Chick Hatching Season, How to Tell Males from Females, Feeding Precautions, and Farming Techniques
Chicks are the young of chickens, hatched from eggs. They grow by eating feed as well as green vegetables, small insects, and broken rice. Chickens are the most commonly raised poultry by humans. So in what season do chicks generally hatch? How do you tell males from females? What should you pay attention to when feeding them? What are the farming techniques? From broiler farmer Uncle Hu, we learned that in nature, hens generally begin hatching chicks in spring, because at this time the temperature gradually rises and food gradually increases; after the chicks hatch, there is enough food, and the temperature will not be too low, which improves their survival rate.
How do you tell male chicks from female chicks?
1. Look at the chick's rear end
In fact, when a chick is newly born is the best opportunity to determine its sex, but unfortunately the chicks that reach our hands have already been around for some days, and the originally obvious sex markers have shrunk. Here you can look at whether the pelvic area of the chick's rear end is narrow; if it is not, it can be judged as a hen, since a hen's pelvis is very wide so it can lay eggs.
2. Look at the appearance
Roosters are somewhat larger than hens, heavier, and more imposing. These traits can already show during the chick stage. When comparing a brood of chicks together, the relatively larger, heavier, bigger-eating, and more aggressive ones are often roosters.
Compared with roosters, hens have less round eyes, a smaller body, and a gentle temperament.
3. Look at the size of the head
How do you distinguish male from female chicks, and how do you tell a chick's sex? A rooster's head makes up a larger proportion, and the head is also heavy. If you cannot tell, you can hold the chicken upside down by the feet (only for larger chickens, do not do this with small chicks); a hen will flutter and can raise its head, while a rooster cannot, and then you can judge the head size; the one with the heavy head is the rooster.
4. Look at the feathers
Roosters molt more slowly than hens, especially the feathers on the tail and wings. When chicks are the same size, a hen's feathers are already quite full, while a rooster may still be half bald. Many people think this means the chick is sick, but in fact it is determined by the chicken's sex.
There is also another way to judge: when the chickens have grown out a bit more, look at the tail feathers; a hen's feathers are round, while a rooster's feathers are pointed.
5. Feel the chick
Often when you touch a chick, a hen is relatively gentle, while a rooster struggles in every way and will peck people. But this cannot become the standard for judgment; you may run into a hen with a tomboyish nature. The correct method is to rub the chick; the one that feels firmer is a young rooster. Roosters have a more vigorous metabolism and absorb more yolk, so they feel tougher to the touch, while hens have finer feathers and feel nicer.
What should you pay attention to when feeding chicks?
1. Poor cold resistance. Newly hatched chicks have a body temperature 3°C lower than adult chickens, and it takes 10 days to reach normal body temperature. In addition, chicks have short, sparse down and cannot withstand the cold, so their ability to adapt to the environment is not strong, and they must rely on artificial warmth to grow and develop normally. Chicks from 1-30 days old all need to be kept warm and raised in a clean and hygienic environment. For chicks over 30 days old, the feathers are basically fully grown, so warmth is no longer needed.
2. High body temperature and fast development. Generally, a chicken's body temperature is between 40.8-41.5°C, so they must be raised in an environment that is warm in winter and cool in summer and well ventilated. In addition, chickens have a short digestive tract, vigorous metabolism, and fast growth, so they must be fed nutritionally sufficient, easily digestible feed to meet their needs.
3. Weak resistance. Chicks especially are very easily attacked by harmful microorganisms. Therefore, in addition to doing a good job of cleaning and hygiene in the environment, preventive work must also be done well. For example, outsiders are strictly forbidden from entering and leaving the chicken house, the environment and cages must be disinfected, and all kinds of chickens must be regularly injected with various vaccines.
4. Easily startled as a flock. Chickens are timid, and chicks especially are easily startled as a flock. In mild cases they crowd together and their growth and development are hindered; in severe cases they trample each other, causing injury, disability, and death. Therefore, chickens should be raised in a quiet place. Rough management, sudden noise, dogs and cats intruding, and catching them can all cause the flock to become agitated and affect growth.
