16 STEPS FARMERS TAKE IN BROODING DAY OLD CHICKS TO ENSURE THEIR BIRDS HAVE HIGH SURVIVAL RATE.

1)Upon chicks’ arrival, do the unboxing exercise as quickly as possible, count them and dip each chick’s beak into a waterer to be sure that it gets a drink.

2)While you are unboxing, check for deformed chicks and those with an unhealed navel. Treat them to prevent omphalitis.

3)Check for underweight chicks and separate them from the rest. They might end up being runts. Separating them will allow you to manage them properly, thus, giving them a better chance of survival.

4)Vaccinate them against Newcastle and Marek's diseases if they hasn’t been done at the hatchery.

5)Lunch them into their new environment and Observe the chicks closely and see how they respond to the heat.

6)The chicks’ behavior will tell you whether the brooder temperature is correct. If they huddle close to the heat source, it is too cold; if they crowd the brooder guard or crowd at angle 90 degrees of the space you put them. It is too hot! If they are evenly dispersed, you got the heating right.

7)Check the distribution of the chicks often for the first 2 weeks, and see that they have feed and water even at night. Watch the chicks every 30 minutes continuously for the first few days. If any is ill, remove such.

The first few days, chicks will pick at anything; they cannot tell a feeding area from the rest of the floor, so it is wise to have feed scattered over a large area. Put newspaper or cut cardboard boxes down on the floor and scatter feed on them to supplement the chick-sized feeders.

9)During the brooding stage, chicks will eat through the night since light is available continuously. They should never be without feed for more than 30 minutes at a time (the same is true for mature birds during daylight).

10)Spend time every day just observing the flock. As they grow, see if they are all about the same size and are putting out feathers at about the same rate.If so, the chicks probably are healthy, from good stock, and receiving a good feed. Watch for any inactive chicks. Those that standstill for more than 10 minutes are most likely sick.

11)On the third day, allow the chicks to finish the feed in the feeders. From then on, fill the feeders half full. If chicks are eating well, remove the paper or cardboard.

12)For the rest of the chickens’ lives, completely change their water every day at dawn and in the early afternoon, rinsing the waterers out as you do so. Chickens should have water available at all times.

13)On the fourth day, begin looking for signs of coccidiosis. If there is a serious outbreak, take immediate action. Be alert for coccidiosis until the flock is at least 12 weeks old. On the sixth day, be sure that there is evenly disperse grit (stone particles) in the feeders to supplement the ones in the commercial feed.

14)On the seventh day, the 1st Lasota vaccination is recommended.

15)On the twenty-first day, provide larger feeders.

16)On the eighty-fourth day, increase feed and water space. Begin a lighting
program, if appropriate.

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