Majority of farmers are often excited when they hear the word brooding. Some don’t want to give it a try at all. For first timers, they would rather opt for already brooded chicks from farmers who does brood and sell.

Well, I understand. But the brooding process of Day Old Chicks isn’t such a big deal. It is not rocket science I mean. Understanding the term ‘brooding’ and the process involved makes it simpler.

What is Brooding?

In the simplest term, brooding means providing artificial warmth (mimicking the natural behavior) of the mother hen to keep the young chicks from cold.

Brooding do not only center on providing warmth for the DAY OLD CHICKS, it also involves every other efforts employed to ensure the young chicks do not suffer any extreme temperatures (heat and cold) and are protected against any environmental factors that could pose some dangers to their health.

The brooding process is one of the most significant aspects of the chicks’ life with the most lasting effects (positive or negative).

This simply means the success of your poultry Farming business is 70 percent dependent on the brooding process.

Some questions farmers ask are:

How long can I brood my birds?

Can I brood birds of different breeds or species together?

Can I brood broilers and layers together?

Can I brood chicks of different ages together?

What happens if I don't brood my birds?

Answering the questions above correctly means you’re practicing the right brooding techniques. If otherwise, it means you’re practicing the wrong brooding techniques.

How Long Can I Brood My Birds?

One of the commonest mistakes farmers make is setting a brooding timeframe. In a country like Nigeria and most other Africa countries, setting a timeframe for brooding is wrong. We are in a climatic country or continent where the weather condition isn’t regular. Our seasons aren’t regular too. Practically, there is no such thing like a brooding timeframe here. The weather condition at the time determines how long we brood our birds. It is advisable that every farmer studies their daily weather condition and brood their birds accordingly. If the weather condition permits to brood for 14 days, please, do. If it permits to brood only for 4 days, you should follow accordingly. If your birds are 3 days old and the weather condition at night is hot, you may skip providing extra heat for the birds that day. If it rains the next day and the weather is cold, you can resume your brooding again until you’re certain they can withstand any weather condition by themselves without any negative effects. What if your birds are already above 3 weeks old (stopped brooding already) and then it starts raining and the weather condition at night gets extremely cold? You can resume giving your birds extra heat again considering the weather condition of each day.

Can I Breed Birds of Different Breed or Species of Broilers Together?

Yes. Practically, this is possible. Majority of farmers does this regularly and it works perfectly most of the times. However, it is advisable to understand the characteristics of both breeds you wish to brood together. Some species are heat tolerant while others are cold tolerant. Brooding different breeds together that responds to either of cold and heat differently may have negative effect on your stock. The temperature or brooding management you provide each day may favor one breed and affect the other negatively.

Can I Brood Broilers And Layers Together?
NO. Broilers and layers should never be brooded together. Biologically, these two species are completely different in nature and they respond to brooding management different.

For example, the broiler species are fast growing modified species with heavy body mass and fat composition. They require less brooding heat and brooding duration compared to layers. Because of their fast growth nature and heavy body mass, their heat tolerance is relatively very low compared to layers. The amount of brooding heat required by a broiler chick may not be enough for a young pullet. Practically, layers require a longer brooding period than the broilers.

Can I brood chicks of different ages together?

No. This is totally not advisable. Farmers who have attempted this brooding practice always have sad tales to tell. At any given point, none of the chicks will have a comfortable weather condition because their heat requirement is different. The environment won’t be conducive too. The older birds will always bully the younger chicks and possibility of stamped is high. Besides, their immunity strength is different too. Day Old Chicks have relatively low immunity and can easily contract disease from the older chicks in the same Penn with a stronger immunity. Brooding birds of different ages together should be discouraged.

What Happens If I Don't Brood My Birds?

Brooding is required for Day Old Chicks. As said earlier, brooding is not all concerned about providing heat for the young chicks but involves all other practices that ensure their safety and survival.

Not brooding your young chicks simply means exposing them to harsh biological and environmental factors that could pose a great risk to their general wellbeing and hamper their health and survival.

Brooding promote good health and enhances the general performance of the chicks throughout their stock period. Poorly brooded chicks will show evidence of poor growth, poor feed conversion, poor immunity, poor carcass yield or quality.
Want to learn more?

