1

Guide to Broiler Farming

Using the

Inkukukaya 25-Bird Broiler Coop

(Day-Old to Slaughter (Days 1 – 35)

2

Assembly of the Broiler Coop (& Blanket Brooder):

Please see the coop Assembly Instructions, and assemble as instructed.

See the picture below to show the advised placement of the bricks/blocks which the

coop will sit on.

Placement of the Bricks / Blocks:

Blocks / Bricks

3

The Day Prior to the Placement of Day-Old Chicks:

Ensure that the coop and the brooding blanket are clean and disinfected.

Place the coop under cover to ensure that the birds stay dry and away from direct

sunlight. This can be a simple structure with a tin roof, and shade-cloth/hessian

walls.

If possible, place a sheet of plastic, or use old chicken feed bags to cover the floor

under coop. This will make the removal of the manure at the end of the cycle much

cleaner and easier.

Place the coop on bricks +/- 20cm above the floor to allow the manure to fall

through the floor and improve the air flow to the chickens.

Ensure that the Coop is level.

Place clean cardboard boxes on the floor of the brooding area (3x2 Panels) with a

vertical division between the brooding area and the rest of the coop (see diagram

below) DO NOT USE PAPER OR PLASTIC IN THE BROODING AREA.

Vertical

partition

between the

brooding area

& the rest of

the coop.

Coop placed on

bricks or blocks

+/- 20cm off

the floor.

4

Fill 1 of the SMALL yellow feeders with Starter Crumbles/Mash and spread over the

entire cardboard floor area.

Place CLEAN and WASHED stones into 3 of the small drinkers and place them on the

cardboard floor area at opposite ends of the coop and fill them with water.

1 small feeder measure of

starter crumbles.

Sprinkle on the

cardboard floor

of the brooding

area.

Place the

drinkers on

opposite

sides of the

brooding

area.

Place washed stones in the drinkers

and top up with water. The stones

stop the chicks from getting wet if

they stand in the drinker.

5

Place the LARGE yellow feeders/drinkers on the lower level of the outside of the

coop around the brooding area to prevent the chicks from climbing out.

Placement of the Day-Old Chicks:

Gently remove the chicks from the box and place them in the brooding area

previously set up.

Place the blanket on the coop and raise one side of the blanket in the brooding area

slightly to allow light in and allow for air flow.

Ensure that feed and water are available at all times. DO NOT LET THEM RUN OUT! DO NOT move the coop once the birds have been placed!

COOP & BIRD MANAGEMENT: DAY 1 TO 35

Feed & Water Management

Days 1 - 4: Floor Feed (Sprinkle the feed on the floor) Place 3 small yellow drinkers

on the floor, filled with cleaned stones and water.

Days 3 – 4: Continue floor feeding and place 2 small yellow feeders on the floor and

fill with feed to get the chicks used to eating out of the feeders. DO NOT REMOVE

THE STONES FROM THE WATER BEFORE DAY 4.

Days 4-7: Remove the cardboard floor on day 4 and burn it for hygienic reasons!

Keep the vertical partition in place until day 10. Place 3 small drinkers and 2 small

feeders on the lower level of the INSIDE of the coop, with the feed on one side and

water on the other. The stones can be removed from the drinkers if the chicks are

not climbing in.

Large feeders placed

on the upper level on

the outside of the

brooding area to

prevent chicks from

climbing out.

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Keep the large feeders/drinkers positioned in the UPPER level on the OUTSIDE of the

coop to prevent the chicks from escaping (see photos below)

.

Days 7-9: Remove all the small drinkers and feeders from the inside of the coop.

Move all the large feeders & drinkers to the LOWER level on the OUTSIDE of the

coop (see photo below) Place the feed on one side and water on the other to

prevent the feed from getting wet, or the water contaminated with feed.

Days 10 -12: Remove the cardboard partition to open up the rest of the coop.

If there are small chicks unable to reach into the large feeders/drinkers, keep a few

of the small feeders/drinkers on the in place on the inside of the coop.

Large feeder /

drinker placed on

the LOWER level of

the outside of the

coop (Days 8 to 14)

Feed & water

on opposite

sides.

Cardboard

floor

removed.

Large feeders/drinkers

still placed on the

upper level on the

outside of the coop.

3 small drinkers & 2

small feeders placed in

the lower level on the

inside of the coop.

7

Days 18 – 35: Move the large yellow feeders and drinkers to the UPPER level on the

outside of the coop. Keep the feed on one side and water on the other side.

Drinkers must be cleaned out once a day!!!

Feed Consumption

1 x 25kg Bag of Starter mash or crumbs until finished

1 x 25g Bag of Grower pellets until finished

1 x 40kg-50kg Bag of Finisher pellets until finished (depending on the live weight

required)

We recommend that our feed usage guide be adhered to for optimum results.

The birds should reach have reached their target weights by the time the feed is

finished (day 35), when they can be removed from the Inkukukaya coop.

