Chick Sex Identification, Suitable Rearing Temperatures and Breeding Management Techniques
Chicks refer to newly hatched chickens, from 0 to 50 days. The hatching weight of chicks varies by breed and type; generally, broiler chicks weigh about 40 grams at hatching, while layer chicks weigh 36 to 38 grams.So how do you identify male and female chicks? How do you rear them? What is the suitable temperature? What breeding management techniques are there? According to Mr. Wei, a poultry farmer in Henan, at 1-3 days of age, the brooding room temperature is 33°C; at 4-7 days of age, the brooding room temperature is 31°C; at 2 weeks, the brooding room temperature is 28°C; at 3 weeks, the brooding room temperature is 26°C; at 4 weeks, the brooding room temperature is 24°C; at 5 weeks, the brooding room temperature is 22°C; at 6 weeks and above, the brooding room temperature is kept at 20°C. The relative humidity is 65%.
How do you identify male and female chicks?
1. Hold the chick by both feet and lift it upside down. If it raises its head upward, spreads both wings and flaps them, and struggles violently, it is generally a male chick. If the head naturally droops downward and the wings do not spread, or spread and then slowly fold back, it is mostly a female chick.
2. Hold the chick in your hand with the head facing up and the chick facing the same direction as you, and observe which side the comb leans toward. If the comb leans to the right, it is generally a male chick; if the comb leans to the left, it is generally a female chick.
3. Roosters walk proudly with head held high, and their gait is very distinctive. If conditions permit, let the chick walk on sand. If the footprints of both feet are in a single line, it is a rooster. If the footprints of both feet cross each other, it is generally a hen.
How do you rear chicks? What breeding management techniques are there?
1. Preparation before brooding
(1) Brooding methods. Farmers build brooding rooms according to plan based on the number of birds to be raised. The brooding room must have windows to allow air circulation and sufficient daylight; it can be built with a brick-and-wood structure or as a greenhouse.
Net-bed brooding. A three-tier vertical net bed is suitable. The number of net beds is determined by the number of chickens to be raised, calculated at 30-50 birds per square meter. The first tier of the net bed is 40 cm above the ground, the net bed is 30 cm high, and the distance between the upper and lower tiers is 20 cm. A manure-collecting board should be placed on top of the first and second tiers of net beds. The frame parts of the net bed are made of wooden strips, bamboo, or special brooding cages, and the surroundings and bottom are secured with plastic netting. Feed buckets and drinkers should be properly equipped. The vertical net-bed brooding greenhouse has the characteristics of saving space and allowing a large brooding capacity, and is suitable for specialized large-scale farming.
Flat-floor brooding. Spread grass sections about 1 cun (approx. 3.3 cm) long as bedding on the ground, about 2 cm thick. Add more bedding after 3-5 days, keeping the bedding dry until the chicks are off heat. When releasing them for rearing, thoroughly remove the bedding. This is suitable for farmers who are just starting out.
(2) Preparation of brooding supplies. Complete-price chick compound feed, drinkers, feed buckets, wet-and-dry thermometers, sprayers, insulation equipment, commonly used medicines, etc.
(3) Comprehensive disinfection. For a chicken farm being used for the first time, routine spray disinfection is sufficient. Afterward, use the fumigation disinfection method. The specific method is: before disinfection, close the doors and windows of the chicken house and seal all gaps tightly, then calculate the total amount of chemicals needed based on the volume of the chicken house (length × width × height). For a 10-cubic-meter chicken house, use 250 ml (about 4 liang) of formalin (formaldehyde), 15 g (about 3 qian) of potassium permanganate, and 50 g (1 liang) of water. During operation, first pour the water into a corrosion-resistant ceramic or enamel container, then add the potassium permanganate and stir evenly, and finally add the formalin. People must leave immediately and close the doors and windows of the chicken house tightly.
2. Basic requirements for brooding
(1) Brooding temperature. Newly hatched chicks have a body temperature 2-3 degrees lower than adult chickens, so keeping them warm is very important. The temperature requirement for chicks in the first week is 32-34 degrees, in the second week 30-32 degrees, and afterward the temperature should be reduced by no more than 3 degrees per week; after 4 weeks, 20 degrees is sufficient. Observe temperature changes at all times; place one thermometer at each of the four corners and the center of the brooding room to find out whether the indoor temperature is even. Another method is to observe whether the chicks are evenly and quietly scattered on the net bed or bedding. If they huddle together (form piles), it means the temperature is too low; if the chicks are scattered with open mouths and panting, it means the temperature is too high and needs to be adjusted.
(2) Suitable humidity. Chicks are hatched from an incubator with a relative humidity of 70%. If they are transferred to an environment with high temperature and dry bedding, a large amount of water in the chicks' bodies will be lost, causing poor feather growth, dry toes, and respiratory diseases. Therefore, the relative humidity in the brooding room should be kept at 65%-75% for chicks within 10 days of age, and at about 60% after 10 days of age.
(3) Timely drinking and first feeding. Chicks should drink water immediately upon entering the brooding room. At 1-3 days of age, they can drink potassium permanganate water at a concentration of 2 parts per 10,000 (the water appears light pink). For chicks transported over long distances, glucose and electrolytic multivitamins should be added to the drinking water. First feeding is carried out 2-3 hours after drinking water; once 60%-70% (two-thirds) of the chicks can stand and walk freely, they can be fed. Feeding frequency: at 1-10 days of age, 6-8 times per day (2-3 times at night); at 11-20 days of age, 5-6 times per day (1-2 times at night); at 21-30 days of age, 4 times per day (1 time at night).
(4) Rearing density. The rearing density requirement is 50 chicks per square meter at 1-2 weeks of age, 30 chicks per square meter at 3-4 weeks of age, and 15-20 chicks per square meter at 5-6 weeks of age; the number raised per small group is preferably 70-100 birds. The number of drinkers (one per 50 chicks) and feed buckets (one per 50 chicks) must be sufficient, and their placement must be appropriate.
(5) Lighting. In the first week, the brooding room uses 24-hour continuous lighting. Strong light can prevent various vices. Use a 40-watt bulb per 15 square meters of housing, about 2 m above the ground. In the second week, gradually reduce to 19 hours and switch to a 25-watt bulb. From the third week onward, natural light can be used.
(6) Air and hygiene conditions. The brooding room must maintain good ventilation. If ventilation is poor, the air in the house becomes foul, producing large amounts of harmful gases such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, which not only affect the chickens' health but in severe cases can induce respiratory diseases and even cause death. Hygiene is an important factor affecting the health and production performance of the flock. Requirements include daily scrubbing of drinking utensils, regular cleaning of feeding utensils, cleaning of the house, and disinfection. Ventilate regularly and clean the chicken manure on the ground regularly.
(7) Disease prevention and control. After hatching, chicks are given preventive injections according to the immunization program; chicks within two weeks are given medication to prevent pullorum disease and coccidiosis.
Chicks are difficult to rear and manage, so farmers need to be more patient and the management work must be more meticulous in order to rear chicks well, improve the survival rate, and create higher farming benefits.