Basic information
As we all know and believed that a good chicks will make either broilers for meat consumption or layers for egg production. It is expedient that proper and adequate attention be given to chicks so as to have amazing rearing. The first 17 weeks of a pullet’s life are critical. Careful management during this period will allow the bird to meet her performance potential
Although it is not always possible to grow pullets in strict isolation from older birds on village farms, it is recommended on semi commercial and commercial farms. During the first six weeks, it is important to provide feed at least twice a day. After five weeks, feed consumption and body weights must be checked. It is good practice to weigh 100 pullets a week during the growing period, beginning at five weeks of age. Pullets should be moved to cages or the laying house at 16 weeks of age, before the onset of sexual maturity
Chick's management
Modern hybrid layers can be reared successfully in floor and cage brooding systems in developing countries. However, they need more careful management than village chicks, which are better able to cope with temperature fluctuations. Prior to chick arrival, it is important to clean and disinfect the cages or the floor brooding area. The brooders should be set up the day before delivery, at 34 to 36 °C for cage brooding or 35 to 36 °C for floor brooding. Drinkers need to be full or the drinking system in operation, to encourage birds to drink. If nipple drinkers are used, the water pressure should be reduced so that birds can see the drop of water hanging on the drinker, Feed should be placed on paper if birds are reared in cages. Feeders on the floor should be filled and kept under high light intensity for 20 to 22 hours per day for the first week, to attract the birds
Floor systems management Perches should be provided in the growing and laying house environment. This allows the birds to develop their leg and flight muscles, which is essential for their full utilization of the laying house environment. Perches reduce the social stress of birds interacting on the floor, by providing them with a place to roost and get away from other birds in the flock. It is also desirable that birds have access to the same type of feeder and water system in the growing house as they will have in the laying house, although this is not always possible. Birds also need to adapt to the presence of humans, and walking through a poultry house regularly will socialize them. In the laying period, the lighting times need to be synchronized with those in the rearing facility. When birds are placed in the laying house they need to be encouraged to explore the nest boxes
Series of products to serve the poultry farm fully, click the name to learn more
1. Steel structure poultry house, opening type for hot countries and close type for cool countries
2. Poultry hatching equipment’s capacity of eggs up to 120,000+ to be hatching house
4. Chicken feed processing equipment from feed crushing and mixing to stock to feeding chicken
6. Egg processing equipment from automatic egg collection to packing egg to trays
7. Chicken slaughtering equipment from slaughter to vacuum package
9. Other poultry farm equipment are coming soon...
Bookmark our website and contact us now to discuss your modern poultry farm plan and quotation
Cage net of chick cage
Broilers as birds being reared for meat consumption for the sustenance livelihood of mankind can be reared in diverse ways which include: rearing ‘off the ground’ and ‘on the ground’ but our major focus here is the broiler reared ‘off the ground’ that is, in indoor-net systems on a single tier wired or plastic netting (usually 1x1 cm) supported by tensile steel and raised ~0.5m above the ground. One of the main motivations for using these systems is the low initial investment, due to very few infrastructures. Benefits of this system are mainly the separation of animals from their faeces, decreasing the risk of contact with pathogens such as coccidiosis, and the lower input costs of the system. In hot climates, there is also a perceived benefit of improving air flow and reducing heat stress, but this is usually associated with inadequate ventilation of the house
The sheds may have natural light provision, but have little opportunity for enrichment provision, especially scratching and dustbathing substrate. There is potential to provide perches and hanging pecking substrates systems over the last 10 years, and a rise of broiler cages for the last 5 years
Caged and container systems, as well as net systems, do not have the potential to provide what animals want and need, constraining their movement and unnecessarily limiting their behavioural expression. Systems should provide animals with a good quality of life, including good mental and physical wellbeing as well as providing an opportunity to express natural behaviour
Multi-tier colony containers with a solid moveable belt floor: There are two main differences between this system and other cage systems. Firstly, the moveable belt on the floor of the cage is covered with litter, and secondly the system allows for egg hatching inside the container hatching eggs are suspended in a tray above the belt, and as the chicks’ hatch they drop onto the litter belt below. During depopulation, the belt is used to remove the broilers from the containers directly onto a conveyor for transport
Advantages (health, economic and welfare) of the multi tiered systems
1. Flexible plastic mesh flooring or plastic mats (when available), Moulds to birds weight and activity and allows the manure to fall through
2. Separation from manure may reduce foot pad dermatitis and breast blisters, mortality and need for antibiotics. Although according to research this can be a downfall as well
3. Reduced stress during depopulation and loading for transport to slaughter can be fully automated and load up to 12,000 broilers per hour
4. Reduced need for space less land and resources needed, as well as bigger income per m2
5. Reduced labour hours costs mainly on the cleaning, inspection, depopulation and loading for slaughter
Chick's developmental stage
A chicken doesn’t appear to be a complicated bird, but the social structure of a flock is complex. A flock’s hierarchy is known as the pecking order and finding where they fit within that order begins on around Day 3 of a chick’s life. It starts with jostling for position, squawking and pushing over other chicks at feeding time, turning into feather pecking fights by Day 16. The arguments will continue for around 10 weeks in a female only flock; expect it to last a few weeks longer if you are raising a group of males
The pecking order is an instinct, mostly related to feed but also water, nest boxes, perches and dust baths. This is why it’s very important to always have plenty of well spaced feeders and waterers, an ad lib supply of both food and water so birds lower in the pecking order don’t miss out, and plenty of room for birds to move away from each other and be safe
The pecking order is established separately for males and females in the same flock that is, there is a pecking order for males and a separate one for females in mixed sex flocks and the process follows a well recognised sequence
1. On Days 1-3 there is a strong imprinting or bonding period when the newly hatched chicken bonds onto the broody hen; in commercial situations they bond onto other objects and, because of this, are more easily trained
2. This is followed fairly quickly by the development of escape behaviour, a protective mechanism
3. Shortly after, the first signs of aggressive behaviour are seen where two chicks approach each other aggressively but before contact is made they race away, i.e. escape
4. This stage is followed by a period of play fights where they spar but do not make real contact
5. the final stage is where real contact is made, the truly aggressive stage, and it’s from these true fights that the dominant/subordinate relationships are established; the age that this is completed depends on the size and complexity of the flock but in most cases would be sometime after 10 weeks of age
Once a pecking order is established, birds will live in a harmonious state with no obvious dominant/subordinate relationship until the flock structure is altered. In practice, you need to give consideration to the social organisation of your flock in order to minimise the disturbance of established relationships during times when performance could be affected
Our services
1. We offer free guide on poultry house construction to our customers
2. We offer pre sale services to help customers have rightful information on the business
3. Delivery of goods directly to customers’ farm after payment
4. Installation team come for installation after customers have received the goods
5. After sale service is done as we do follow up to see the state at which the materials we supplied are
Frequently ask questions
Q: What is the management of chicks in the brooder?
A: Provide 6 sq. inches per chicks under the brooder. Brooding should be started at 95 F temperature and be reduced by 5 F every week until 70 F is attained. De beaking may be done at 3rd week of age
Q: How do you manage brooding management?
A: There should be 20-30 chicks per nipple during the brooding stage (this could vary depending on manufacturer).Flush the lines a few hours before placement to remove air pockets and place droplet at eye height. Ideal intake is 1ml/bird/hour for the first 24hrs
Q: What is chick's management?
A: The management is an extremely important aspect of chick husbandry. Ensuring that chicks are clean and free of bacteria is a first step to be taken
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