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| KEEPING A FLOCK HEALTHY Proper management is essential to raising healthy chicks. Here are a few guidelines to help you raise chicks. Environment: Keep it clean, keep it dry. Warm, dry housing without drafts. Make enclosure predator proof. Clean and disinfect housing, feeders and waterers before chicks arrive. Disinfect regularly. Litter (bedding) should be 2"-5" deep; use wood shavings, straw, etc. Space Requirement: No crowding allowed. Chicks need approximately 0.8 sq. ft. of floor space per bird until 6 weeks of age. Increase this to 1.0 - 2.0 sq. ft. from 6 - 20 weeks, as they grow, depending on size of breed, outdoor run availability, temperature, etc. That's about a 5' x 5' space for 25 chicks. Double it at 6 - 8 months old. |
| Temperature: Avoid the Big Chill. Day old, 90�-95� F. Electric brooders especially for chicks are available to make life easy. Or a heat lamp may be suspended about 20" above the floor -- or better, two in case one burns out. A chick guard made of chicken wire or cardboard encircling the heat source will keep chicks close to heat, feed and water and keep them from "piling up" and smothering in corners. It can be moved outward as chicks grow for more space, so leave extra material at one end. Place thermometer at chick level. Comfort can be observed. If chicks huddle under light, too cold. If chicks huddle in corners, too hot. Reduce 5�F each week until minimum of 65�F. Water: Wet their whistles. One 1-quart fount per 25 chicks. Use fresh, cool (not cold) water, clean daily. Disinfect waterers prior to use and then weekly. Dip beaks to induce drinking. Elevate waterer after first week to reduce contamination from litter. Waterer should not be higher than the chick�s back. Double waterer capacity at 6 weeks. Provide adult birds 1 - 2, one-gallon waterers, depending upon floorspace for every 25 birds. Turkey Poults: Slower to understand eating and drinking, watch closely first few days. To get poults started, dip beaks in water and feed. Provide adult birds 1 - 2, one-gallon waterers depending upon floor space for every 25 birds. Ducklings/Goslings: To get ducklings and goslings started, dip beaks in water and feed. Provide adult birds 1 - 2, one-gallon waterers, depending upon floor space for every 25 birds. Ducklings and goslings may begin to play in the water at 3 - 4 weeks. Place marbles in the bottom of the waterer to reduce splashing. |
| Feeder(s): One foot long per 25 chicks. Keep full at all times, scatter starter ration on newspapers first 2-3 days to encourage eating. For adult birds provide 36 inches of feeder space for 25 chickens, ducks and geese and 100 inches for 25 turkeys. Egg Laying Chicks: Give Start/Grow until 18-20 weeks old and then switch to Laying mash.. For best egg production, use artificial light in laying house to create maximum 17-18 hour day. Do not decrease the length of lighting period when flocks are in production. Disease Control: Over the long term, disease is likely to occur in almost every poultry flock. Signs will be reduced feed consumption, reduced egg production, droopy, sick looking birds, very loose droppings on the floor or dead birds. Immediate action should be taken when any of these problems appear. Preventing Disease: This starts with a strict sanitation program between flocks, and relies on eliminating problems before they occur. Different age groups should be kept isolated. Housing and equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between broods. Unnecessary traffic between flocks should be avoided. Surroundings should be kept comfortable, with good ventilation and dry litter. Waterers should be disinfected weekly. Healthy chicks should be purchased which have been vaccinated. Predators: The surest way to prevent losses from predators is to be sure fencing is secure and high enough to keep birds in. Confining birds eliminates losses. If they are allowed to run in a yard, be sure that all birds are in at dusk and the door of the house securely closed for the night. Be sure to store feed in metal containers such as big garbage cans to avoid attracting rats, mice, raccoons, etc. |