Are Silkie chickens easy to raise? A detailed guide to high-profit feeding methods and money-making techniques

Silkie chicken, also known as the black-bone chicken, is a traditional Chinese dual-purpose medicinal and food chicken breed, with the effects of nourishing yin and enriching the blood, strengthening the spleen and securing the chong vessel. At present, Silkie chicken farming has already reached a considerable scale, so are Silkie chickens easy to raise? How do you raise them to make money? What are the high-profit feeding methods and techniques?

1. Are Silkie chickens easy to raise?

Among poultry farming, Silkie chickens are not really considered “easy to raise," because they have many requirements regarding the rearing environment and techniques, and are prone to disease outbreaks. This is also why few farmers in rural areas raise Silkie chickens on a large scale.

2. How do you raise Silkie chickens for high profits? What are the feeding methods and techniques?

Feeding and management during the brooding period (0-8 weeks of age)

1. Preparation for receiving chicks

(1) Cleaning and disinfection of the brooder house. According to the production plan, at least 1 week before the chicks arrive, first carry out repairs and maintenance on the brooder house, then thoroughly clean and disinfect it, and leave it empty until use. Method of operation: after sweeping away the manure, rinse with a high-pressure water gun, then carry out routine disinfection 1-2 times, and finally place the brooding equipment and bedding into the brooder house, close the doors and windows, and carry out fumigation disinfection (use 42 ml of formaldehyde plus 21 g of potassium permanganate per cubic meter of space; fumigation time should be more than 24 hours).

(2) Preparation of equipment and supplies. Prepare sufficient starter trays (or paper), drinkers, cleaning tools, veterinary tools, etc., and carefully wash and disinfect them.

When using floor rearing for brooding, sufficient dry, soft, mold-free bedding such as sawdust, rice husk, or straw should be prepared in advance. For the first use, spread it to a thickness of 5-10 cm on the floor of the brooder house.

Check and service heating equipment such as boilers, wood-shaving stoves, infrared lamps, and brooder umbrellas to ensure they can operate normally and safely. Before the chicks arrive, the temperature inside the house should be raised in advance so that it meets the brooding requirements.

2. Arrival of chicks

(1) Selection of chicks. Chicks should be selected from healthy breeding farms with a livestock and poultry breeding production and operation license and a business license. Chicks should be uniform in size, with glossy down, lively spirits, loud calls, and no feces adhering to the vent. After entering the house, they should be left to rest for a moment, then counted and placed in the warming area.

(2) Drinking water and first feeding for chicks. 24-36 hours after hatching, the chicks should be enticed to drink water for the first time. Warm boiled water at about 20°C or a 0.01% potassium permanganate solution can be used, and 5%-8% glucose and 0.05%-0.1% vitamin C can also be added to reduce stress.

After the chicks have drunk enough water, they can be given their first feed. Sprinkle half-cooked, half-moist broken rice into the starter trays (or paper), and after the chicks become accustomed to pecking, switch to chick feed. Feeding should be done in small amounts and frequently; from 0-2 weeks of age, feed 5-6 times per day and night, and starting at 3 weeks of age, feeding 4 times per day and night is sufficient. Each feeding should be finished in about 20 minutes. After 2-4 weeks of age, feed troughs can be used instead.

(3) Temperature and humidity control. Silkie chicks have relatively high requirements for temperature and humidity. Within 4 days of age, 34-35°C should be maintained (the temperature value at the height of the chicks' backs under heating equipment such as infrared lamps and brooder umbrellas); from 5-8 days of age, 33-34°C, then decrease by 2-3°C each week; after 5 weeks of age, maintain 20-25°C. During the first week, the relative humidity inside the house should be about 65%, and afterward about 55%.

(4) Light control. During the first 3 days of brooding, provide 23 hours of light and 1 hour of darkness. After 4 days, reduce light by two hours each day until natural light is reached.

(5) Stocking density. The stocking density of Silkie chicks should not be too high; generally within 14 days of age, 40-50 birds per square meter; from 15-28 days of age, 20-30 birds per square meter; after 28 days of age, about 15 birds per square meter.

(6) Ventilation management. The brooder house should be moderately ventilated to keep the air inside fresh.

Feed management during the growing and free-range period (9 weeks of age to market)

1. Construction of chicken sheds and fences

The construction of free-range sheds should follow the principles of safety, simplicity, and economy. The free-range site should be enclosed with steel-plastic mesh, nylon netting, or bamboo strips at a height of about 1.8 m, for ease of management and to prevent chickens from being lost and harmed by predators.

2. Transfer to the free-range flock

After the chicks are taken off heat, they are generally transferred from the brooder house to the free-range shed on a sunny morning, and begin outdoor foraging. The free-range site should be chosen in bamboo, tea, fruit, and mulberry intercropping areas and open woodlands with high, dry terrain, shelter from wind and sun, a quiet environment, convenient water sources, no pollution, and no predators.

3. Training

Proper training can create conditioned reflexes and reduce management intensity. The training method is as follows: during morning herding in the free-range period, one keeper carries a feed bucket, scatters feed while walking, and knocks on the bucket or blows a whistle, avoiding dense grass and leading the chickens toward the free-range site; another keeper drives them from behind until the whole flock has entered the free-range area. At noon, set up supplementary feed troughs and water troughs in the free-range area, add a small amount of compound feed and clean drinking water, and use the same signal to guide the flock to feed once. At the same time, drive back any chickens that return to the shed early. In the evening, use the same method for return-to-shed training. Train repeatedly from near to far in this way for 5-7 days.

4. Free-range model

According to economic conditions, labor availability, technical level, the size of the free-range site, vegetation conditions, and so on, farmers can determine the breeding scale themselves. At the beginning, the scale should not be too large; after gaining experience, it can be expanded. Generally, the free-range density is 100-200 birds per mu, and each flock should preferably be kept within 500 birds. It is recommended to adopt ecological cyclic integrated planting and raising models such as rotational grazing and grazing.

5. Prevent predator damage and reduce stress

Silkie chickens are highly prone to stress, so in production, stress caused by transfer between flocks, immunization operations, personnel movement in and out, and the appearance of natural enemies should be avoided as much as possible, so as to create a good environment for the growth of Silkie chickens.

In addition, chicken houses should be disinfected once a week; when an outbreak occurs, disinfect continuously for one week.