The First Year – LSU AgCenter Hill Farm Research Station Broiler Demonstration Houses
Theresia Lavergne, Ph.D., P.A.S. Professor – Poultry, William Owens, Ph.D. Professor, Hill Farm Research Station
The LSU AgCenter’s Hill Farm Research Station Broiler Demonstration Houses have completed the first year of production! Four flocks have been grown in the demonstration houses, and the fifth flock is in the houses now.
The average performance of the first four flocks is:
Average flock age 62 days
Average weight 8.77 pounds
Livability 94.9%
Mortality 5.1%
Feed conversion (feed:gain) 2.09
The first demonstration: A demonstration on the use of radiant tube heaters vs. radiant brooders for brooding chicks is underway. One house is equipped with radiant tube heaters and the second house is equipped with radiant brooders. This demonstration is expected to continue for another one to two years. Percent livability, average weight, and feed conversion have been similar between the flocks brooded with tube heat vs. radiant brooders.
The propane usage for the second, third, and fourth flocks was:
Flock #* Tube Heat (gallons consumed) Brooder Heat (gallons consumed)
2 (October to December 2010) 539 678
3 (January to March 2011) 2,149 2,362
4 (April to June 2011) 867 920
Total usage 3,555 3,960
*The first flock (July to September 2010) is not included since this was the first flock grown in these houses and that information will not be used in the demonstration reports.