged 1-8 weeks. in cages - 290 cm2 per head, when raised on the floor at the age of 1-9 weeks. — 18 heads per 1 m2; turkey poults in cages aged 1-8 weeks. - 500 cm2 per head, on the floor at the age of 9-16 (23) weeks. (medium and heavy crosses) - 4 heads per 1 m2, at the age of 2-10 weeks. (light cross) - 26 goals per 1 m2; ducklings aged 1-4 weeks. (light cross) - 20 heads per 1 m2; density units based on heads per 1 m2: 1-3 weeks. (heavy cross-country) - 16; 5-8 weeks (light cross-country) - 9.5; 4-7 weeks (heavy cross-country) - 7.8; 1-8 weeks (light cross-country) - 10; 1-7 weeks (heavy cross-country) - 8; goslings aged 1-4 weeks. - 10; 5-9 weeks - 5; 1-9 weeks - 5; Guinea fowl aged 1-12 weeks. — 19. Density values are given for the initial age of the bird.

Standards for the stocking density of caged birds are taken according to the passport data of the cage batteries. The stocking density of a breeding poultry flock is determined by the number of nests that can be installed in the poultry house based on the number of birds per control nest.

In poultry farms, as a rule, it is customary to keep poultry without walking. In some cases, if necessary, the arrangement of paddocks takes into account the following: on breeding farms, solariums for adult chickens are arranged at the rate of 0.2 m2 per head, for turkeys - up to 0.4 m2, for replacement young chickens and turkeys - 100% of the area of poultry houses, natural paddocks for ducks - at the rate of 2 m2 per head. When keeping breeding birds in camps (in mobile houses or under a canopy), pastures are allocated per head: for chickens and their replacement young animals - 10, for turkeys and their replacement young animals - 25 m2.

Poultry houses for floor housing of adult birds are equipped with individual or group nests. They should be easily accessible for inspection, egg collection and cleaning.

Nests for chickens should be placed at a height of no more than 0.5-0.6 m from the floor or the surface of deep litter; nests for turkeys, ducks, and geese are arranged on the floor. Nests for chickens of egg breeds are made of two or three tiers, for meat breeds they are made of one or two tiers.

All equipment of poultry premises must have anti-corrosion protection and be resistant to aggressive, disinfectants, insecticides and other drugs. Feed equipment, nests, egg, feed and litter conveyors and other equipment must have surfaces that prevent the adsorption of harmful gases and aggressive substances.

Egg incubation hygiene

Modern industrial poultry farming cannot function without constant renewal and widespread reproduction of poultry. The process of hatching young animals from eggs is called incubation.

If it is carried out by brood birds, then such incubation is called natural, and if through special devices (incubators) it is called artificial.

The advantages of artificial incubation over natural incubation are obvious:

— the number of eggs used for incubation from one hen increases significantly. For example, 10-15 eggs are used from a chicken during natural incubation, and 180-200 eggs during artificial incubation;

— the seasonality of poultry reproduction is eliminated, since artificial incubation is carried out in any season of the year, and the bird’s brooding instinct manifests itself only in the spring and summer;

— it is possible to simultaneously breed large batches of young animals of the same age, which creates the prerequisites for uniform production throughout the year. The size of a batch of hatched young animals is determined by the size of the poultry premises and can be 25, 40, 80 thousand day-old young animals.

Egg incubation is carried out at all large poultry farms that have their own IPS-1 incubator, as well as at all breeding farms (ZOSP, breeding farms, reproducers). The hatching of young animals in the Republic of Belarus as a whole is 75-80%.

To maintain the high incubation qualities of eggs, it is necessary to comply with the rules for collecting, transporting, preparing and storing them. To obtain good quality eggs, you should have a sufficient number of nests, keep them clean, and change the litter. The best bedding is wood shavings. If a chicken lays an egg in a contaminated nest, then not only the surface of the egg shell is contaminated, but microorganisms can penetrate through the pores under the shell and cause the death of embryos and decomposition of the egg contents.

