Rearing the day old chicks till the point
of layer or broiler stage is probably the most important part when considering
poultry management. It is expected that one should start poultry keeping with
only normal, active and healthy chicks. Abnormalities like under-weight,
crooked toes, disproportionate, ill formed beaks, dropped vent and wings,
sticky cloaca and so on must be rejected in poultry management.
The rearing of chicks is an important
responsibility for any poultry farm as the whole enterprise; this is depending
on the number and quality of chicks that is produced. Success in rearing of
chicks depends upon one's continued vigilance, patience and attention to
details to the chicks. The chick management in poultry keeping is also refers
to as brooding management. This may be natural where the mother hen herself
provides the warmth to the chicks or artificial where a brooder is used.
Natural brooding
In natural brooding, a clean coop box
should be made available to receive the newly hatched out or the purchased day
old chicks. The coops should be made very clean, free from dampness and protect
the chicks from enemies and from extreme weather conditions. The mother hen
should also be kept clean and in healthy condition. For protection to the chicks
any of the following devices may be employed.
- A small run enclosed by wire netting
- A well ventilated cheap basket (normally used for this purpose in the village)
- Any enclosure with cardboard or planks or wire net or thatch will serve the purpose
- A village coir cot with all the four sides closed by bamboo or coconut thatches with free ventilation on the top
In poultry management, inclement
weather condition affects the general health of the little chicks to a
considerable extent, day old chick are under develop (not mature) in nature and
require proper attention, the following points should be borne in mind and adhere
to while selecting a place for the farm site of the poultry.
- Presence of adequate sunlight (not direct) and sufficient shade
- Void humid surroundings like wet grass patches, mud, stagnant water, damp floors and so on
- Prevention of cold winds draughts
- Warmth to the extent necessary
The natural way of rearing chicks’ bas
a very distinct advantage, in that it relieves the owner from a considerable
portion of his responsibilities in attending to the chicks in detail since the mother
hen rears her chicks very carefully till the chicks are eight weeks old of the
chicks. But if a large number of one day old chicks are bought into the farm,
one has to necessarily depend upon some mechanical contrivance that would
successfully replace the mother hen, give the chicks all the warmth, comfort
and protection they need artificially to keep them going.
Artificial method or rearing
When day old chicks are not hatched
out in the natural way but hatched out in an incubator or purchased from other
sources and no hen is available to look after the chicks when received, they
must then be safely kept in a room with the mechanical device which can serve to
the chicks as an artificial mother which is known as foster mother or brooder
to give them the warmth and the protection they need at that point in time. There
are several types of foster mother in the market and selection depends on the scale
on which a farm is run, the number of chicks that are in the farm and the
season of the year also plays an important role.
Management in the brooder house
The management of the brother house depends
greatly in the comfort of the chicks in the brooder house; the management in
the brooder house also depends upon the following factors of the state of the
brooder house.
Ventilation
The brooder house should be adequately
ventilated and should also be free from droughts. The absence of ventilation in
the brooder house can cause dusty or moist environment which can also lead to
irritating respiratory system of chicks, thereby causing them discomfort.
Sanitation and hygiene
The brooder house should thoroughly be
in a cleaned condition at all time. The brooder house should scrubbed
disinfected and ready for use four to five days before starting the brooding of
chickens. A good disinfectant can be prepared as illustrated below;
- One pint cresol in four gallons of water
- One pint formalin in two gallons of water
- One pound chlorinated lime (with 30% available chlorine) in three gallons of water
Litter
A layer of five cm thickness of
suitable litter material like saw dust, paddy husk, woods shavings, chaffed hay
or straw, sugarcane bagasse, coffee husk, chaffed groundnut husk, and sand can
be used as litter material. The litter should be stirred at frequent intervals
to prevent it from caking. The following precautions should also be put in
place;
- Mouldy material should not be used
- Wet litters, if any, should be replaced immediately by dry litter. This prevents development of ammonical odors
- Moisture content of litter is very important. It should be between 20 and 25 per cent. When moisture is low, dust becomes a problem, and which high the litter becomes hot and caked. A good litter adheres slightly and breaks up when dropped from hand.
Brooder guard
In the brooder house, to prevent the
straying of baby chicks from the source of heat and prevent floor drought,
hover guards are employed to control it. The brooder guard is usually placed
0.9-1.2 cm, which is near about 3ft from the edge of the hover in the brooder
house.
Temperature
The right temperature in a brooder
house is very essential for the chicks. Keep the temperature regulated in such
a way that it is about 90oF (or 32.2o. C) All the edge of
the hover during the first week of brooding, and drops to 85o F (30o
C) during the second week and to 80o F (or 27o C) during
the third week progressively. If the temperature is too low (inadequate), the
chick huddle together in a comer or towards the centre of the hover, and if it
is too high they disperse away from the centre. When the temperature is
suitable, they get distributed evenly in and around the hover. By this
operation temperature can be regulated to keep them distributed evenly in and
around the hover.
Brooder space
The brooder space of the chicks should
be at least 7-10 inches (17.5cm-25cm) per chick, this is what is recommended. Six
feet hover can be accommodate only for 500 chicks. Overcrowding of the chicks
can results in starve-out culls and increase in disease problems of chicks.
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