“As a farmer ensure you get quality vaccinated day old chicks from reputable farmer or well established hatchery”
By Vivian Machanury
RAISING DAY OLD chicks is a challenge to many farmers. Day old chicks are very delicate and require utmost care for them to survive. As a farmer ensure you get quality vaccinated day-old chicks from a reputable farmer or well established hatchery. This ensures a good start in the brooding process. Before you bring the day-old chicks to the farm, here is a checklist you need to work with.
- Housing and clean environment
- Heating and lighting
- Clean drinking water
- Adequate nutritious feeds
- Vaccination schedule
- Transport
Housing and clean environment: Day old chicks are raised in a brooder which is basically an enclosed space preferably circular in shape. Why circular? To prevent chicks from huddling together in a corner causing stampede or death. The brooder should be made of cardboard or plywood material. The housing and surrounding environment should be safe, well ventilated, dry, and very clean. Ensure the surrounding area is clear of bushes, swept regularly and the structure made in such a way that predators cannot access the day-old chicks. The housing should be well ventilated to allow for fresh air circulation. The floor of the brooder should be lined up with deep lit- ter such as wood shavings spread evenly at a height of 3 inches. This acts as a mattress for the chicks providing some level of warmth and comfort. More importantly, the wood shavings absorb moisture. Please note wood shavings and saw dust are different.
Avoid using saw dust as deep litter as this may cause respiratory problems to chicks as well serve as a breeding ground for fleas. The wood shavings should be aired and dried in the sun and applied with dudu dust before being placed in the brooder. This should be done last after cleaning and fumigation. Wet litter forms a conducive environment for coccidiosis. If water spills, remove the wet litter and dispose. Help the chicks turn the wood shavings every two days. At the entrance of the chick house there should be a foot bath with disinfectant where a farmer or attendant dips their feet before entering the brooder. This is to avoid spreading germs collected outside. Clean and fumigate the house and its surrounding environment a week before the chicks arrive. All equipment should be cleaned and disinfected.
Heating and lighting:
Heating and lighting is a prerequisite for day old chicks. Identify a source of heat that you can use in the brooder. It could be a lamp, neon bulb or a plastic container with hot water. Personally, I make charcoal briquettes. I mix charcoal dust with soil and roll them in round balls and dry them in the sun. So for heat I use a pot with perforated holes which is hang in the brooder. I use charcoal and the briquettes for heat which enables me save on heating.
The temperature should be at least 34 degrees celsius for the first two weeks. The brooder should be preheated at least 3 hours prior to chicks being placed in there. The brooder is heated because when the chicks are cold they will not eat, instead they will spend time looking for warmth, huddling together and this affects their growth. Be very cautious where you place the heat source. If you place a jiko on bricks, the chicks can go under the jiko looking for warmth and end up getting roasted. Others may get burnt. Hang it cautiously in the brooder and monitor the temperature closely. You can tell if the temperature is right by observing the chickens’ behaviour. If it’s cold, you draw the curtains in the brooder house to protect the chicks. When it’s warm, they are bubbly, eating, drinking and growing. If chicks are too hot or cold, they will chirp noisily. Check on them regularly. Lighting ia also necessary becausethey need to see the food to eat. Ideally 12 hours of light per day is good enough for their growth. On the day of arrival, ensure you have clean drinking water placed strategically in the brooder. For day old chicks, a ratio of 1 drinker to 10 chicks works. For the first three days, add chick start in their water to provide the needed energy. Water drinkers should be washed daily-every morning before refilling with fresh clean water, this will prevent spread of bacteria. The chicks should always access fresh clean water. Keep checking to refill during the day.
Adequate nutritious feed
Day old chicks need a high protein diet to support their growth and development. I buy commercially available feeds- chick mash that are well formulated to provide necessary nutrients for growing chicks to thrive. On day one to day 3, place the feeds on a spread-out carton or news paper. This is to help chicks distinguish feeds from litter. After that use feeders . Arm yourself with a vaccination schedule. When buying the chicks confirm the vaccines that have already been administered. Then get a schedule for vaccinating your chicks. Vaccinated chicks have a higher survival rate as opposed to those without vaccination. Prevention is better than cure. Protect your chicks from diseases such as Mareks, Newcastle, Gumboro and Fowl pox.
Transport
The day you pick the chicks ensure you have no other business. Pick the chicks and go straight to the farm. The birds get stressed as they travel and need to be as fast as possible. Day old chicks are transported in small boxes that are well ventilated. with small boxes, the chicks can huddle together for warmth. Managing day old chicks is a valuable skill for any poultry farmer. All you need is to assume you are now the mother hen. The chicks depend on you to meet their needs- warmth, food, water. If you do a good job, you can attain 100% survival rate. A loss of up to 5% is acceptable given the various challenges. It’s not difficult to brood day old chicks but one must be committed and dedicated to the poultry project. I encourage us to rear what we eat especially if you live on the farm.