Oviposition occurs at different times in different bird species. Turkeys and guinea fowl usually lay eggs in the morning and afternoon. Ducks begin laying eggs at 4 a.m. and usually finish laying eggs by 8-9 a.m. In this regard, eggs can be collected from chickens from 7-8 o’clock, and from ducks, especially in winter and spring, as early as 4-5 o’clock in the morning, in order to prevent hypothermia and contamination. Eggs are collected from chickens and turkeys at least every 2-3 hours, and from ducks and geese every hour.

The eggs are placed in clean containers, preferably in cardboard boxes, which are placed in boxes. If eggs are transported over a short distance, they are packed in clean shavings, but not bulk material: sawdust, dust, etc.

In poultry houses with mechanized collection, make sure that the rubber mats in the nests and the conveyor belt are always clean and dry.

Eggs collected in poultry houses are not stored for a long time, but after packaging they are sent to a warehouse. Eggs are transported in special vans in which the required temperature is maintained. If the hatchery is close, then use a spring wagon. Improper packaging and transportation of eggs causes breakage, cracks in the shell, and shaking in the egg disrupts the integrity of the hailstones, which leads to a change in the position of the yolk and ultimately reduces the hatchability of the young.

The selection of eggs for incubation is carried out according to external characteristics and their qualitative composition. The weight of hatching eggs should be: chicken eggs not less than 52-58 g; ducks - 70-90 g; geese – 120; turkeys - 70-90 g; guinea fowl - 35-45 g.

Some time passes from the moment the eggs are laid to the time they are placed in the incubator, and the longer it is, the more significantly the incubation qualities of the eggs decrease. The storage period of eggs before incubation should not exceed 3-5 days, and each extra day of storage reduces the hatchability of the young. The maximum shelf life is 7-10 days.

When storing eggs in an egg warehouse, the temperature is maintained within 6-12°C, air humidity - 75-80%. The egg store must be well ventilated. Maintaining the temperature in a given mode is carried out by a refrigeration unit. When storing eggs for 3-4 days, they are kept at normal egg storage temperature.

During long-term storage of eggs, the temperature should not be allowed to rise above 12-13 0C and low humidity. A mandatory sanitary and hygienic aspect of the egg incubation process is their disinfection. One of the methods of disinfection is ultraviolet irradiation. Thanks to this, the hatchability of chickens increases, egg shells are disinfected and, possibly, vitamin D3 is synthesized.

Currently, formaldehyde vapor disinfection is most widely used. It is carried out directly in an incubator or in a special chamber. For one incubation cabinet of the Universal-45 incubator, 400 ml of formaldehyde, 300 ml of water and 230 g of potassium permanganate are consumed.

The work is carried out as follows. Eggs are placed in trays into the chamber, after which potassium permanganate is added to a vessel with formaldehyde and water and the chamber is tightly closed. When potassium permanganate and formalin interact, a violent reaction occurs with the release of a large amount of vapor. The latter fumigate the egg and destroy microorganisms on the surface of the shell, after 20-25 minutes they turn on the fan and ventilate the chamber. Typically, disinfection with formaldehyde vapor is carried out before incubation, since it is believed that it is best to carry it out 2-3 hours after collecting the eggs. Duck eggs especially should be subjected to such early disinfection, as they are more susceptible to contamination. If early disinfection is not done, microorganisms and fungi can penetrate the shell membrane and lead to the death of the embryo.

A special egg processing system has been adopted: first - 2-3 hours after collection; the second - after sorting and placing in incubation trays; the third - before placing it in the incubator.

Until recently, there was an opinion that eggs should not be washed before incubation, but available data indicate that hatching eggs, especially contaminated ones, can and should be washed with disinfectant solutions. Using solutions such as dezmol, copper sulfate, and chloramine for washing increases the hatchability of contaminated eggs by 11-15%. After washing, the eggs are dried in an incubator with a stream of dry air, and then they are stored in a warehouse at a temperature of 6-12°C. Eggs are stored in a horizontal or vertical position, but always with the blunt end up.

When eggs are simultaneously placed in an incubator without taking into account their mass, the hatching of the young is stretched. From small eggs, young animals hatch (hatch) 10-12 hours earlier than from medium and large ones. These differences are especially significant in geese. All this leads to the heterogeneity of the bred young animals and their large rejection during sorting.

