Broiler growth potential is the number one reason why broiler farmers go for broiler chickens. That is, you cannot separate a broiler chicken from the ability to grow fast. However, getting quality chicks is another important factor here. Experience has shown that there are broilers that don’t grow as fast as you expect. This is for a couple of reasons which I will be addressing in the post. Hopefully, after reading this to the end, you will be able to avoid poor chicks and poor broiler growth.
Without wasting your precious time, let me start to touch on the important points in the post.
Can You Predict Broiler Growth From Day Old?
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There are some signs that you will see in a broiler chick that will immediately tell you that it may not grow well. FOr example, most broiler runts can be identified from day old. And they often result from poor hatchery practice. That is, when the hatchery sets small eggs or poor quality eggs. These chicks develop into runts that will never be able to live to the full potential of a broiler chicken.
Also, some chicks just fail to eat well like others. That can be a signal that they will not grow well. For this however, you have to be patient before you pass your judgement, as chicks’ response to feed can be impacted by the transportation stress. So, give your chicks some time to settle in before you conclude.
Finally on this, if your chick’s poor appetite is as a result of illnesses, then it may recover and still grow fast.
Some Clear Indications of Poor Growth Potential in Broilers
Poor Hatchery: There are some hatcheries with poor history of performance in terms of broiler growth. If you buy your chicks from those hatcheries, you may bite your tongue at the end of the day. You may ask, “how do I know hatcheries with poor history?” This is where you need to work with a reliable vendor. Click here to book with us
Greedy Vendors: Trust me, there is nothing worse than working with a greedy chicks vendor. Let me explain the deep secret to you. Greedy vendors will charge you for premium chicks but supply you with chicks from some backyard hatcheries with no biosecurity or customer interest. You can imagine paying for quality product because you want to get the best result possible, and then someone decides to take advantage of you.
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Relatively smaller size: If your broiler chicks or some of them are too small on arrival, chances are that they may have poor broiler growth. Currently in Nigeria, good broiler chicks weigh anything from 38 grams to 50+ at day old. Personally, I don’t get comfortable with anything less than 42 grams on arrival.
READ ALSO: 25 Broiler Chicken Tips for Beginners Only
Prolonged Inactivity: If stressed, your birds can be inactive for the first few minutes, but they are expected to bounce into action after taking some drops of water loaded with antistress pack. If this does not happen, you might have been supplied with chicks with weak immunity and stamina. This kind of experience holds no good promise at all – trust me.
Reckless Drivers: A lot of farmers have become victims of this, but they never pass the blame correctly, they blame poor broiler growth on other things. Chicks are very delicate and should never be transported carelessly. It’s a shame that some drivers doing the business of conveying day-old chicks within Nigeria don’t care about the chicks as much as they should. Some of them arrange the cartons like they don’t give a damn. All they are concerned about is their pay. Where possible, always appoint a known driver to deliver your chicks. Because this has a role to play in broiler growth, make them aware that they will be held responsible if the chicks get to you weak.
Unhealed Navel: If noticed and treated, this condition has no negative effect on broiler growth. But if it goes unnoticed and gets complicated, it can cause stunted growth or even death of affected chick(s)
Broiler Growth Remedy for Poor Chicks
Interestingly, you can still do something about poor chicks, but you have to start early. There are some natural supplements that you can give to your broiler chicks to improve their growth rate. See the video below.
Even though you can add one or two things to improve the performance of your broiler chicks, your best shot is to get quality chicks. Try us today
