Brooding is the first of several crucial practices in poultry farming. This is because it determines what a farmer will get at the end. Therefore, this must be managed perfectly.
There are two methods of brooding chicks; spot brooding and whole-house brooding.
With spot brooding (canopy or radiant heaters, pots, etc), the heat source is local, so the chicks can move away to cooler areas and thus select for themselves a preferred temperature.
For whole-house brooding, the heat source is larger and more widely spread, so the chicks are less able to move to select a preferred temperature.
Whole-house brooding refers to situations where the whole house or a defined part of the house is heated by a direct or indirect heat source.
The aim is to achieve uniform temperature throughout the house or air space.
For the first seven days, provide 23 hours of full light intensity and one hour of darkness to help the chicks adapt to the new environment and encourage feed and water intake.
Light can be got from electric or solar bulbs and lanterns. If a brooding ring is used to control chick movement, the area contained by the brooding ring should be gradually expanded from three days and the rings removed completely by 5-7 days of age.
