Several farmers loose big and heavy Broilers above 4 weeks of age mainly during heat weave time.
The danger hours are usually between 1pm to 4pm. This is the time during which most of the heat stressed broilers die.
*HOW TO IDENTIFY HEAT STRESSED BIRDS*
Heat stressed birds will show most of these signs:
1. Panting & Rapid Breathing with open mouth
2. Wings stretched from their body with erect feathers
3. Lying down with their neck stretched out on the floor
4. Pale Comb & Wattles
5. Watery poop
6. Increase in water consumption
7. Decrease in feed consumption
8. Reduced movement and activity
9. Decrease in egg production
*You can help your Broilers survive the heat period by doing the following:*
1. Keep all curtains and coverings around the pen fully open
2. Top up their water to ensure their drinkers are full for most of the afternoon.
3. For especially hot days, add ice cubes to the water to make it cooler.
4. Add vitamins in their water daily as this acts as a stress reliever
5. Remove feeders that obstruct the birds access to water around 2pm. For pens with over stocking (More birds than the standard requirement in the pen), remove all feeders from the pen from 2pm till 5pm
6. Ensure the litter on the floor is dry and fresh. Wet litter increases the floor temperature and adds to the heat in the room.
It is also important that you are at the fowl run between 5pm to 7pm to assess the state of things and to assist those birds that may have been severely affected by the heat.
Let us all give our Broilers the attention they need.
Post time: Jun-01-2022