Experienced poultry farmers would accept that raising chicks is not
an easy task, especially when doing it for the first time. Chicks are highly
susceptible to different kinds of dangers (both environmental and health
dangers). In fact, it is the health established by chicks at this period or age
that will follow them all through their lives. Successful brooding entails a
lot of things such as maintaining the right temperature, protection of chicks from
predators as well as ensuring adequate ventilation.
Some poultry farmers have incurred losses or raised unproductive
birds as a result of committing brooding/brooder house mistakes. Some of the
common brooder house mistakes committed by poultry farmers are discussed as
follows:
1. Too high
brooder house temperature
The brooder house should be having a temperature of 95 F if you are
raising layers chicks (or other layer breeds) and 90 F is ideal for broiler
chicks (or meat breeds). The reason for this discrepancy is due to the fact
that broiler chicks grow and develop feathers faster to produce heat. The
growth rate and feather development of layer chicks are slower and these affect
their ability to produce heat on their own.
It is advisable to reduce the brooder house temperature by 5 F every
week until the chicks have developed enough feathers to protect themselves from
cold. Depending on the region, chicks may need to be supplied additional heat
at colder nights.
Most times, heat lamps or stoves (kerosene, gas or coal) are used to
produce supplemental heat for chicks. However, there is a need for the brooder
house attendant or farmer to control the temperature. This is done by raising
the heat lamps every week. Additionally, a functioning thermometer must be kept
at ground level to ensure right temperature is maintained in the brooder house.
If a thermometer is not available, the simplest way to know when the
temperature is high is when the farmer observes that the chicks are far away
from the source of heat or heat lamps and they are also panting to regulate
their body temperature.
If this situation is not promptly attended to, the chicks will
become overheated, and this would lead to dehydration, slow growth rate (chicks
will take more water and less feed), high susceptibility to diseases and
increased mortality.
2. Too low
brooder house temperature
It is very important to have the right temperature in the brooder
house even before the arrival of the chicks. The rule is: heat the whole
brooder house 5 hours before the chicks are brought in. This is necessary
because the floor and litter take much longer time to warm up. The easy or
simplest way to know when the temperature is low is when then your chicks
huddle together close to the source of heat. You can also use a thermometer to
check the temperature. The disadvantages of low heat/ temperature are that the
chicks would be chilled and grow slower, lighter and may come down with
diseases. Additionally, the cost of feeding will increase because the chicks would
be consuming more feed to keep themselves warmer.
3. Less attention
to hygiene
Newer poultry farmers don’t know that trouble starts when less
attention is paid to brooder house hygiene. Poor hygiene and sanitation
practices give room for parasites, bacteria and coccidia to attack/infect your
chicks. Poultry farmers need to protect their chicks from microbial harm by
providing bedding (dry litter) in the brooder house which will prevent the
chicks from having direct contact with the floor as well as absorb spilled
liquid or faeces. Chopped straw, rice hull, and wood shaving are some of the
best materials to use as litter. The use of non-absorbent materials should be
avoided.
For the deep-litter brooding system, litter should be regularly
replaced with dry, new litter as soon as it becomes wet or caky to prevent the
buildup of ammonia gas which predisposes chicks to respiratory problems such as
Chronic
Respiratory Diseases (CRD). To prevent litter from getting wet
quickly, waterers should be made lower enough for the chick to reach. However,
the waterers shouldn’t be made too low to a level that the chicks will find it
easy to poop in them or contaminate them with litter. The rule is to keep the
drinker/waterer and feeder at the back-height of the birds, and they should be
cleaned out twice daily. Ensure that the drinker/waterer and feeder are all
washed and sanitized every day before they are used to serve water and feed
respectively.
4. No provision
to prevent rodents
Did you know that chicks are highly susceptible to rodent attack?
Chicks are the favourite delicacy of rats. This is just the truth. To prevent
rodents from attacking your chicks, you must build your brooder house in such a
way that rodents cannot gain access into the house. In addition, you must block
all holes that rats or other predators can pass through. The gaps in the walls
and doors should be sealed off and all necessary openings such as windows,
roofs should be screened with 1/2-inch wire mesh. It is always a gory scene
after rodents have attacked chicks. Therefore, prevention is better than cure.
5. No/Poor
ventilation
Even though chicks in the brooder house don’t need too much air
(draft), good air exchange (ventilation) is highly required. There will be a
high accumulation of humidity and ammonia when a brooder house is poorly
ventilated, thus promoting respiratory problems and diseases among the chicks.
The vents in the brooder house allow free flow of air. To avoid draft, windows
and doorways should be void of cracks and if there are any, they should be
sealed. This is because draft is not good for temperature regulation in the
brooder house.
Irrespective of your experience in brooding chicks, it is always important to be vigilant when it comes to brooder-house maintenance, as this will always help you to raise very healthy birds.
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