At Utpan, we are committed to delivering the highest quality produce by empowering our farmers with robust support. Our field officers play a pivotal role in this mission. They adhere to a rigorous checklist, developed through scientific validation and comprehensive training, to ensure consistent and superior quality across all our farms. This approach not only enhances productivity but also fosters sustainable farming practices.
Brooding Process Management:
- Pre-Heating of the Shed: Pre-warm the brooding area at least 24 hours before chick placement to achieve the ideal floor and air temperature.
- Maintaining Optimal Temperature: Maintain brooding temperature at 32–34°C during the first week, gradually reducing by 2–3°C each week based on bird behaviour and age.
- Adequate Ventilation: Ensure sufficient fresh air without causing drafts. Proper oxygen supply is crucial to prevent respiratory stress while maintaining warmth.
- Chick Comfort and Distribution: Observe chick behaviour frequently; even distribution around the brooding area indicates comfort. Crowding or scattering signals temperature or ventilation issues.
- Clean and Dry Litter Management: Keep the litter dry, fluffy, and clean to prevent disease outbreaks. Wet litter increases ammonia, leading to respiratory problems.
- Availability of Fresh Water: Provide easy access to clean, fresh, and lukewarm water immediately after placement to encourage hydration and feed intake.
- High-Quality Starter Feed: Supply a high-protein, easily digestible starter feed in ample feeders close to chicks to promote early gut development and uniform growth.
- Proper Lighting Program: Maintain bright light (around 30–40 lux) during the first few days to encourage feeding and drinking behaviour. Gradually adjust based on growth stage.
- Biosecurity Measures: Strictly control farm access, sanitize equipment, and enforce hygiene protocols to minimize early chick mortality and disease transmission.
- Monitoring Health and Performance: Regularly monitor chick body weights, crop fill (should be >85% within 6 hours post-placement), and health parameters to detect any issues early.
Feeding Process Management:
- Timely and Consistent Feeding:: Maintain a strict feeding schedule to ensure birds receive nutrition at regular intervals, minimizing stress and competition.
- Feeding Process Management at Farm Level:
- Ensure that feed is stored properly in clean, dry, and ventilated conditions to prevent
contamination from moulds, mycotoxins, or pests.
- Implement first-in, first-out (FIFO) usage of feed stock to maintain freshness.
- Regularly monitor feed intake and observe bird behaviour to detect early signs of feed quality
issues or nutritional deficiencies.
- Feeder Management and Adjustment: Adjust the height of feeders regularly according to bird size
(at bird’s back level) to avoid feed wastage and ensure easy access for all birds.
- Uniform Feed Distribution: Distribute feed evenly across all feeders and feeding zones to avoid
overcrowding, ensuring weaker birds also get access to feed.
- Phase-wise Feeding Strategy: Implement proper starter, grower, and finisher feed changes
according to the birds' age and weight targets, with careful transition periods to avoid digestive
upset.
- Monitoring Feed Intake: Record daily feed consumption and compare against standard
performance charts to detect early signs of health or management issues.
- Clean and Dry Feeding Equipment: Regularly clean and sanitize feeders to prevent bacterial or
fungal growth, and ensure feeders are kept dry to maintain feed hygiene.
- Controlled Feeding (if applicable): In some systems, practice controlled or restricted feeding
methods to improve feed conversion ratios (FCR) and uniform flock weight.
- Access to Fresh, Clean Water: Adequate water availability is critical, as feed intake is closely
linked to water consumption; ensure drinkers are functioning well.
10. Observation of Bird Behaviour During Feeding: Monitor bird activity and feeding behaviour; any abnormal patterns (e.g., lethargy, uneven feeding, aggression) may indicate health, nutrition, or environmental problems requiring immediate attention.
Bird Health Process Management:
- Daily Monitoring of Flock Behaviour: Observe birds for alertness, activity levels, feeding behaviour, and uniform movement patterns to detect early signs of stress or illness.
- Strict Biosecurity Compliance: Enforce farm entry protocols (foot dips, visitor restrictions, protective clothing) to prevent pathogen introduction.
- Routine Health Checks: Conduct regular physical checks for signs like sneezing, coughing, lameness, diarrhoea, ruffled feathers, or skin lesions.
- Proper Litter Management: Maintain dry, clean, and friable litter to prevent respiratory infections and reduce ammonia buildup.
- Water Quality and Hygiene: Ensure continuous access to clean, treated water; clean drinker lines regularly to prevent microbial contamination.
- Balanced and Fresh Feed Supply: Provide nutritionally balanced feed according to bird age and monitor feed intake closely for any sudden drops.
- Vaccination and Preventive Medication Schedule: Strictly adhere to the recommended vaccination programs and preventive medication protocols, recording all administrations.
- Environmental Control (Ventilation, Temperature, Humidity): Maintain optimal temperature, humidity, and air quality inside sheds to minimize stress and support respiratory health.
- Mortality Monitoring and Post-Mortem Analysis: Record daily mortality rates; conduct post- mortem examinations for any abnormal mortalities to identify disease patterns early.
- Regular Assessment of Body Weight and Flock Uniformity: Periodically sample and weigh a group of birds to monitor growth rate and flock uniformity, ensuring that birds are gaining weight as per the standard curve and identifying early signs of nutritional or health issues.
Biosecurity Process Management:
- Controlled Farm Access: Strictly restrict entry to authorized personnel only. Maintain visitor logs and ensure foot dips and hand sanitizers are used at all entry points.
- Dedicated Farm Clothing and Footwear: Provide and mandate the use of farm-specific clothing, footwear, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for all workers and visitors.
- Vehicle and Equipment Disinfection: Disinfect all vehicles and equipment entering the farm premises with appropriate disinfectants to prevent pathogen introduction.
- Bird Placement Management: Implement an all-in, all-out system. Avoid partial placements and staggered bird introductions to minimize cross-contamination risks.
- Rodent, Wild Bird, and Pest Control: Maintain a comprehensive rodent and pest control program. Block all potential entry points and regularly monitor for signs of infestation.
- Feed and Water Biosecurity: Ensure feed is sourced from reliable suppliers, stored hygienically, and protected from rodents and wild birds. Regularly test water quality and treat water to remove pathogens.
- Strict Litter Management: Keep litter dry and clean. Regularly remove wet patches and maintain optimal ventilation to control moisture and ammonia levels.
- Dead Bird Disposal: Promptly remove and dispose of dead birds using approved methods like incineration or deep burial to prevent disease spread.
- Regular Health Monitoring and Vaccination Compliance: Monitor bird health daily for early signs of disease. Follow a strict vaccination and medication schedule as recommended by veterinary consultants.
- Farm Sanitation and Downtime Between Batches: Thoroughly clean, disinfect, and dry the farm premises between production cycles. Maintain a minimum downtime to break disease transmission cycles