Chicks are very frail, especially during the first few weeks of
their life. Hence, it is imperative to have sound management to keep your flock
healthy.
Moreover, irrespective of the quality of the chicks
supplied/procured and the robustness of management, early chick mortality
cannot be avoided entirely. 1 - 5% of mortality is normal in a poultry farm;
however, anything higher than this should be taken seriously.
A high mortality rate is indicative that something is wrong with
the flock, and it demands the poultry owner’s immediate intervention and
appropriate action to stop further losses as failure to do so may lead to huge
losses.
Many factors cause early chick mortality, such as genetic, management,
disease, and nutritional causes. Here in this post, we are sharing about the
cause of early chick mortality and ways to reduce the chick mortality.
▪ What causes early chick mortality?
There are a number of causes of early chick mortality. However, the
most common factors are:
1. Genetic causes.
2. Management causes.
3. Nutritional causes.
4. Disease causes.
Let’s discuss all four mortality causes gradually.
1. Genetic
causes:
There are around 21 lethal gene mutations in birds. Most of these
lethal genes lead to chicks’ death during the incubation period. However,
congenital tremors and congenital loco cause the death of chicks within a week
of hatching.
2.
Management causes:
Another most important cause of early chick mortality is Poor
management. Sound management is indispensable for keeping flocks healthy and
alive. Chicks reared in poorly managed poultry won’t be able to manifest their
full genetic potentials. Some of the management blunders include.
a. High
Brooding Temperature:
High
brooding temperature is dangerous for your flock. Too much heat makes chicks
dehydrated due to which they consume more water rather than feed.
Due to their reduced feed intake, their growth is drastically
affected, leading to their death. Besides, it also causes pasted vent (i.e., faeces
stalked around the vent area block the vent, ultimately resulting in chicks’
deaths because of their inability to pass out waste from the body).
b. Low
Brooding Temperature:
Low
brooding temperature causes chilling, and prolonged exposure to cold can
directly impact the immune system of the flock, thereby making birds vulnerable
to diseases.
Besides, flock tends to huddle together when exposed to too much
cold to keep themselves warm. Huddling causes suffocation in the flock, thereby
resulting in chick mortality.
c. Poisoning:
The
mortality rate due to poisoning is also high in early chicks. It, however,
depends on the type, dose, and duration of exposure. Poisoning mortality could
be sudden and dreadful.
The reason for poisoning could be any from feed to excessive salt
intake, herbicides to insecticides, and disinfectants, etc.
d. Litter
Contamination:
Another
most crucial cause of chick mortality is -contaminated bedding materials. Some
farmers use sawdust for brooding, which could be really harmful to chicks.
Chicks can mistake sawdust for feed, and in the process, they consume it in
good quantity, which leads to gastrointestinal impaction and ultimately
resulting in death.
e. Starvation:
Starvation
is another cause of chick mortality because young chicks do not have fat
storage to fulfil body needs during starvation, resulting in death.
f. Injuries:
It is
important to handle chicks carefully during vaccination, sexing, dubbing,
de-beaking, transportation from brooding farm to rearing farm, etc.; otherwise,
it can cause injuries and ultimately result in death.
g. Inadequate
Feeders and Drinkers:
Using
wrong feeding and drinking equipment can also cause chick mortality. Inadequate
feeders and drinkers affect flocks’ performance. It also leads to feed wastage
and water spillage that results in the wet litter, which is a suitable
condition for disease outbreak. Less feeder and drinker, on the other hand,
cause starvation, ultimately leading to death.
h. High
Relative Humidity:
High
relative humidity causes the dampness of litter material in the brooding house,
facilitating the growth of microorganisms, a suitable condition for
disease outbreak.
i. Predators:
Poorly
constructed brooding houses are again a cause of chick mortality. Predators, such
as Rat, Dog, Cat, etc., can easily make their ways in the brooding place and
attack chicks.
