Feeding Techniques and Management Points for the First 10 Days of Chicks

SummaryDay 1 of chicks: house temperature between 35-37°C, humidity between 65%-70%, 24 hours of light. Day 2 and 3 of chicks: light duration above 22 hours, humidity around 70%. Day 4-7 of chicks: house temperature controlled at around 34-36°C, and do a good job of ventilation. Day 8 of chicks: light duration of 14 hours, house temperature around 34°C. Day 9-10 of chicks: house temperature at 33-34°C, humidity at 60%.

I. Day 1 of young chicks

1. Before the young chicks arrive at the chicken house, the temperature inside the chicken house needs to be pre-warmed, with the temperature controlled at 35-37°C and the humidity controlled between 65%-70%.

2. Prepare vaccines, nutritional drugs, disinfectant solution, water, feed, bedding and disinfection facilities in full.

3. After the chicks enter the chicken house, close the cage doors promptly and arrange the rearing density as soon as possible. For floor rearing, about 20-30 birds per square meter; for cage rearing, about 50-60 birds per square meter.

4. After being placed in cages, they should be given water promptly; the water is best as cooled boiled water, and 5% glucose and multivitamins can be added to the water in an appropriate amount.

5. 4 hours after drinking water, Jinqi Sukang and Xinganxing can be used for the first drinking of the chicks, and they should be given continuously for 5 days.

6. After the first drinking, they can begin to eat; the feed can be placed in troughs or feed trays, and the feed should preferably be high-protein feed or fortified feed, with a crude protein level of no less than 19.5%.

7. They need to be fed about 4 times a day; during this period water must not be cut off, and full-day lighting should be provided, with a light intensity of 10 lux as appropriate.

8. On the evening of the day the chicks are placed in cages, the floor of the chicken house needs to be disinfected; disinfection can be carried out with a disinfection spray.

9. To increase the humidity inside the house, water can be evenly sprinkled on the ground.

II. Day 2 and 3 of young chicks

1. The light duration should be at least above 22 hours, the light intensity maintained at around 10 lux, and the humidity at around 70%.

2. To avoid the occurrence of reproductive-type infectious bronchitis and early Newcastle disease nephropathic infectious bronchitis, the new bronchitis/nephropathic triple attenuated vaccine can be administered by eye drop, or Newcastle disease oil vaccine can be injected subcutaneously in the neck at 0.3ml per bird.

3. Glucose can also be added to the drinking water, which can greatly reduce the occurrence of pasted vents in chicks.

III. Day 4-7 of young chicks

1. From the fourth day, the light duration can be gradually reduced, by one hour per day.

2. Drinking water and feeding are changed to 3 times a day; the drinking water can also be changed to tap water, and the dosage of multivitamins in the water can be appropriately reduced according to the health condition of the chicks.

3. The temperature inside the house can be appropriately lowered by 1-2°C, that is, 34-36°C.

4. Do a good job of indoor ventilation and air exchange, with 3-5 air exhausts needed each day.

5. Workers need to persist in cleaning chicken manure every day, and also need to disinfect the young chicks every day, after cleaning the manure each day.

6. After the seventh day, adjust their daily feed intake according to the body weight of the young chicks.

IV. Day 8 of young chicks

1. The daily light duration is shortened to 14 hours, the house temperature drops to 34-35°C, the humidity is 65, and the light intensity can be appropriately weakened.

2. The young chicks can be beak-trimmed, which can prevent the occurrence of phenomena such as mutual feather pecking, toe pecking and vent pecking.

3. The beak trimming position is at the midpoint from the tip to the nostril, and the lower beak needs to be cut by one third.

4. After beak trimming, bleeding should be quickly prevented, and 5 mg of vitamin K3 per 100 jin of feed should be added to the drinking water; weak chicks must not be beak-trimmed.

5. For 3 days after beak trimming, Junqing needs to be added to their drinking water, which can prevent wound infection.

6. For 5 days after beak trimming, as much feed as possible should be placed in the troughs, which can prevent chicks from pecking the troughs empty and causing wound infection.

V. Day 9-10 of young chicks

1. The light duration decreases by 1 hour each day.

2. During these two days, Manhuting can be used to prevent respiratory diseases.

3. Sufficient feed must be given to ensure their nutrition, and sufficient water must be given at the same time.

4. Increase the ventilation volume and the number of ventilations; basically, ventilation and air exchange are needed once every 2-3 hours.

5. The house temperature should be controlled at 33-34°C, and the humidity at 60% as appropriate.