The incubation mode is the set of conditions in which the egg is found during incubation. This regime is created by a combination of physical factors: temperature, relative humidity and air exchange. For good development of embryos, certain conditions are necessary, which change due to changes in the age of the embryo. In the first days of incubation, it is recommended to warm the egg well and retain maximum moisture, which is achieved by maintaining a high temperature with high humidity. On average days of incubation, reduce heating, increase air exchange and reduce humidity.

During incubation, the embryo absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. A chicken egg releases 3500 liters of carbon dioxide, a duck egg - 5471 liters, while a chicken requires 4000 liters of oxygen for full development, and a duckling - 7705 liters

Incubation mode for chicken eggs with an incomplete load: temperature within 37.7-37.8 0C, relative humidity 52-54% (or wet thermometer 28.0-29.0 0C). When fully loaded, the temperature drops to 37.4-37.5 0C and is maintained at this level until the end of incubation.

In the hatcher the temperature should be 37.0-37.5 °C, and when transferred to the output during mass hatching it should be 36.8-37 0C. Relative humidity 65-70% or moistened thermometer 32-33 0C.

Cooling duck eggs is a mandatory technological method for successful incubation. As the age of embryos increases, the formation of heat increases, especially from 20 days of age, when fatty substances are used for nutrition. Therefore, the egg must be protected from overheating by cooling. This technique not only removes excess physiological heat, but also improves gas exchange conditions, accelerates oxidative processes and enhances metabolism. Duck eggs must be cooled daily 2 times a day, preferably at the same time for 20-30 minutes. After cooling, the temperature in the incubator should be restored to 37.5°C in 30-35 minutes.

Chicken eggs are transferred to hatcher trays on days 18-19, ducks on days 25-26, and geese on days 29. They are laid horizontally on output trays. The selection of young animals from the incubator is carried out once.

Egg incubation period (days): chickens - 20-21, ducks and turkeys - 26-27, geese - 29-30, guinea fowl - 27, quails - 17, musky ducks - 34.

The duration of incubation is influenced by a number of factors: type of bird; egg mass (young eggs from eggs of relatively low mass will hatch earlier); temperature (a 1°C increase in temperature accelerates hatching by one day); storage time of eggs (as the storage period increases, the duration of incubation changes); age of the bird (shorter incubation period for eggs from young birds); biological usefulness of eggs.

In production conditions, the following methods for assessing day-old young animals are used: visual (by external signs); weighing; selective autopsy for morphological and biochemical analysis.

During an external examination, the following indicators are taken into account: activity, mobility, abdominal size, condition of the down, head, eyes, beak, legs, wings, umbilical ring, cloaca, keel, sternum.

The optimal assessment age is longer than 12-18 hours after hatching. By this age, the signs for which the assessment is carried out are optimally manifested. An earlier assessment may be erroneous, since recently bred young animals have a substandard appearance: they are unsteady on their feet, the belly is enlarged, saggy, the fluff is poorly dried, not fluffed up, and in appearance such young animals (they are called “unhatched”) can be classified as weak , unsuitable for cultivation. As chickens sit, their live weight decreases, the size of their belly and the weight of the residual yolk decrease, the plumage becomes fluffy and shiny, the activity of the young increases, and the pecking reflex is clearly manifested.

The room where day-old young animals are assessed must be dry, warm, well ventilated, air temperature 24-25 ° C, relative humidity 60-65%, illumination 50-80 lux.

The containers for transporting day-old young animals are most often plastic boxes; the norm for placing 30-50 heads or more in them. The bottom of the boxes is covered with wrapping paper or clean shavings.

Day-old young animals are transported in special vans with a temperature of 24-25 ° C, and in boxes with good ventilation up to 27-32 0 C.

Treatment of day-old young animals is carried out using aerosols for vitaminization and vaccination against diseases (for example, against viral hepatitis of ducklings).

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CELL HYGIENE.

On large farms, chickens are raised in multi-tiered battery cages. 15-30 chickens are placed in a cage (depending on age). Small chickens are placed on the upper tiers, and large ones below. In recent years, they have switched to non-transplant raising of chickens in cages.

Domestic and foreign studies have shown that in cage-based conditions, the growth of young animals is more intensive than in free-range conditions. In cages, chicks fledge faster and their juvenile molt ends 15 days earlier. It has been established that at this age the most intense gas exchange is observed in caged chickens.

