KARI chicken brooding and placement.

KARI chicken brooding and placement.

On this article you will learn KARI Chicken Brooding and Placement.Brooding is the process of providing heat to the chicks either artificially(using an incubator) or naturally by the hen.

KARI chickens are known to naturally brood as compared to the Kuroiler which artificially brood.However,we shall discuss both of the methods and know why they are preferred to the other.

A.)Natural brooding.

-As earlier stated,natural brooding involves the hen sitting on the eggs until they hatch.It is mostly used by small scale poultry farmers.

The farmer has to ensure that the hen is free from pests such as mite and lice to prevent infecting the new born chicks.

Advantages of Natural Brooding/Incubation.

1. It does not require any skilled labour to supervise the operation thus it saves on time and the cost of labour.
2. Even after the eggs hatch into the chick,the hen will take care of the chicks which also saves on time and money.

Disadvantages of Natural Incubation.

1. The farmer cannot plan on the sale of the eggs as he may not be aware of the number of eggs that have been hatched.
2. The chicks are at a higher risk of contracting pests and diseases.
3. Some poultry may abandon their eggs/chicks.
4. The eggs brooded naturally have a low hatchability rate.
5. The poultry farmer is also not able to control the operations of the incubation process.

B.)Artificial brooding.

-This is the rearing of a large number of chicks by using equipment such as brooder guards,reflectors and a heating source.

-Brooder guards help in training the chicks to stay within the heat source.They use materials such as cardboard paper sheets,wire mesh and mats.

-Reflectors are flat or concave shaped hoovers that contain a lamp to generate heat for the chiks and sometimes a thermometer to measure the temperature.

-Heating elements can also be used such as stoves,gas and electric brooder.They are regulated to generate heat to the chicks.

Advantages of Artificial Brooding.

1. It facilitates the hatching of a large number of chiks at a time.
2. The poultry farmer can also plan and decide on the timeline of when the chicks will get hatched.
3. It reduces the chances of having spoiled/damaged eggs either such as pecking.

Disadvantages of Artificial Brooding.

1. Incubators are quite expensive hence making it hard for small scale poultry farmers to afford.
2. The incubators require highly skilled labour to manage and operate.
3. The incubator is dependent on electricity to operate hence it limits farmers in rural areas.
4. The egg embryo is at a higher risk of damage during the turning of the egg.

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