3. Nutritional
causes:
a. Water:
Water is
one of the essential elements for maintaining the health and performance of the
birds. It not only acts as a transport medium for nutrients and metabolic end
products but also it helps in maintaining body temperature during hot weather.
Besides, water balances the minor deficiency of minerals like Na, Cal, K, etc.
Unhygienic water causes high mortality.
b. Fat
Soluble Vitamin Deficiency:
Vitamins
A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins. These Vitamins are required for normal
growth, development, and reproduction of chicks. A high deficiency of
fat-soluble vitamins can cause death.
In comparison, minor deficiency of these vitamins results in
cessation of growth, lacrimation, rickets, ruffled feather, exudative
diathesis, anaemia, etc.
c. Water-Soluble
Vitamin Deficiency:
Vitamin
C and B-Complex
are water-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins are an essential part of
poultry diets.
They are required for the metabolism, reproduction, growth, and
development of chicks. Severe deficiency of these vitamins can cause death;
however, minor deficiency leads to poor feathering, low growth, weight loss,
dermatitis, nervous signs, and anaemia, etc. in chicks.
4. Disease
causes:
Young chicks are susceptible to infections and diseases due to a
lack of immunity during the first six weeks. It is crucial to maintain
biosecurity measures; failure to do so increases the chances of a disease
outbreak.
Pullorum is again a bacterial infection characterized by ruffled
feathers, labour breathing, white diarrhoea, chirping, and death.
Chicken
Anaemia Virus Infection: Chicken anaemia virus infection or CAV is an
acute viral infection found worldwide. It can infect chickens of all ages;
however, it is mostly detected in young chickens. CAV affects the immune system
of the chicken, thereby leaving it more susceptible to other infections.
However, mortality is often a result of secondary infection.
Salmonellosis: A
salmonellosis is a group of acute rapidly spreading diseases characterized by a
rise in body temperature, omphalitis, hepatitis, and septicaemia, enlargement
of the spleen, arthritis, and death. It affects all ages.
▪ 14 Ways to reduce early chick mortality:
If you’re recording a high mortality rate in your poultry farm, it
is alarming, and you need to take appropriate actions. Failure to do so can
cost you all your investments. Here are the steps that you can take to reduce
chick mortality in your poultry farm.
1. Buy
chicks only from trusted suppliers:
First
things first, buy quality chicks from trusted suppliers. More often than not,
the problem begins when you buy poor quality and unhealthy chicks. Most of the
health problems affecting birds are due to low genetic background.
Hence, it is vital to buy chicks from a reputable and trusted
supplier who raises healthy parent stocks. It is also important to know the
source of eggs of the hatchery that supplies chicks to you along with the
history of the birds that lay those eggs.
2.
Inspect the health status:
No
matter how reliable your supplier is, it is always advised to inspect each
bird’s health status before you transport them to your farm.
3.
Provide the flock with adequate brooding temperature:
High and
low brooding temperatures lead to high chick mortality. Hence, it is essential
to provide your flock with a proper brooding temperature. Failure to do so can
wreak havoc on your poultry farm.
4.
Protect your flock from cold weather:
Of
course, even in your wildest dream, you would not want to see your chicks dying
because of cold weather. So, it is important to supply them with heat during
very cold weather. You can consider designing the pens in such a way that your
birds are not exposed to extremely cold conditions.
5. Keep
drinkers and feeders clean:
Being a
poultry owner is not an easy task. You need to take care of your flock and
their needs to keep them healthy. Keeping your birds’ feeders and drinkers or
drinking trough clean is very important. So, make sure you clean them every
morning and discard any leftover water and feed. Also, do not fill drinkers
with chlorinated water.
While discarding leftover water and feed, make sure you do it very
far away from the pen. It will help you prevent soldier ants from invading your
farm and killing your chickens.
6.
Minimize the risk of suffocating the chicks to death:
Birds
can quickly suffocate and die when forced to move in the tight corner or
inadequate temperature. In a very cold atmosphere, they huddle to keep
themselves warm, due to which the birds can suffocate or suffer a fatal injury.
