It brings awesome happiness when we have the chance to get day old chick. The stree one has encountered with the inquiry, getting a dependable incubation company, knowing the nature of the parent stock, getting the best quantity of chicks you need and the funds to purchase them will make the experience to some degree entrusting. In any case, it is imperative to express that there are a great deal of things one needs to put into thought after the day old chicks are at last in your care. These include from the time procurement to when they arrive at your farm. Open your mind as I hold you by the hand to clarify the steps below.
Before they arrive
It is very important to note that before the time of arrival for the chicks, some preparation has to be made. One must prepare the brooder house, washing it with disinfectants in order to kill all the germs that may bring about the chicks contact diseases. Scatter the bedding in the brooder; this may come in form of shavings from the saw mills. It is also important to hang the heat lamp (a changeable height cord is helpful) and install a thermometer to control the temperature level. Also, prepare all the feeders and drinkers and make sure they are clean and safe to be used for the new birds. You may disinfect them also. Fill the drinkers (with Vitamin drinks) and feeders and set them in order that they are not directly under the lamp nor entirely at the edges, but at spots where the chicks can eat comfortably and never get either chilled or too hot. Be prepared that some may die in transit, usually, most hatcheries add extra birds (1-2) to compensate for that the loss.
At the Hatchery
Peradventure, you have the
opportunity of going to the hatchery to pick up the birds by yourself, ensure
that the counting is done and proper check are being carried out on each bird
to know which one is injure especially the vent area. This is important in
order to reduce mortality rate at the early stage. Also make sure the birds are
handled with care to prevent internal injuries.
As Soon As They Get Home
it is a common phenomenon that when day old chicks first get to their home, probably whether from a nearby hatchery or via the shipping process from the far-away hatchery, they are probably somewhat stressed therefore you must gently remove them from the box and dip their beaks in water as you set them into the brooder, this is to ensure that they drink a bit of the vitamin drink you have prepared for them and to help them regain strength that has been lost to stress during transit.
Watch Closely
You must watch the chicks to see if they are comfortable. Temperature is vital in the first few times and weeks. The heat lamp will serve as their replacement mother, because that's essentially what it really does. Without it, they may die of cold quickly. If you notice that the chicks huddle beneath the heat lamp, they may be as well cold, so lower the table lamp to provide more heat or you may install an additional lamp to increase the heat. Just as the is important to keep them warm, it is also dangerous for the heat to be too much for them, therefore when you notice the chicks are scattered to the particular edges, it might be as a result of high temperature, so you'll need to raise the lamp or switch off one lamp if there are two. It is not new that most poultry farmers now make use of coal pots to provide heat. However, one must be very vigilant and ensure that it does not cause harm to the birds. Throughout the first week you'll need to keep an in depth eye on this.
Preventing Complications
There is one major complication that affects day old chicks which is known as Pasting Up. Pasting up is a condition where faeces builds on the chicks' vents (anus), obstructing exit of more faeces. This condition can be fatal if left unattended. It is usually caused by stress from shipping or over-handling. This can kill young chicks. To prevent this, pick up the chick to inspect the vent (anus). Check your birds' rear ends every single day for pasting up and utilize a warm wet cloth to get rid of the faeces. The other option if it's on the dry side is to cut the downy feathers across the vent off with scissors. They will get his or her drinkers and feeders filthy with bedding. You don't desire them ingesting large quantities connected with bedding. Change their bedding about once per week.
Lowering Temperature
Each week, lower the temperature by 5 degrees before the temperature reaches outdoor temperatures. So to the first week, keep them from 95 degrees F. The subsequent week: 90 degrees F. Third week: 85 degrees F. adjust this as necessary in order that they are comfortable - not huddling beneath the lamp (too cold) or scattering for the edges (too hot).
To be continued…………….
No comments:
Post a Comment