How to Raise Broiler Chickens: 5 Tips for Success

Broilers are the most widely farmed chicken breed, because demand for them keeps growing. You can see it in the rising number of restaurants built around chicken dishes. Broilers are also widely bought for home cooking and for feeding crowds, especially at family celebrations and special events. So it's no surprise that so many people are eyeing this business, given how wide open the opportunity is.

Successful Broiler Farming

The broiler business is certainly tempting and full of opportunity, but running a broiler farm isn't easy. You need the right methods and techniques to keep chicken deaths down. If you're interested in starting a broiler farming business, here is how to raise broiler chickens successfully:

1. Quality breeding stock

The key to a successful broiler farm is quality stock. Only quality chicks can survive until harvest, because broilers are prone to disease and only good-quality stock has a strong immune system.

2. Proper DOC care

The next step to successful broiler farming is caring for your day-old chicks (DOC) properly. DOC are another key to success in broiler farming. The more DOC survive, the more chickens you can harvest, and the more you stand to profit. To care for DOC properly, give them a safe, comfortable coop. To keep it safe, watch the coop so no other animals can prey on the chicks. The coop should also be comfortable, with a brooder or heater inside and lighting installed.

3. The right feed

Feed is one of the most important things to get right, because it has a major effect on broiler growth and productivity. Chickens that don't get nutritious feed won't put on meat quickly, so their weight may fall below standard. On top of that, feeding has to match the birds' age or growth stage, and it has to be on time.

Also read 5 High-Nutrition Feeds for Broiler Chickens

4. The ideal coop

To raise broilers successfully, you need to know what kind of coop is ideal for their growth, because every type of chicken has its own ideal coop. For broilers, there are two types to choose from: open house or closed house. An open house coop is cheaper and easier to maintain, but its weakness is that in the dry season the birds become more prone to illness: many sides are open, so viruses and bacteria can easily get into the coop and infect the chickens. A closed house beats an open house because the chickens are safe inside and it comes with modern technology, although you'll have to dig fairly deep into your pocket to use this type of coop.

5. Vaccines

Broiler chickens still need vaccines to protect them from a wide range of poultry diseases. Broiler diseases shouldn't be taken lightly because they spread quickly, and some of them can't be cured and are fatal. Give the full course of vaccines so your chickens get maximum protection.

Besides following the broiler farming tips above, you should also keep your chicken farm antibiotic-free, because eating too much meat containing antibiotics can make people resistant to antibiotics.

Also read How to Care for a Broiler Coop