How to Select Chicks? Only Good Selection Leads to Healthy Chickens

If farmers want to raise chickens, the first thing they must do is select chicks, because the quality of the chicks affects the growth and development of the offspring. The selection of chicks affects subsequent development and the profitability of the farming operation. So how do you select chicks?

1. Preliminary Preparation

1. Market Research

Raising laying hens ultimately means supplying eggs to the market. Only when eggs are accepted by the market and needed by consumers can they become a commodity. Therefore, before buying chicks, market research must be conducted. For example, whether consumers prefer brown-shell eggs, white-shell eggs, pink-shell eggs or green-shell eggs. Buy the products the market demands; only in this way will the poultry products have a market. In addition, you need a certain ability to predict the market.

2. Adaptability of the Chicken Breed

Different breeds have different requirements for environmental conditions. No matter how high a breed's production performance is, if it cannot survive healthily in the local area, that high productivity cannot be brought into play. In other words, the local area is not suitable for raising such a breed. For example, some light breeds of laying hens have very high production performance, but they are quite sensitive and easily startled, so in noisier places you cannot raise this kind of chicken; you should raise breeds that react slowly. In short, before raising chickens, the raiser should first know the environmental requirements of certain breeds, as well as some other technical information.

2. Choosing High-Quality Breeds

Different native chicken breeds have different chick prices. For some high-quality native chicken breeds, the appearance is unique, and the quality of both meat and eggs has obvious advantages; when selling, they fetch a high price and sell well, so the farming benefits will be noticeably better than those of ordinary breeds, which is why a high chick price is only reasonable.

3. Methods for Selecting Male and Female Chicks

The prices of male chicks and female chicks differ. If you buy chicks at the higher price for female chicks, you expect half males and half females, but an unscrupulous supplier sends you 90% male chicks. The price is cheaper, but the one who suffers the big loss is the farmer.

The genital protuberance of male and female chicks shows the following notable differences in appearance:

Appearance: Compared with male chicks, the outline of the genital protuberance of female chicks is not obvious, is shrunken, and the surrounding tissue provides weak support and is not connected; it feels soft to the touch; while the genital protuberance of male chicks has an obvious, full outline, and its surrounding tissue is firmly connected.

Gloss: By comparison, the genital protuberance of female chicks is soft and transparent; the surface of the genital protuberance of male chicks is taut and glossy.

Elasticity: The genital protuberance of female chicks has almost no elasticity; once pressed by external force or stretched slightly, it easily deforms; while the genital protuberance of male chicks is elastic, and even with a certain amount of pressure and stretching it will not deform.

Congestion: The blood vessels of the genital protuberance of female chicks are not well developed, nor do they reach the surface layer, so even with stimulation it does not easily become congested; while the blood vessels of the genital protuberance of male chicks are well developed, and there are fine blood vessels on the surface layer, so it easily becomes congested with slight stimulation.

Protrusion: The front end of the genital protuberance of female chicks is pointed; the front end of the genital protuberance of male chicks is round.

Based on the differences in the shape of the chick's genital protuberance, you can determine whether it is male or female. If you lack experience and cannot distinguish it at a glance by visual inspection, you can use the method of touching with your fingers to examine the chick's genital protuberance, while also observing the degree of congestion and elasticity. Using these methods in combination can basically identify whether a chick is male or female, and also prepare for the grouping plan the farmer makes. Finally, one point to emphasize: for chicks, the most suitable time for identification is 2-12 hours after hatching, and it is best not to exceed 24 hours.

4. Methods for Selecting Individual Chicks

1. Look at the appearance of the individual: weak broiler chicks are uneven in size, mostly thin, small and withered, their eyes are unwilling to open or are blind, and their feathers are messy and lack gloss; these cannot be kept.

2. Look at the abdomen: when the yolk is not fully absorbed, the abdomen appears swollen, the navel contracts poorly, the navel or navel opening is very large, there is mucus or blood traces, and the yolk is exposed; these cannot be kept.

3. Feel and listen: if the touch feels loose and weak, the call is hoarse or it chirps endlessly, and it feels inelastic and weak when held in the hand, these cannot be kept;

4. Look at the anus: if there is a lot of dirt or feces stuck around the anus, these cannot be kept.

5. Look at vitality: if it is listless, shrinks its head in a daze, does not like to move, cannot stand steadily on both feet, reacts slowly, and fears cold, it cannot be kept.