Yes pls

Mikkyfirst22:
Majority of farmers are often excited when they hear the word brooding. Some don’t want to give it a try at all. For first timers, they would rather opt for already brooded chicks from farmers who does brood and sell.

Well, I understand. But the brooding process of Day Old Chicks isn’t such a big deal. It is not rocket science I mean. Understanding the term ‘brooding’ and the process involved makes it simpler.

What is Brooding?

In the simplest term, brooding means providing artificial warmth (mimicking the natural behavior) of the mother hen to keep the young chicks from cold.

Brooding do not only center on providing warmth for the DAY OLD CHICKS, it also involves every other efforts employed to ensure the young chicks do not suffer any extreme temperatures (heat and cold) and are protected against any environmental factors that could pose some dangers to their health.

The brooding process is one of the most significant aspects of the chicks’ life with the most lasting effects (positive or negative).

This simply means the success of your poultry Farming business is 70 percent dependent on the brooding process.

Some questions farmers ask are:

How long can I brood my birds?

Can I brood birds of different breeds or species together?

Can I brood broilers and layers together?

Can I brood chicks of different ages together?

What happens if I don't brood my birds?

Answering the questions above correctly means you’re practicing the right brooding techniques. If otherwise, it means you’re practicing the wrong brooding techniques.

How Long Can I Brood My Birds?

One of the commonest mistakes farmers make is setting a brooding timeframe. In a country like Nigeria and most other Africa countries, setting a timeframe for brooding is wrong. We are in a climatic country or continent where the weather condition isn’t regular. Our seasons aren’t regular too. Practically, there is no such thing like a brooding timeframe here. The weather condition at the time determines how long we brood our birds. It is advisable that every farmer studies their daily weather condition and brood their birds accordingly. If the weather condition permits to brood for 14 days, please, do. If it permits to brood only for 4 days, you should follow accordingly. If your birds are 3 days old and the weather condition at night is hot, you may skip providing extra heat for the birds that day. If it rains the next day and the weather is cold, you can resume your brooding again until you’re certain they can withstand any weather condition by themselves without any negative effects. What if your birds are already above 3 weeks old (stopped brooding already) and then it starts raining and the weather condition at night gets extremely cold? You can resume giving your birds extra heat again considering the weather condition of each day.

Can I Breed Birds of Different Breed or Species of Broilers Together?

Yes. Practically, this is possible. Majority of farmers does this regularly and it works perfectly most of the times. However, it is advisable to understand the characteristics of both breeds you wish to brood together. Some species are heat tolerant while others are cold tolerant. Brooding different breeds together that responds to either of cold and heat differently may have negative effect on your stock. The temperature or brooding management you provide each day may favor one breed and affect the other negatively.

Can I Brood Broilers And Layers Together?
NO. Broilers and layers should never be brooded together. Biologically, these two species are completely different in nature and they respond to brooding management different.

For example, the broiler species are fast growing modified species with heavy body mass and fat composition. They require less brooding heat and brooding duration compared to layers. Because of their fast growth nature and heavy body mass, their heat tolerance is relatively very low compared to layers. The amount of brooding heat required by a broiler chick may not be enough for a young pullet. Practically, layers require a longer brooding period than the broilers.

Can I brood chicks of different ages together?

No. This is totally not advisable. Farmers who have attempted this brooding practice always have sad tales to tell. At any given point, none of the chicks will have a comfortable weather condition because their heat requirement is different. The environment won’t be conducive too. The older birds will always bully the younger chicks and possibility of stamped is high. Besides, their immunity strength is different too. Day Old Chicks have relatively low immunity and can easily contract disease from the older chicks in the same Penn with a stronger immunity. Brooding birds of different ages together should be discouraged.

What Happens If I Don't Brood My Birds?

Brooding is required for Day Old Chicks. As said earlier, brooding is not all concerned about providing heat for the young chicks but involves all other practices that ensure their safety and survival.

Not brooding your young chicks simply means exposing them to harsh biological and environmental factors that could pose a great risk to their general wellbeing and hamper their health and survival.

Brooding promote good health and enhances the general performance of the chicks throughout their stock period. Poorly brooded chicks will show evidence of poor growth, poor feed conversion, poor immunity, poor carcass yield or quality.
Want to learn more?

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