To raise poultry, different cage designs are used - cage batteries. On specialized farms and factories, cage batteries are used for chickens aged 1-60 days, as well as for raising replacement pullets from 61 to 135-140 days and keeping laying hens.

The floor in the cages is made of welded mesh covered with durable and hygienic plastic. The feed holes in the cages should be of such a size that the chicken's head can fit through them freely. Feeders and drinkers for chickens are made with front sides that do not interfere with the free consumption of feed and water. For watering, the cages are equipped with nipple drinkers.

In poultry farming practice, metal cage batteries KBE-1 are now widely used for raising chickens of the first age (1-30 days). The length of this battery is 9.31 m. It has electric heating, a water supply system, feeding system, and a scraper for removing litter.

When chickens are transferred to the next age, they are placed in cages of a different type - cage batteries KBM-2, KBM-2A, KBM-2B and others, differing in length and number of tiers (four or five).

For each age of chickens, cages must have the necessary parameters for their devices. In particular, the cells of the mesh wire floor of cages for chickens under 30 days of age should be 12x12 mm, from 31 to 60 days - 20x20, and over 60 days - 25x25 mm. The size of the diameter of the round feeding hole depends on the age of the chickens (for chickens up to 10 days of age - 22 mm, from 11 to 30 days - 31 mm).

In specialized factories or farms, chickens are kept in a special capital room - a cage rearing workshop. This workshop can be in a block with a hatchery or next to the latter. The battery cell culture workshop is divided into halls, where separate batches of same-age chickens of 8-10 thousand heads each are raised.

For adult laying hens, group or individual cages are used, which are connected together and form cellular tiered batteries of different sizes. Most cages have lattice walls and floors. The ceiling is the lower surface of the manure tray or manure conveyor, the next in height of the tier of cages. The floor of the cage is a wire mesh of rods arranged in parallel, sloping towards the front of the cage where the eggs roll down. When placing chickens of different ages in group cages, certain standards for the density of poultry in cages are accepted.

In single-tier cages, droppings fall onto the floor or into a shallow trench, from where they are removed using a conveyor.

The cages are mounted in sections, each 2.44 m long and 2.08 m wide, consisting of 32 cells. Three laying hens are placed in one cage measuring 36.5 × 45.7 cm (for each hen there is 364.6 cm2 of floor area and 10 cm of feeding area).

The cages are equipped with nipple or drip drinkers. Under the feed conveyor there is a conveyor for collecting eggs.

When using single-tier batteries, the capacity of poultry houses increases by more than 2 times compared to floor housing, and labor productivity and production standards significantly increase.

When raising chickens in cages, certain temperature standards are recommended. Until 20 days of age, it is recommended to maintain air humidity at 65-70%, later 55-60%.

Daylight hours should be 14 hours. Experience in raising pullets of the Russian White breed has shown that increasing duration of illumination (from 6 hours at one day of age to 17 hours 30 minutes at 135 days) causes early egg laying. This stunts the growth of the pullets and negatively affects the weight and shell of the eggs.

For caged laying hens, the normal temperature is 16-18°C with an air humidity of 60-70%. Light regime - average lighting duration is 13-15 hours per day. However, this regime for caged layers must be differentiated taking into account the age and month of hatching of the hens.

When keeping laying hens in cages, they are systematically irradiated with ultraviolet light: they are irradiated for ten days in a row, then they take the same break and are irradiated again.

Optimization of cell content in small farms

With the help of cages, small farms can easily keep up to 36 chickens on an area of 1 m2. And one poultry house with an area of 30 m2 can accommodate up to 1000 chickens. (if there is an industrial ventilation system). Progressive farmers add industrial elements to the system of extensive farming. These include:

Installation of exhaust and supply ventilation systems.
Install regulators that control the lighting and heating system.
There is a nipple drinking system using a polyethylene pipe equipped with nipples
Feed distribution and egg collection are best done manually, this is the best way to control feed consumption and preserve the egg.

When poultry are kept in cages, maintenance personnel monitor compliance with feeding regimes in accordance with zootechnical standards.

Let’s look at what standards ensure the comfort of poultry keeping and productivity.

