It is exactly six weeks to Easter holidays and for most farmers this is one of the high seasons they can make a killing from. The demand for broiler chicks for placement is on the rise as we anticipate good sales during the upcoming holidays and closure of schools. Are you new in this poultry business and want to cash in on the upcoming season? Here are useful tips for a successful venture.
- Chick quality
Hatcheries can have a tremendous impact on the success of chicken rearing. The hatch process from egg to farm can be stressful. Choose your chick supplier carefully and make efforts to minimise stress to maintain good chick quality. Here are the characteristics of a good quality chick - well-dried, long-fluffed down, bright round active eyes, active and alert. Chicks should have completely healed navels and legs should be bright and waxy to the touch. Chicks should be free from deformities like crooked legs, twisted necks and cross beaks.
- Chick Transport
Transport chicks in well ventilated but not windy vehicle. Transportation must provide ideal conditions for the chicks and protect them from direct exposure to sunlight, rain, or chemicals. Load chick boxes so that air circulation is not impeded nor is lower boxes squashed. Transport chicks straight from source (hatchery/sales office) to farm without any unnecessary stops. Delays in placement can contribute to the dehydration of chicks. The delivery time should be as short as possible. Delayed placement can result into high chick mortality and or reduced growth rates. It is good practice to weigh 5 per cent of the boxes to determine day-old chick weight.
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- Seek flock information from supplier
Work with your chick suppliers to ensure that you place chicks from similar age and flock source in a single house. Maintain a maximum five-weeks difference if you must mix donor flocks. On placement per farm should ensure an 'all in-all out' regime. This term implies the complete emptying (of animals) of a room, quarters or building, and its cleaning and disinfection (without the animals inside) before introducing a new batch. Count chicks and confirm the number is correct. Ensure chicks are alert, active, and free of any obvious deformities, unhealed navels, or sign of infection.
- Housing requirements
Once in the chicken house, lower the light intensity during chick placement to reduce stress. Chicks must be carefully placed and evenly distributed near feed and water throughout the brooding area. When using supplemental feed on paper, place chicks on the paper. Light should be brought to full intensity within the brooding area once all chicks have been placed. Following a one to two hour acclimation period, check all systems and make adjustments if necessary. Monitor the distribution of the chicks closely during the first few days, at least twice in a day - morning and evening. This can help in detecting any problems in feeder, drinker, ventilation, or heating system.
- Keep flock records
Accurate record keeping is essential to monitor the performance and profitability of a flock, and to enable forecasting, programming, and cash flow projections to be made. It is also serves to provide an early warning of potential problems. The daily records should be on display for each house. Keep complete and accurate records, of the type of feed consumed, batch number and expiry date of feed, daily intake, daily mortality/culls and daily eggs production for layers. It is also important to weigh a sample of the flock every week. The weighing should be done on the same day and time each week. For layers, this gives an indication of when the first egg is expected while for broilers it indicates when the flock will reach market weight. Vaccination and medication records are also important. This should include the age of flock when vaccinated/medicated, the vaccine/drug used, method of administration, batch numbers and expiry dates. Keep mortality and culls by house. Record daily feed and water consumption, and minimum and maximum daily temperatures and humidity. All these records are important as they show the owner the most probable source of problems and best way to manage the situation.
[The writer is Head Vet at Kenchic, watsonmesso@yahoo.com]
