Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Brooding
Brooding
time.
Weak chicks will be stimulated by stronger ones to move as well as
is much easier.
Chick mortality will decrease.
All Houses
In open houses it is not easy to implement the intermittent lighting
program. If this cannot be applied, 22 – 24 hours of light during the first 2 –
3 days is common practice. Providing a dark period during the day to allow
the chicks to rest is highly recommended.In a dark house the light level
should be lower than 3 lux when the light-proof system is set. In other
words, it must be completely dark.
Light
The light intensity should be between 30 – 50 lux during the first week.
Set the height of the drinkers so the chicks can drink easily. 360-
and undesirable gases. Ensure suflcient air movement even on cool days.
Strong movements of air disturb the chicks, they will avoid using draughty
areas. This can negatively impact on chick distribution and activity. Adequate
ventilation is especially important in hot weather.
Draft Incorrect
A good brooding period is key to developing the gut, immune
system and the skeleton. This period is therefore crucial to improve
flock liveability during the first weeks, and to obtain good quality and
productive pullets.
Crop fill measurement is a good tool to check if the chicks are eating in the
first two days of life.
If the result is below target, check the brooding conditions and take
corrective measures.
Correct crop filling
Cloacal temperature
Chick temperature is between 40 – 41 °C after the moment of full
homeothermy. During the first week of life chicks are unable to control their
body temperature and it varies according to the ambient temperature. This
information can be used to adjust house temperatures optimally. Use
modern ear thermometers (see picture).
1. Make sure you collect samples of chicks from different parts of the
house. Sample chicks distributed throughout the house for reliable
readings.
2. Check their cloacal temperature.
3. Collect the information, calculate the average and adjust the house
temperatures accordingly to achieve optimal chick temperatures.
Beak Treatment
Beak treatment is an important cannibalism/pecking prevention measure in
poultry management, especially in open houses with high light intensity.
While various methods of beak treatment may be used: the objective is to
treat the beak in a uniform manner that will permanently retard future beak
growth. Improper beak treatment procedures may result in permanent
damage to overall flock performance.
Special care should be provided to the chicks in the days following beak
treatment:
Monitor water intake. It will be reduced for 2 or 3 days but then the
previous intake should be recovered. Reducing the water pressure in
the nipple drinker lines could be useful.
Use additional drinkers if necessary.
Increase the house temperature until the chicks seem comfortable.
Increase the feed level in the feeders.
Add Vitamin K to the diet or drinking water a few days before and after
beak treatment.
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