5. Afraid of dampness. Chickens should grow in a dry, ventilated environment. If the environment is damp, some pathogenic bacteria and mold easily grow and reproduce. If the chicken house is damp, the chicken manure will ferment and produce toxic gases, making the chickens prone to illness.
What are the chick farming techniques?
(1) First feeding
The first feeding of newly hatched pheasant chicks is called first feeding. 24 hours after the pheasant chicks hatch, corn or broken rice mixed evenly with warm water should be scattered on plastic sheeting or in shallow feeding troughs as the first feeding. On the second day, feed 2/3 cornmeal or broken rice and 1/3 complete feed. On the fourth day, feed entirely complete feed until 1 month. After that, a self-mixed feed can be used until 2 months.
(2) First drinking water
The first time chicks drink water after hatching is called first drinking water. Generally, after the chicks hatch and their down dries for 3 hours, a 1/10000 potassium permanganate solution can be given as the first drinking water, and they can drink it continuously for 3 days to disinfect the intestinal tract before ordinary water is used as drinking water. The drinking water must be clean, and the water troughs must be cleaned frequently to keep them clean.
(3) First green feed
The first time pheasant chicks are fed feed is called first green feed. After the pheasant chicks are 2-3 days old, you can begin feeding clean, chopped green feed, which can account for about 10% of the total feed and be mixed into the daily ration for feeding, or it can be fed separately; it should not be too much, to prevent diarrhea. As the age in days increases, it can gradually be increased to 20-30%.
(4) First meat feed
The first time pheasant chicks are fed animal-based feed is called first meat feed. In the first few days of the first feeding of pheasant chicks, steamed and mashed eggs (one egg per 100 pheasant chicks) can be crushed and mixed into the feed as the first meat feed. After 7-10 days of age, 3-5% high-quality fish meal (low-salt) can be mixed into the feed to meet the nutritional needs of the pheasant chicks' growth and development.
(5) Feeding frequency
From 1-3 days of age after first feeding, feed 6-7 times a day; after 3-7 days of age, 5-6 times a day; from 7-30 days of age, 5 times a day; after 1 month of age, 4 times a day.
(6) Temperature, density, lighting, and ventilation
1. Temperature and humidity control: The suitable brooding temperature is 35-34°C for 1-3 days of age, 33-32°C for 4-7 days of age, 31-28°C for 2 weeks of age, 27-24°C for 3 weeks of age, 23-22°C for 4 weeks of age, and normal temperature after 5 weeks of age. Relative humidity is 65%-70% for 1-10 days of age, and 55%-65% after 11 days of age.
2. Density: As age in days changes, body weight, water needs, and so on will also change accordingly. The raising density should be adjusted in good time, and the number of water and feed troughs increased. When raised flat in net cages or in box-type brooding, the density is 50-60 birds per sq m for 1-10 days of age, 30-40 birds per sq m for 10-20 days of age, after which they can be transferred to three-dimensional cages (4-layer cages for brooding egg-type pheasants), 20-30 birds per sq m for 21-42 days of age, and 10-20 birds per sq m for 43-60 days of age.
3. Lighting time control: Pheasant chicks are not very strict about lighting requirements. For the first 1-3 days after hatching, maintain 24-hour lighting; for 4-7 days, maintain 20-22 hours of lighting; after that, switch to natural lighting according to the feeding situation of the pheasant chicks. When transferring to three-dimensional cages around 3 weeks, on the first night full lighting should be added so that the pheasant chicks can adapt to the new environment as quickly as possible; 3 watts per sq m is suitable. After most of the pheasant flock has eaten and drunk water, natural lighting can be used.
4. Ventilation and indoor environment control: If indoor air circulation is poor and the ammonia concentration is too high, it will directly affect the growth and development of the chicks and can induce chronic respiratory diseases, eye diseases, and other illnesses. Ventilation should be carried out frequently to keep the indoor air fresh, manure should be cleaned and the floor swept in good time, a suitable temperature should be maintained, disinfection with the chickens present should be carried out regularly, and density should be reduced in good time. Doing a good job with the indoor environment is one of the important measures for increasing the survival rate of pheasant chicks.