Chapter 6: Manage breeding poultry

Managing breeding poultry is a critical aspect of animal production that directly influences the productivity and genetic quality of poultry flocks in Kenya. Effective breeding ensures the sustainability of poultry enterprises by improving traits such as growth rate, egg production, disease resistance, and feed efficiency. For poultry production professionals, understanding the tools, equipment, and materials used in breeding operations allows for precise management practices that enhance breeding outcomes and profitability. This chapter focuses on the essential breeding tools and equipment necessary for successful poultry breeding management.

6.1 Poultry breeding tools, equipment and materials

A breeding flock is kept to produce fertile eggs that hatch into healthy, productive chicks, so its housing, feeders, heaters, incubators, brooders and monitoring tools must protect fertility and chick quality as well as the birds themselves. A mistake in the equipment shows up late and expensively: eggs that fail to hatch, weak chicks or a flock that is uneven in weight. The table lists the main items and the sections that follow explain how each one is used.

Housing

A breeder house must hold hens and cockerels at the stocking density set out in the strain's management guide, keep the birds dry and out of draughts and keep eggs clean. It has a sound roof and walls, curtains or windows with mesh for ventilation, and a floor of concrete covered with dry litter or partly with slats. Nest boxes, with soft clean nesting material, are fixed along the wall so hens lay in them rather than on the floor, because floor eggs are dirty and more likely to be contaminated. Perches give the birds somewhere to rest. The house should be separate from the production flock and from the hatchery, with its own foot bath and equipment, because a disease in the breeders can pass through the eggs to every chick they produce.

Feeders

Breeding birds are often fed a measured daily ration, particularly meat-type breeders, which gain weight too fast and lay badly if they become too fat. When the ration is small, every bird must reach the feeder at the same time, or the strong birds eat more and the flock becomes uneven. Chain feeders and long troughs give enough space, and pan feeders suit smaller pens. Males and females may be fed separately, with the male feeders hung above the height the hens can reach, so that each sex gets the ration meant for it. Keep feeders clean and dry, because wet or mouldy feed harms fertility.

Heaters

Heaters warm the chicks that hatch from the breeders' eggs, and they keep the incubation and hatching rooms steady when the weather is cold. Infra-red bulbs, gas brooders, charcoal jikos and electric heaters are used, depending on cost, power supply and the number of chicks. The use of each type, its fire risks and the need to ventilate are explained under chick brooder tools, equipment and materials. For breeders, one more point matters: a heater in a hatching or chick room must not cause sudden changes of temperature, so use a thermostat where possible and check it every day.

Incubators

An incubator imitates a broody hen by keeping eggs at the right temperature and humidity and turning them. A forced-air incubator, which has a fan that moves warm air evenly, is typically set at about 37.5 °C, and the humidity is raised near hatching. Parts to check are the thermostat, thermometer, hygrometer, water trays, fan and turning mechanism. An automatic turner rolls the eggs every hour or so, whereas by hand the eggs are turned several times a day and turning stops a few days before hatching. A power cut is the main risk, so a generator or inverter is a sensible back-up. Wash and disinfect the incubator and hatcher between batches, because a hatching tray holds fluff, shell and bacteria.

Brooders

A brooder is the heated pen where newly hatched chicks live for their first weeks. It has a guard to keep chicks near the heat, feeders and drinkers sized for chicks, dry litter and a thermometer at chick height. On a breeding farm the brooder is built apart from the breeder house so that chicks, which have little resistance, do not meet adult birds' germs. Keep the pen ready and warm before the first chicks come from the incubator and follow an all-in all-out routine, washing and disinfecting between batches. The detailed brooding procedures are taught in the chapter on chick brooding.

Health monitoring tools

Breeders are kept much longer than broilers, so their health and body weight are watched regularly.

• Weighing scale: a hanging or platform scale is used to weigh a sample of birds every week and compare their weights with the target. Growth that is too fast or too slow warns that the feed ration needs adjusting.
• Thermometer: a clinical thermometer measures a sick bird's body temperature, and a room thermometer checks house temperature.
• Post-mortem kit: scissors, forceps, scalpel and a clean tray, with gloves, let the technician examine dead birds to find the cause of death early. Disinfect the instruments after each bird.
• Sample containers: clean, labelled tubes and bags for faeces and tissues sent to a laboratory.
• Vaccination equipment: syringes, wing-web applicators and sprayers. Needles and syringes are disposable and are used once only and then disposed of safely.
• Cool box with thermometer: keeps vaccines cold from purchase until use.

Identification tools

Individual identification lets the keeper link egg production, weight and health to a particular bird.

Artificial insemination equipment

Some breeders use artificial insemination to raise fertility or to use a good male on more hens. The equipment is a clean collection funnel and tube for semen, a fine syringe or pipette to place it in the hen, gloves and, where semen quality is checked, a microscope. Everything that touches semen or the hen must be clean and dry, because disinfectant residue kills sperm.

Care of breeding equipment

• Clean and disinfect: wash feeders, drinkers, nest boxes and incubators between batches, using disinfectants as the label directs.
• Check and calibrate: test thermometers and hygrometers against a trusted instrument and service incubator parts regularly.
• Repair promptly: fix leaks, damaged nests and sagging feeders before they cause losses.
• Store with care: keep spare parts, bulbs and tools dry and out of reach of rodents.

Chapter Summary

This chapter covered the essential tools, equipment and materials required for effective poultry breeding, emphasizing their role in maintaining hygiene and efficiency. It detailed the process of designing mating and breeding systems, which ensures optimal genetic improvement and productivity. The selection criteria for breeding poultry were explained, focusing on traits that enhance flock performance. Procedures for mating the selected birds were outlined to promote successful reproduction. Feeding practices tailored for breeding poultry were discussed to support their health and egg production. The importance of vaccination and the subsequent monitoring of bird behaviour post-vaccination were highlighted to prevent disease outbreaks. Techniques for the collection, sorting and storage of eggs were presented, alongside criteria for selecting eggs suitable for hatching. The chapter also stressed the significance of maintaining accurate breeding poultry records for tracking performance and genetic progress. Finally, it addressed waste management practices critical for environmental health and farm sustainability.