BROODING Successfully rearing baby chicks in the same manner as the mother hen requires: ADEQUATE SPACE Start with about 6 square inches per chick, and as they grow increase available space for sanitary reasons and to prevent boredom that leads to picking. Rate of growth varies from breed to breed, so adjust living space accordingly. RELIABLE HEAT Start at approximately 95 degrees Fahrenheit and reduce the temperature approximately 5 degrees each week until it is the same as the ambient temperature. When heat is furnish by incandescent lights, state with 60 or 100 watt bulbs and adjust the temperature bu raising or lowering the fixture or by decreasing or increasing the wattage. When heat is furnished by an infrared lamp, start the lamp about 18 inches about the chicks, and raise it about 3 inches each week. The temperature may be measured with a thermometer 2 inches about the brooder floor or by monitoring chick activity. If they crowd together near the heat and peep shrilly, theyre cold; if they cord together away from the heat and pant, theyre too hot; if they peep musically while moving around to eat and drink and sleep spawned side by side, the temperature is just right. APPROPRIATE LIGHT To help chicks find feed and water, furnish continuous light for the first 48 hours. Thereafter, if the brooding area gets natural daylight through a window, the light may be turned off during the day unless the source of light is also the source of heat. In that case turn it off for half and hour during the coolest hours - so the chicks learn no to panic and pile up later when the lights are turned off at night or in the event of a power outage. FEED AND WATER Chicks can go without water for 48 hours after hatch, but the sooner they drink, the better they will grow. Likewise, they can survive a couple of says without eating but should eat soon after taking the first drink. Feeders and drinkers must be of a size and style designed for chicks, of sufficient number for the quantity of chicks being brooded, and positioned where the chicks can readily find them. A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT As well as insulating the floor for added warmth, bedding absorbs moisture and droppings. Ideal kinds of bedding are peat moss, pine shavings, chopped straw, finely shredded paper, pellet bedding, vermiculite, and coarse stand. For the first two days, until the chicks learn to eat starter and not bits of bedding, use paper towels. PROTECTION FROM MOISTURE Damp bedding gets mold and can cause brooder pneumonia. Remove and replace moist bedding around waterers, and ensure they are level to prevent leakage. damp chicks are vulnerable to becoming chilled. Make sure chicks have sufficient space to spread out for sleeping so non get crowded into the drinker. INSULATION FROM DRAFTS Chick down provides some measure of insulation to help chicks retain heat, but air movement can remove the trapped heat. If air movement can be detected at chick level, the chicks most likely feel a chilling draft. Move the brooder away from open windows and other sources of draft; lay a piece of cardboard partially across the top of a homemade brooder; adjust the brooder guard in an area brooder. PROTECTION FROM PREDATORS Chicks are especially vulnerable to predators that can sneak through cracks and other small spaces, such as rats and snakes. Raccoons can pry open doors that arent latched shut. An family pets should never have unsupervised access to brooding chicks. FREEDOM FROM STRESS Chicks immunity is decreased by stress, which both reduces their growth rate and makes them susceptible to diseases they might others resist. In addition to meeting all the above requirements for successful brooding, other stress reduction measures include not handling chicks for their first few days of life
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 14:00:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015