CONTENT OF TURKEYS.

The main product of turkey farming is turkey meat. Proper organization of raising turkey poults, with feed costs per kilogram of weight gain of 3.5-4.5 kg, allows:

by 90-100 days of age, get birds weighing 3.5-4 kg;
by 120-150 days the bird already weighs 4.5-6.0 kg,

Turkeys are fed dry food. The feeding front per head is at least 8 cm, the drinking area is 4 cm in the length of the drinking bowl.

Breeding and broodstock of turkeys are kept in large poultry houses with solariums, separate sections on permanent bedding. Up to 500 turkeys are placed in each section based on every 10 sq.m. sex 15 heads. Nests for turkeys are made simple or mechanized, one nest for 4-5 turkeys.

An optimal microclimate is maintained for the breeding stock:

indoor air temperature 12 - 16°C;
relative humidity—60—70%.

Air exchange (ventilation) should be based on:

in winter (cold) time 1.2-1.5 m3 per 1 kg of weight;
during the transition period, as in warm times, air exchange increases to 6 m3 per 1 kg of bird weight.

After receiving day-old young animals at the hatchery, they are sorted and transferred in batches to cages in one of the halls of the battery workshop for raising turkey poults up to 20-30 days of age. Day-old turkey poults are placed in cage batteries of 12 birds per cage or 30 birds per 1 m2 of cage floor.

From the rearing workshop, turkey poults are transferred to acclimatizers, where they are kept until 60 days of age. And then, depending on the purpose of the young animals being raised, they are transferred to fattening or repair facilities.

When young animals are kept on floors, the indoor air temperature is:

maintained within 20 - 22;
under brooder umbrellas in the first days 31-32.

Relative air humidity 60-70%.

Air exchange for turkey poults up to 60 days of age varies per 1 kg of bird weight in cold times from 1.1 to 1.4 ml, in the transition period - from 1.7 to 4.6, and in the warm season - 5-7 m3.

In the summer, young animals are taken to camps and placed in mobile houses with free ranges.

Stocking density of turkey poults kept on floors at age:

31-60 days - 8 heads;
61-90 days - 5 heads;
from 91-180 days - 3 heads per 1 m2 of floor.

Perches are provided in poultry houses for turkeys and young animals.

Perch front (bar) for:

one turkey 35-40 cm with a distance between the bars of 50 cm.
for young animals, the perch front is 25-30 cm per head.

The width of the bar is 6 cm, the height of the perches is 50 cm from the floor.

When raising turkeys, poultry feeding plays a special role. Broodstock and replacement young animals must always receive special, complete feed. Turkeys, and especially young animals, need green feed - sprouted grain, green onions, which have many phytoncides and other necessary substances.

Turkey poults aged from 1 to 60 days are especially sensitive to errors in feeding and maintenance. As a result of non-compliance with the optimal air temperature in the premises, their lighting and feeding of moldy, poor-quality feed, young animals are often exposed to diseases.

Chicken litter

When keeping poultry on the floor, high-quality bedding is placed in the house, for which wood shavings and sawdust, chopped straw and substandard hay, rice husks and other available porous and lightweight natural materials are used. Used litter, well-settled in the form of compost, is an indispensable natural fertilizer for gardening, vegetable crops and flower gardens.

Note to beginning poultry farmers : dry bird droppings contain up to 3.84% nitrogen, 2.01% phosphorus and 1.42% potassium, being a concentrated and perfectly balanced accessible natural fertilizer.

The optimal thickness of the litter is 10-15 cm. It should not be wet and packed into a dense layer; chickens should be able to rake it freely, mixing and moving it across the floor. If the litter is very compacted, loosen it with a pitchfork. Before laying the bedding, the floor is sprinkled with slaked lime, which will absorb excess moisture and serve to disinfect the room.

In winter, properly laid deep litter will help maintain a positive temperature in the poultry house. To do this, in the fall, lay a small layer of litter of 5-8 cm, gradually adding filler to a level of 20-25 cm. Bacteria will begin to develop inside such litter and during the decomposition process heat will constantly be released, while the litter itself will warm up to 18 ºC at a depth of 20 cm .

It is important to ensure that excessively moistened and compacted bedding materials are not affected by mold; this is dangerous and can cause poultry aspergillosis, a fungal infection of the respiratory tract.