Blanket Brooding Management (Day 1-14)

Blanket brooding alone is not sufficient where temperatures fall below 15°C. A heat

source will be required in such instances.

During the colder months, reduce the size of the brooding area to 2 x 2 panels for

Days 1-4. When the cardboard floor is removed on Day 4, the brooding area can be

expanded to 3 x 2 panels.

During the colder winter months, two blankets may be needed to cover the brooding

area to keep the chicks warm enough.

Avoid drafts at all times by using the blanket to protect the birds from the direction

of the draft. This is done by lowering the blanket on the sides that are affected by

the draft.

Large feeders /

drinkers all placed

on the UPPER level

of the outside of

the coop (Days 18

to end)

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The blanket should be placed over the whole coop – but not allowed to touch the

floor all the way around, as this will stop airflow to the chicks.

Fold the blanket over to double cover the brooding area.

At night the coop should be completely covered. Ensure that there is enough

ventilation on days 1 – 4 while the cardboard floor is in place. There will be enough

ventilation from the floor area once the cardboard has been removed.

Fold the blanket

over to double

cover the

brooding area.

Direction of wind

Position of the blanket :

Showing the direction

of the wind

Coop completely covered at

night.

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Day 1 – 4: Open one of the sides during the day.

Day 4 – 14: Open up ALL of the sides during the day.

Day 10 - 12: Remove the cardboard partition. Continue blanket brooding.

Day 15: Blanket brooding is no longer required.

If the chicks start huddling together in one spot, they may be getting cold. Try

dropping the blanket on one or more sides to see if they disperse. If the chickens are

cold they will huddle to get warm, and will not eat or drink, and therefore growth

could be slower.

If the weather is very hot during brooding and the chicks are spread out (& panting /

sitting with their wings spread out), then remove the brooding blanket completely

and only cover again when it cools down.

AVOID DRAFTS AT ALL TIMES!

Ensure that there is sufficient feed and water at ALL times (24 hours a day!)

Blanket opened up on one side

during the day.

All sides open up during the

day, unless there is a breeze.

Keep the blanket in position

on the top of the coop.

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Record Keeping

Record keeping is a very important part of poultry production.

When you place chicks, record the number of chicks, the date placed and the

supplier and breed of chicken (e.g. Cobb or Ross). Keep a separate set of records for

each coop / house.

Make a daily record of any deaths, and if needed, the circumstances leading to that

death so that you can keep track of the number of birds. E.g. Day 1 – 1 death, Day 6

– 2 chicks escaped & eaten by dog.

Make a note of any signs of disease or illness such as chicks coughing or struggling to

breathe or walk.

Make a note if the chicks run out of feed or water.

Make a note when you change feed e.g. when you change suppliers or from starter

to finisher etc.

If you have a scale, record the average weight of the birds on a weekly basis (this can

be done by weighing 10 birds at random, adding up the total weight and dividing by

10 to get your average weight.) Ideally this should be done on the same day and time

each week.

See sample Daily Record Keeping Sheet at the back of the Broiler Guide

Preparing the coop for the next cycle

Once all the chickens have been removed, the coop needs to be removed from the

chicken shelter. The coop must then be scrubbed with a brush, using water, soap

and some Jik (to disinfect). The coop must then be left out until it is completely dry.

All the yellow feeders and drinkers (small & large) must be scrubbed clean and left

out to dry.

Remove the blocks/bricks on which the coop was standing, scrub clean and let them

dry.

The plastic sheeting/feed sacks from the floor under the coop must be removed

from the shelter.

Put the manure to one side for composting (See composting guidelines)

If using plastic sheeting, it must be thoroughly cleaned and dried. If using feed sacks,

they must be burnt for hygienic reasons, and new sacks used for the next cycle.

The brooding blanket must be washed and dried.

Next, the inside of the chicken shelter can be swept out to remove any traces of feed

or manure. If the floor was wet, allow it to dry completely before setting up the coop

for the next cycle.

Return the clean plastic/feed sacks, blocks and coop to the shelter and prepare the

brooding area for the next cycle.

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Composting the Manure

You cannot put fresh chicken manure onto your vegetables or crops straight away, or

you will burn or kill the plants – the manure needs to be composted for about 3

months (sometimes a little longer in cooler areas)

Put the chicken manure into a pile and add the same amount of soil. Any scrap grass,

leaves or vegetable scraps can also be added to compost. If the mix is dry, add some

water and mix well.

Leave the compost pile for 2 weeks, and then mix. Move the manure from the

bottom of the pile, to the top. Sprinkle some water on top if the mixture is dry. The

compost needs to remain damp.

Mix and add water (and any grass/leaves/veggie scraps) every week for the

remaining 10 weeks.

Once the mix gets a “sweet” and not stinky smell, it is ready, and can be spread and

mixed into your vegetable garden.

This compost will improve soil quality and help increase yields.

DO NOT add new chicken manure from the next cycle; rather make a new pile next

door.