Understanding Stocking Density for Better Performance Under Cold Weather: Findings from Maverick’s First Broiler Trial

Authors: Ankon Lahiry, Lead, Poultry Division, Maverick Innovation; Kabir Chowdhury, Founder, Maverick Innovation

Background
The Poultry Division of Maverick Innovation recently has successfully completed their first broiler experimental trial. The main objective was to determine the ideal space required during the first week of broiler chicks in cold weather conditions.

Trial Setup
A total of 320 commercial mixed sex day-old broiler chicks (DOCs), received from Nourish Poultry and Hatchery Limited, Bhaluka, Bangladesh, were considered for the trial. The chicks were reared for 28 days in an open sided gable type house.

The chicks were divided into two groups: T₁ = 0.5 sq ft/bird during the first week and T₂ = 1 sq ft/bird during the first week. Each group had 160 birds in 16 replications. Immediately upon arrival, the DOCs were weighed and then randomly assigned to the floor pens as per treatments.

The area of each floor pen was 10 sq ft i.e., 1 sq ft/bird. For T₁ group, 20 birds were kept in each pen for the first week to provide 0.5 sq ft/bird, and after that, 10 birds were placed in each pen. For T₂ group, 10 birds per pen were kept for the entire trial.

Trial Preparation
Before starting the experimental trial, the whole house and all equipment (feeders, drinkers, buckets, etc.) were properly cleaned, washed and disinfected. Fesh, dry wood shavings and saw dust were used as litter materials at a depth of 3 cm.

Feeding and Lighting
The chicks received a three-phase feeding regime: pre-starter (day 1-14), starter (day 15-21), and grower (day 22-28). Feed and water were available all time. Lighting schedules were maintained as follows: 23 hours/day for the first 3 days, 20 hours/day by day 10, and 16 hours/day thereafter.

Data Collection and Analysis
Both the temperature and relative humidity of the experimental house were recorded six times daily. The body weight was recorded upon arrival and weekly. The feed intake was recorded weekly. The feed conversion ratio (FCR), and feed efficiency were calculated weekly. Mortality was recorded daily. All the data were subjected to an independent t-test to determine the effects of treatments and differences were considered significant at P<0.05.

Key Findings

• Week 1 Performance: The initial body weight of the treatment groups was nearly identical. After the end of the first week, the birds in the T₂ group (1 sq ft/bird) were significantly heavier (232.3g) to those in T₁ (0.5 sq ft/bird) for the first week (225.1g). The feed intake, FCR, feed efficiency, and survivability were not influenced by the stocking density, although better numerical values were observed in the case of T₂
• Performance after 1^st week: From the 2^nd week onward, there were no differences among the treatment groups in body weight, gain, feed intake, FCR, feed efficiency, or survivability, although better numerical values were observed in the case of T₂

Key Takeaway
Giving chicks 1 sq ft of space per bird during the first week helps them to gain better early growth performance under cold weather conditions. Even though the differences disappeared later, this extra space in the first week ensures a good start, which is important to obtain for our future research trial purposes.

Table: Growth performance (end of the 1^st and 4^th weeks of rearing) of the experimental birds kept under different stocking density during the 1^st week

Note: values were expressed as mean ±standard deviation. T₁ = 0.5 sq ft/bird during the first week; T₂ = 1 sq ft/bird during the first week; IBW = Initial Body Weight; BW = Body Weight; BWG = Body Weight Gain; FI = Feed Intake; FCR = Feed Conversion Ratio; FE = Feed Efficiency; SEM = Standard Error of Mean

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