As bedding in the summer, it makes sense to use sawdust or clean sand, spread in a layer of 15-20 cm; from time to time, such bedding is loosened, and if it is heavily soiled, it is replaced.

KEEPING DUCKS.

Ducklings are raised for meat mainly without paddocks with a high stocking density. They are raised on deep litter, mesh or film floors, battery cages, summer camps or feedlots, and various combinations of these methods.

All these methods are united by two basic technological principles: raising and slaughtering ducklings no older than 60 days of age and the use of various technological modes depending on the age of the ducklings.

The maximum 60-day slaughter period is due to the fact that at this age ducklings begin molting, during which the growth of young animals sharply decreases and feed costs per unit of live weight gain increase significantly.

In molting ducklings, the rudiments of new feathers (“stumps”) appear, which are not removed during processing of carcasses, reducing their marketable appearance and grade. The molting process lasts 1.5 - 2 months, during which the increase in live weight is only 0.6 - 0.8 kg with feed costs 2.5 - 3 times higher than usual. With intensive rearing of Pekin ducklings, molting can begin at 53 - 56 days of age.

In modern duck farming, there is a tendency to shorten the growing period of ducklings; with age, the growth rate of ducklings noticeably decreases and feed costs increase:

in Peking ducklings, per 1 kg of live weight gain increases from 1.5 kg in the second week to 5 - 6.5 kg in the last week of rearing;
in musk ducklings, per 1 kg of live weight gain in the first three weeks is 1.8 kg, and by the 10th week they increase to 4.3 - 5 kg.

Reducing the time required to raise ducklings for meat also has its limitations:

It is not advisable to send ducklings of modern crosses of Peking ducks for slaughter before 7 weeks of age, since only by this age do they complete the process of skeletal ossification, and the muscle tissue acquires elasticity sufficient for processing the carcass on slaughter lines.
With age, the meat quality of carcasses noticeably improves as a result of the predominant growth of muscle tissue towards the end of growing. The most noticeable increase in the proportion of muscle tissue with a relative decrease in the proportion of skin with subcutaneous fat occurs at 7–8 weeks of life.

Preparing the premises for receiving ducklings.

The premises for raising ducklings must have a monthly preventative break every year.

In addition, a 7-14-day sanitary break is provided between batches of ducklings (a week for a two-phase rearing system and two weeks for a single-phase system). A sanitary break is necessary to prepare the premises for receiving a new batch of ducklings.

With this technology, six batches of ducklings for meat can be raised in one room in a year.

When keeping ducklings on deep litter, after completion of sanitary work, the floor of the poultry house is sprinkled with fluff lime at the rate of 0.5 kg per 1 sq.m. 5 - 6 days before receiving the ducklings. floor.

Then the bedding material is spread evenly over the entire floor in a layer of 5 - 6 cm. The moisture content of the bedding should not exceed 20%. If the moisture content of the litter is high, it is dried by turning on the heating and ventilation systems.

Then feeders and drinkers are installed on the bedding or mesh floors, fences are installed around each electric brooder, the automatic equipment is checked, and the feed dispensing line is adjusted.

2 days before receiving the ducklings, aerosol disinfection and disinsection are done.

Before receiving the young animals, the room is well ventilated, the required temperature is set, and the electric brooders are lowered to the bedding or mesh.

Types of free-range bird keeping

Owners of livestock who prefer a no-walk type of chicken keeping raise poultry on permanent bedding or a mesh floor.

On the litter

On home farms, chickens are kept mainly on deep litter. It absorbs moisture well and gives off heat in winter. When droppings decompose, enzymes containing B vitamins are formed.

Chickens on a bed of sawdust

The litter may consist of wood shavings, straw chaff, peat, or contain several components at once. According to experienced poultry farmers, it is best to use a mixture of sawdust and peat in a 1:1 ratio, as it has good absorbency. Peat absorbs unpleasant odors and dries the chips, thereby inhibiting the formation of mold.

Attention! The litter needs to be turned, lifting the bottom layer to the surface. Every month the top layer is removed and fresh is added. Adding superphosphate to the material (500 g/1 m2) will help prevent the formation of lumps.

