Detailed Guide to Chick Rearing Techniques and Precautions

When it comes to chicks, they are not the tree saplings or rice seedlings we usually see! A chick is actually a baby chicken, a young bird that has just hatched, and many people like to buy chicks to raise at home. So do you know how to raise and manage chicks? Let's take a look together below!

How to Raise Chicks

1. Temperature: the temperature should be between 33-35 degrees, judged by the chicks not huddling together and not breathing with their mouths open.

2. Humidity: in the first few days, humidity can be kept between 70-85%; high humidity helps with yolk absorption.

3. Lighting: for egg-type chicks, the light period on the first day is 24 hours, then reduced by half an hour each day, and after 2 weeks they can be kept under natural light. From day 1-3, the stronger the light the better, to make it easier for them to eat and drink. (For broiler chickens, lighting is 24 hours throughout, and the light intensity can be gradually reduced in the later stage.)

4. Provide water first, then feed. For those transported over long distances, they must be fed 3-4 hours after being given water.

5. For feed, cornmeal can be chosen; it is even better if it is steamed until half-cooked, and complete chick compound feed from a feed mill can also be used.

6. Drinking water: for the first three days, it is best to use cooled boiled water; the water temperature should be such that it does not feel cold to the hand. Multivitamins and antibiotics such as ofloxacin can be added to the water to prevent pullorum disease and E. coli.

Chick Rearing Techniques and Precautions

1. Rearing site

The rearing site should be chosen in a place sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, with dry terrain, a quiet environment and convenient transportation. The height of the cage house should preferably be about 1.2 m, and the cage house should have an activity room, a laying room (nest), a feeding room, etc. The feeding room should have water troughs and feed troughs, and the exercise area should be enclosed with netting to prevent escape.

2. Seed selection

Common breeds include Chinese ring-necked chicks, Zuojia chicks, blackened chicks, light golden-yellow chicks, white chicks, extra-large chicks, etc. High-quality chicks have large but sparse black-and-white spots on their bodies, evenly arranged and about the size of peanut kernels. The feathers of superior chicks appear soft and thick, giving a sense of tender, soft meat; the younger the age, the rounder the head and body, and the shorter the beak, feet and tail.

3. Feeding and management during the brooding period

Chicks should be kept warm: at 1-3 days of age, 40-35°C; at 4-5 days of age, 34-33°C; at 6-8 days of age, 33-32°C; at 9-12 days of age, 32-30°C; at 13-20 days of age, 30-28°C; after that, normal room temperature can be used. In actual practice, warmth is considered adequate when the chicks move freely and are very lively inside the box. Keep the air in the house fresh; especially in winter, the relationship between warmth and ventilation must be handled well.

When starting to feed, first give a few drops of 0.1% potassium permanganate water; 1 day later, feed a mixture of 5% glucose and 0.1% vitamin C mixed with a small amount of feed, stirred evenly. According to nutritional needs, feed requirements and feed formulas, make feed with a relatively soft texture. At 1-2 weeks of age, feed once every 3 hours, 5-7 times a day; at 3-5 weeks of age, feed once every 4 hours, 4-5 times a day; after 5 weeks of age, feed 3-4 times a day, and then feed normally afterward.

Adjust the rearing density in time. At 1-10 days of age, 50-60 birds/sq m; at 10-20 days of age, 30-40 birds/sq m; at 20-40 days of age, 20 birds/sq m; at 40-56 days of age, 10 birds/sq m. Use scissors or an electric debeaker to debeak in time.

What Is a Chick

A chick is also called a baby chicken. Divided by time period, 0 days-50 days is the chick stage. Newly hatched chicks have enough yolk inside their bodies, which can supply some nutrients to the chicks within 3-5 days. Timely start of feeding helps the absorption of the yolk in the chick's abdomen, helps the discharge of meconium, and promotes growth and development, making it an important part of brooding work.

Feeding should not start too early. Starting too early can cause damage because the digestive organs are fragile, while starting too late will consume physical strength and nutrients, which is not good for the growth and development of the chicks. Chicks usually start feeding 12 hours to 24 hours after hatching, and the mortality rate is lowest when feeding starts during this period. For starting chicks on feed, it is suitable to begin after the chicks have had sufficient drinking water for 3 hours, once 60-70% of the chicks can walk around freely and half of the flock shows pecking behavior.

How to Select Good Native Chicken Chicks

1. Whether the native chicken chicks are uniform in size, uniform in color, with loose and long down, and whether they have luster.

2. The eyes of native chicken chicks are round and bright, they move alertly, are healthy and lively, and their calls are loud.

3. Native chicken chicks have no obvious defects such as crooked legs, wry neck, eye defects or crossed beaks.

4. The abdomen of native chicken chicks is soft, not a big-bellied chick, indicating that the yolk absorption is good; the navel is not infected and heals well; the anus is clean with no feces stuck to it; the skin of the feet is bright like wax, not dry and fragile.

Then there is the sex of the chicks. Generally, professionals identify it by everting the vent after hatching; once the down dries after hatching, it is hard to determine, so when ordering chicks in advance, be sure to ask clearly about male and female.

The above is the summary by the editor on chick rearing and management techniques, hoping it can be of some help to everyone. Nowadays, organic vegetables, native chickens and native ducks, wild game and so on are all very popular, because they are more nutritious and delicious to eat, so raising native chickens is also a very good farming project!