Best Poultry Farm Equipment — AQAI
Poultry farming is a delicate business that involves selecting the appropriate tools to ensure healthy rearing. If you are looking to have a poultry farm, you will need to observe your chicken and other birds 24/7 and be aware of any changes. Today’s poultry farming equipment allows the farmers to work faster, gain many benefits from productive work and make sure that broilers delivered healthy to the markets.
Some of the common poultry farm equipment are:
1. Setter or Incubator
This is a machine that is designed to regulate incubation temperature and humidity around the chicks and recreates the role of the brooding hen for the first 19 days of the cycle. It creates the perfect conditions for an egg to incubate and hatch successfully.
2. Brooder Machine
Brooder machines provide warmth and light to the chicks. The common types used are:
Charcoal stove brooder/ Kerosene Stove Brooder: It is a charcoal or kerosene stove whose flame provides heat and light for the chicks.
Gas Brooder: This type of brooder uses natural gas, methane, and LPG and is placed 3–5 feet above the chicks.
Infrared Bulbs: These are self-reflecting bulbs with red color which attracts the birds who gather under it to get warmth and light.
3. Hatching Equipment
This is used to store or transfer the eggs after hatching. The different types are:
Hatching Egg Tray: It is a tray that can store 90–180 eggs and helps in storing the eggs for best protection.
Hatching Transfer Machine: This machine transfers the hatched eggs from the breeder farm to the tray to keep them safe and prevent breakage
4. Waterers
Drinking the correct amount of water is essential for any chick’s health. This is done through-
Pan and Jar: It is a machine that has water stored in a jar which is sent to the chicks through a pan.
Washbasins: These are made of plastic, wood or GI with grill and are large open bowls where water is kept and served.
Manual Drinkers: These are used in the 1st week of brooding and are also known as fountain drinkers as the water comes out like a fountain.
5. Poultry Feeding Equipment
Using the correct number of grains, feed is important and this is done through feeding equipment. Some of the common feeder equipment are:
Automatic Feeder: These provide feed to the entire length of the poultry house through feed troughs with auger or chain devices to transfer the feed from the feed bin to the nests or sites. They run on electricity and the height of the feeder can be adjusted suitably according to the age of the chicks.
Linear Feeder: This machine is of linear shape 2 meters length with guards made up of Galvanized iron, wood or bamboo.
Circular Feeder: They are circular, semi-automatic, carry 5–7 kg grains and deliver feed down by gravity.
6. Ventilation Systems
Proper ventilation in poultry farms helps to control extremes of temperature, humidity and air contamination to proper limits for the chickens kept inside. The systems are divided into natural air flow through vents, openings and mechanical air movement using fans.
7. Lighting systems
Correct lighting is important for egg production, feed intake and growth of chickens at the start of the rearing period. It also minimizes movement and reduces leg disorders. LED lighting systems have been found to be better than traditional light sources.
Originally published at https://www.aqai.in.