The recommended thickness of the litter is 15–20 cm. When replacing it in spring and autumn, part of the waste material is left and mixed with a new portion of sawdust and peat. In this case, the old shavings containing enzymes will act as a starter. In winter, the litter is turned more often to enrich it with oxygen, and in summer it is sprayed a little with water to maintain the humidity inside at 20%. Otherwise, the fermentation process will slow down.

Excessive waterlogging of the material should not be allowed - fungus quickly develops in damp conditions. In such an environment, helminth eggs and larvae of skin parasites are preserved. Chickens on wet litter freeze and their immunity weakens.

On the mesh floor

Some farmers keep poultry on a mesh floor. This method allows you to save money and reduce labor costs - you do not need to buy sawdust, peat, turn over the litter and monitor its condition. Removing litter is much easier, since it falls under the net, on special pallets.

Chickens on a grid

Setting up a mesh floor is easy. In the chicken coop, a working passage is maintained in the center, and logs are installed on the remaining area at a height of 40–60 cm. Then wooden frames are attached to them, and a galvanized mesh with medium-sized cells is nailed on top. Plastic or iron trays are placed under the structure to collect feces.

Attention! Keeping chickens on a mesh floor makes cleaning the house easier. Pallets are cleaned once a month or a month and a half, or less often. Once a week, the droppings are crushed with fluff lime to destroy microbes.

Contact of birds with feces is eliminated when floor netting is used. With this method of maintenance, the risk of developing fungal and parasitic diseases is reduced. Drinkers and feeders are located on the side of the passage, nests are installed inside along the partitions.

Basics of keeping hens

After purchasing or receiving chicks, you should provide them with the necessary conditions for living and producing eggs. Raising laying hens at home requires a poultry house in which they can be kept at any time of the year. In addition, to obtain the desired number of eggs, it is necessary to provide the birds with proper nutrition.

The right poultry house is the key to success

The main task of the poultry house is to ensure a temperature from -2 to +27 degrees. In severe frosts, chickens can get frostbite on exposed areas of their bodies, and also consume much more feed. High temperature contributes to poor appetite. As a result, laying hens lose weight and lay eggs with very thin shells or no shells at all.

It is best to use wood to build a poultry house. The floor should be adobe or wood with a bedding, but concrete flooring is not recommended, as it increases humidity and leads to a drop in temperature.

For ventilation, you can use small windows that can be fully opened in summer. But it is best to use exhaust pipes made of any material. Consider using a plug that will allow you to easily regulate the temperature and humidity in the house.

The dimensions of the room should be selected based on the number of birds. Laying hens should not be cramped, but at the same time, ceilings should not be higher than 1.8 m, as this can lead to a drop in temperature in winter. The floor must be covered with bedding; straw, sawdust, dry leaves, etc. are suitable for this. For convenient collection of eggs, it is recommended to place wooden boxes in the poultry house, which the chickens will use as nests.

Types of content

As a rule, keeping laying hens in the country allows you to allocate quite a lot of space for them. If possible, it is recommended to allow birds to move freely around the house and yard. This way they will get more fresh air and get sick less. In addition, floor maintenance requires the presence of dry flooring, which warms the chickens in winter.

If you do not have enough free space, then the only option is to keep the hens in cages. This method is quite expensive, because for 1 sq. m can accommodate no more than 5 individuals. In addition, you will have to provide additional heating in winter. Cage housing should be used only if floor housing cannot be implemented.

Keeping laying hens in winter

Chickens can withstand even severe frosts, but in order to preserve the laying of eggs, it is necessary to provide them with optimal conditions. In winter, there should be no cracks in the walls of the poultry house, and the litter must be cleaned of droppings twice a week.

If you plan to use different poultry houses for the warm and cold seasons, then it is better to transfer the chickens in advance. It will take them a few days to get used to the new environment. You can breed chickens in winter only if you can constantly keep them in a warm room.

Seasonal keeping of birds

Chickens can be grown both in the yard in an aviary in the summer and all year round in the country. If you want to raise chickens all year round, you will need to build an insulated poultry house that can protect them from winter frosts. For summer maintenance, a regular indoor chicken coop is suitable. Its main purpose will be to protect the bird from direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day.