Free-range chicken farming is considered as a breeding model that most fully meets the needs of quality standards of consumers. Let’s learn the technique of raising broiler chickens according to the free-range model below.
Advantages of raising chickens in the garden
Currently, the speed of urbanization in regions is shrinking the area of cultivation land, leading to fast foods and fast-harvested agricultural products to the throne. Industrial chicken breeds raised according to the industrial model flooded the market with poor quality meat, soft and no longer fragrant like the previous grazing chicken breeds.
Moreover, industrial chickens often abuse refined feed that lacks nutrition from some types of roughage, so the meat will not be as nutritious as grazing chickens. Meanwhile, consumers are no longer interested in industrial chickens sold in supermarkets anymore, this is an opportunity for free-range chicken farms to develop.
Grasping the competitive advantage compared to industrial chickens in the market, many farmers have boldly learned the techniques of raising broiler chickens in the garden and invested in developing the model, scaling up to bring economic efficiency. high and stable economy.
The process of raising broiler chickens in the form of garden
Different from the small and ancient forms of raising chickens in small gardens. The following is the entire process of building a large-scale free-range chicken farming model, easily controlling the source of breed, quality, disease…
Preparing the chicken coop for free-range chicken
In the process of raising broilers, building a barn is the thing that people need to pay the most attention to because it is a place for chickens to rest, avoid sun and rain and bad influences from the outside. Normally, the chicken coop for free-range chickens will have a suitable density according to the size and age of the chickens.
– Chicks up to 1 month old: to have a density of 20 to 25 chicks/m2.
– Chickens are maturing from 1-2 months old: density of 8 to 10 chickens/m2.
In addition to the broiler house, people need to prepare a garden large enough for chickens to run and jump, looking for natural food: worms, crickets… Land for raising chickens in the garden must ensure a maximum density of only 1 chicks/m2 and can grow some climbing plants for chickens to exercise. However, it is also necessary to put a high net around the chicken’s play garden because grazing chickens when grown up can fly quite high, easy to lose.
How to use feeders and drinkers:
– Start using the small feeder when the chicks are about 5 days old. Replace the small trough with a hanging feeder when the chicks are at least 2 weeks old.
– Use a hanging drinker located near the feeder and add some places in the playground for chickens to easily drink water when needed.
Installation of electric heating system:
Electric heating system is essential for the survival of chicks. Therefore, people need to install an electric light system to warm enough so that the chicks do not get cold and die. Use 50W lamps to heat 30 chicks. To gather chicks to warm up overnight, people should use cages with sizes from 50cm high, 150cm wide.
How to choose free-range chickens
Some breeds of chickens are of good quality and are most popular at present: our chickens, our chickens, our chickens, our chickens, and our chickens. fast, compact belly, tall and big legs, no deformities, and prioritize the dry and smooth feathers.
The time to bring the chickens home is appropriate when the chickens are about 1 day old and in cool weather: morning or afternoon.
Free-range chicken feed
Feed is also one of the important factors in technique of raising broiler chickens. For chickens under 1 month old, people can spread broken pieces, corn bran or rice bran directly on the floor to feed them. Feed continuously without leaving food on the floor.
When chickens are 1 to 2 months old, they can be fed with a hanging trough. At this stage, people can feed homemade food or industrial food as they like, but must ensure that they provide enough minerals, protein and necessary vitamins.
Regularly change the types of food to stimulate the chicken’s appetite. In addition, it is also possible to use fresh food from insects, shrimp, crabs, fish and regularly release chickens in the garden to find food from nature.
Daily chicken care instructions
How to raise broiler chickens will not exclude instructing people to take care of chickens every day because in “breeding” it is not only buying seeds to feed them, they also need to be cared for every day, in the right way, at the right time.
After the chickens are 1 month old, people let them go out at the time when the sun starts to rise and bring the chickens back to the coop before sunset. This ensures that the chicks do not get cold when they come out of the coop, leading to disease death. In the first week, you can let the chickens out for a few hours when the sun is warm, when the chickens grow older can increase the time of stocking.
Regularly clean cages, feeders, and drinkers to prevent disease-causing bacteria from growing. Change the drinking water every day to avoid excessive accumulation of dirt. Regularly observe the eating and sleeping situation and health status of chickens to take timely measures to deal with abnormal phenomena.
Give chickens vaccines
