Taking care of your chicks the first 7 days

Feed should be provided in crumb form and placed on trays, lids or paper.[David Njaaga,Standard]

The most critical period in the life of a bird is the first seven days. This is the period of organ development, the liver, heart, kidneys, spleen, brain, lungs, skeletal structures are all maturing in preparation for the journey of growth and further development into a meat or egg producing chicken. It is important that farmers get it right from the onset to avoid needless deaths. Today, I will walk you through this critical journey.

Post placement check list

For survival of the young birds, first, ensure the feeders and drinkers are in adequate supply relative to the stocking density and are appropriately placed. Feeders and drinkers should be placed in close proximity to each other.

Mini Drinker check (supplemental drinker fonts)

This should be provided at a rate of six drinkers per 1,000 chicks. It should never be allowed to dry out. It must also be cleaned and refilled as necessary. Always maintain maximum water levels until chicks are large enough to create spillage. It should be removed approximately 48 hours after placement. It should also be placed slightly higher than litter to maintain water quality yet not so high that access is impeded.  Chlorinate your water once a week targeting a level of 3-4 ppm. (parts per million)

Bell drinker check

· The height should be maintained such that the lip is at the level of the birds’ back.

· Frequent assessment and adjustment is essential.

· It must be cleaned daily to prevent buildup of contaminants. If necessary, in hot climates, flush the water system at least twice daily to maintain good water temperature.

· Water should be 0.5cm (0.20 in.) from the lip of the drinker at day one of age and reduced gradually after seven days to a depth of 1.25cm (0.5 in.) or thumbnail depth.

· All bell drinkers should be ballasted to reduce spillage.

Critical Nipple Drinker check

· The height should be at chicks’ eye level for the first 2-3 hours of age and then maintained slightly above chicks’ head. Pressure should be such that there is a droplet of water suspended from the nipple but no leakage.

· The birds’ feet should always be flat on the litter and a bird should never have to stand on its toes to drink. Flush the lines as needed.

Feeder check

· Feed should be provided in crumb form and placed on trays, lids or paper.

· Feeders should be raised incrementally throughout the growing period so that the lip of the trough or pan is level with the birds back at all times.

· The feed level within the feeders should be set so that feed is readily available while spillage is minimised.

· Never allow the feeders to run empty at any time.

7-day Body weight(160-180g) and feed conversion check (Broilers)

· Weigh a sample of your broilers at placement, target 4 times this weight at day seven (160-180g)

· Seven-day weights and feed conversion are excellent overall indicators of how successful the brooding management has been.

· Failure to achieve optimal seven-day weights and feed conversion will result in poor broiler performance

Post placement house preparation evaluation

Two very important ‘chick checks’ should be made 24 hours post-placement. These two checks are simple and effective ways to evaluate pre-placement management:

Chick check 1 (4 to 6 hours Post-Placement)

• Sample 100 chicks per brood area.

•Check: temperature of feet against neck or cheek.

•If the feet are cold, reevaluate pre-heating temperature.

•Results of cold litter:

1. Poor early feed intake

2. Poor growth

3. Poor uniformity

An excellent indicator of floor temperature is the temperature of the chick’s feet. If the chick’s feet are cold; the internal body temperature of the chick is also reduced.

Cold chicks will be seen huddling with reduced activity and resulting in reduced feed and water intake and therefore reduced growth rate. By placing the feet against your neck or cheek one can readily learn how warm or cold the chick is. If they are comfortably warm, the chicks should be actively moving around.

Chick Check 2 (24 Hours Post-Placement)

The crops of chicks should be checked the morning after placement to ensure they have found feed and water. At this time, a minimum of 95 per cent of the crops should feel soft and pliable indicating chicks have successfully located feed and water.

Hard crops indicate chicks have not found adequate water and availability of this should be checked immediately. Swollen and distended crops indicate chicks have located water but insufficient feed. In this case the availability and consistency of the feed should be immediately evaluated.

• Sample 100 chicks per brood area.

• The desirable result is 95 per cent crops with both feed and water.

• Evaluate crop fill and indicate results on form as below

Crop Fill

Full – Pliable

Feed and water

Full-Hard

Only feed

Full – Soft

Only water

Empty

Evaluation

95 per cent

[The writer is the Head Veterinarian at Kenchic, [email protected]]