To avoid this, make sure that the brooding house’s temperature and
humidity are at the right levels and uniform throughout the pen.
The best way to protect your birds from suffocating to death is to
centralize the pen’s heat source. With the heat source in the middle, you can
protect the birds from huddling.
Avoid entirely sudden loud noises around the birds. Birds get panic
with a sudden loud noise due to which they pack together and suffocate.
Predators away from your farm. Birds get scared when they see
predators, which leads to a panic-induced gathering that results in
suffocation.
7.
Prevent your farm from infections and diseases:
Some
diseases can be gruesome; they can wipe out your entire flock in a go. While
some may not be so fatal but may affect the feed conversion ratio of the birds.
So, it is crucial to keep checking your flock regularly.
In case you detect symptoms for any disease in a bird, immediately
separate it from the flock and contact the vet to avoid further damage to your
poultry.
8. Don’t
feed your birds with moldy feeds:
Moldy
feeds can be dangerous and poisonous to your flock. Feeding your birds with
moldy feed can lead to severe problems, such as poultry disease. The best way
to avoid moldy feeds on your farm is to keep the feeds away from water. Also,
do not store the feed in storage rooms with very high humidity.
Besides, don’t buy in bulk. Buy only that much that your birds will
finish before the end of its shelf life. And check the expiry dates on the feed
before making the purchase.
9. Serve
your birds water before feeds:
Serve
your birds’ water before feeds; it will prevent your flock from stampeding
while struggling for food. Birds tend to drink water slower than they peck on
their feed. Serving water first will divert some of the birds’ attention to
water, which will reduce the intensity of the struggle for feed.
10. Keep
your farm protected from predators:
It is
imperative to keep predators away from your farm. However, you cannot ensure
complete protection as some of the predators sneak in from the underneath or
the roof.
The best way to keep more giant predators like dogs and cats from
the range area is by using an electric fence.
For flying predators like hawks, crisscross a thin cord over the
area to prevent them from flying in and out.
Besides, close all the holes around the farm and keep monitoring your farm for
predators’ signs. You can even install strong iron mesh nets around the pens and
apply predator repellents regularly.
11.
Regularly clean dirty poultry pens:
It is
essential to clean your filthy poultry pens regularly. Ammonia starts to build
up in the pen when the litter is wet or when it is left unattended for a long
time. This ammonia gas can be hazardous to your birds.
When it exceeds 25 ppm, it leads to severe problems, like stress,
inadequate feed intake, irritation of the eyes and nasal membrane, slow growth
rate, and respiratory diseases like coryza, bronchitis, etc.
Thus, it is essential to remove wet or caked litter from pens to
prevent your birds from mortality due to choking or other respiratory problems.
12.
Supply sufficient feed to your birds:
The
improper or insufficient feed can lead to poor growth and development of your
birds. When underfed, birds have low
body weights and poor immune responses, due to which they fall sick easily.
Likewise, overfeeding can also lead to more significant problems. That is why
it is vital to give them enough feed.
13.
Strictly follow medication and vaccination schedules:
Following
medication and vaccination is a good farm practice that can help each poultry
farm owner greatly. By following medication and vaccination, you can keep
endemic disease outbreaks at bay.
Make sure you get your birds are vaccinated against contagious
diseases like Colibacillosis, Newcastle
Disease (ND), Fowl Typhoid, Chicken Anaemia Virus Infection, Gumboro
Disease, Fowl Pox,
etc.
Talk to your vet and get the right vaccination and medication
schedule for the poultry species you’re raising. You can also keep a stock of
the medicines at the farm to reduce chick mortality.
14. Have
a vet regularly check your flock:
Have a
vet regularly checking your flock of chicken to ensure there are no symptoms of
contagious diseases. Remove the recovered one from the flock as recovered birds
are a reservoir of infection. This way, you can keep your other birds safe and
healthy.
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