How to Raise Free-Range Chai Chickens? A Detailed Guide to Farming Techniques and Precautions
As is well known, there are many breeds of chickens, and different breeds differ in taste and nutrition. At the same time, different feeding methods also affect the nutrition and taste of the chicken. For example, free-range chickens and confined chickens: free-range chickens are more nutritious and tasty. So, do you know how to raise free-range Chai chickens? Let's find out together with the editor below!
How to Raise Free-Range Chai Chickens
You need to move past the misconception that free-range Chai chickens have low feed requirements. Especially during the brooding period (1-45 days of age), you must feed them highly nutritious feed, and you can add some green vegetable leaves, fresh grass, and so on. During the growing period (46-120 days of age), you can gradually reduce the supply of protein feed and increase the amount of green forage grass. If they are hens kept for egg production, you can add 20%-25% grain chaff to the feed. This can both prevent laying hens from becoming too fat, which affects egg production, and improve egg quality.
It is best not to debeak Chai chickens. To reduce feed waste, during the early stage (1-30 days of age) you can use commercially available plastic feeders. After 30 days of age, you can use a bamboo pole 15-20 cm in diameter and 2.5-3 m long, with a roughly 5 cm opening sawed lengthwise to serve as a feeder. [1]
The first drinking time for chicks is best set at 12 hours after hatching. For the first drink, it is best to use warm boiled water at 30-35°C, with 5% glucose added. For Chai chickens in the growing period, the following aspects of drinking water should be noted: 1. They should drink clean well water, and water must not be cut off at noon in summer; 2. In hot summer weather, 0.5% baking soda and vitamin C should be added to the water to relieve heat stress; 3. After each rain, gentamicin or enrofloxacin, etc., should be added to the drinking water to prevent digestive tract diseases.
Chai Chicken Farming Techniques and Precautions
1. Choose a site, build a chicken coop, and buy high-quality chicks: First choose a good place for free-range Chai chickens, preferably a garden. The garden should be relatively large and have trees, flowers and grass, various insects, and other tasty foods suitable for Chai chickens. In addition, a chicken coop should be built. It is recommended that those raising free-range Chai chickens for the first time not make the scale too large. Raise a suitable number first, and after some days of learning and gaining experience, it is better to increase the scale. This will reduce losses.
2. Provide reasonable water and food for the Chai chickens: With reasonable raising, they will grow up in a little more than 3 months, but at this time they cannot be sold yet. They must be raised for some more days, and only when the meat quality is good can they be sold for a good price. Their diet must be arranged well, and you must provide water on time and plenty of tasty food. Only in this way will the meat be tender and delicious.
3. The cost of vaccines for Chai chickens: Prevention is very important in raising chickens. The cost of vaccines for Chai chickens depends on how many are raised. Usually a vaccine costs 20 yuan per vial and can inject about 2,000 chickens. Chai chickens need to be vaccinated at least about 3 times, and the vaccine cost is a few tenths of a yuan per chicken. They also need regular internal deworming, which is good for their healthy growth.
4. The cost of free-range raising of Chai chickens: Chai chicken farming is best mainly free-range. Generally, they can be sold after about 120 days of raising, with a weight of about 2.8 jin per chicken being best. At this time, Chai chickens are at their best sales period, and the meat is very tender. The usual feed cost for raising Chai chickens is about 16 yuan per chicken. First sell some roosters and Chai chickens with low laying rates, and let the high-quality female Chai chickens lay more eggs first, to prepare for the next batch of chicks.
5. Chai chicken feeding methods should be diversified: Keepers can mainly use finished grain and feed as well as the Chai chickens' natural foraging. Natural foraging can include high-protein grass insects and moths, etc., which are delicious foods for Chai chickens.
The Production Cycle of Chai Chickens
Chai chickens reach sexual maturity relatively late and are greatly affected by the season. Chai chickens raised in spring mature sexually earlier, while those raised in autumn begin laying later. The usual age at first laying is 150-180 days.
Under natural conditions, the egg-laying performance of Chai chickens is highly seasonal, mainly affected by nutrition, temperature, and light. Spring and autumn each year are periods when their laying rate is relatively high. In winter, when light duration shortens, temperature drops, and nutritional supply is insufficient, they stop laying. Therefore, the annual egg production of Chai chickens is low, generally only 100-130 eggs.
What Kind of Chicken Is the Chai Chicken
Chai chicken, also called ben chicken or ma chicken. Chai chickens have characteristics such as tolerance of coarse feed, adaptability, foraging ability, stable genetic performance, strong broodiness, and strong disease resistance. The cost of raising Chai chickens is relatively low, making them very suitable for family farming.
Roosters are ready for market at 5 months, with an average body weight of about 3.5 jin, after which hens are about 2.5 jin; sexual maturity is at 5 months, and they begin laying at 5 months; annual egg production is 150-180 eggs, with an average egg weight of 40-45 grams. The eggshell color is mostly white or light brown; the yolk proportion is large and the color is yellowish, the egg white is viscous, the vitelline membrane is relatively thick, and the color is bright.
As mentioned above, Chai chickens can also be called native chickens or ben chickens, and belong to a type of native chicken. They taste very delicious and contain extremely high nutritional value. Especially free-range Chai chickens, their taste is even more delicious!