What are the technical key points for brooding free-range native chickens under forest?
(1) Preparation Before Brooding
The brooding house should be sheltered from wind and face the sun, with heating and ventilation facilities. One week before the chicks arrive, the inside and outside of the brooding house should be cleaned and rinsed thoroughly, the surrounding walls whitewashed with 10%-20% lime water, and the floor, corners, feed troughs, drinkers, etc. disinfected with 2% caustic soda solution, then rinsed clean with water after 1 hour. For fumigation disinfection, use 28 ml of formalin and 14 g of potassium permanganate per cubic meter of the house, sealing the brooding house, including all brooding facilities such as drinkers, feed trays, feed buckets, bedding, and chicken cages. In addition, preparation work for feed, vaccines, and medicines should also be done well.
(2) Key Technical Points for Brooding
1. Brooding methods: floor brooding (ground brooding, wire-floor brooding) and multi-tier brooding.
2. Brooding temperature and humidity:
??? The brooding temperature should be: 33°C-35°C in the 1st week, 30°C-33°C in the 2nd week, then decrease by 2°C each week until it drops to 18°C-20°C.
The brooding humidity should be: 65% in the 1st week, 60% in the 2nd week, and around 55% after the 3rd week.
3. First feeding and drinking: After the chicks enter the house, provide drinking water and first feeding promptly, with drinking before feeding. Chicks at 1 week of age should not be given cold water; they should be given cooled boiled water, with the water temperature close to the house temperature. A 5% sucrose solution can be used for 2-3 consecutive days. The best time for first feeding is 3 hours after the chicks drink water, because by then the meconium in the chicks' bodies has basically been expelled and they feel hungry. When first feeding, the chick feed can be evenly scattered on newspaper to let the chicks feed freely, feeding small amounts frequently. Within 7 days of age, feed 6-8 times per day; after 7 days of age, feed 4-6 times per day. When 80% of the chicks are 80-90% full, the feed can be removed; this way the chicks will not be underfed or overfed, keeping them with a strong appetite. To improve the chicks' digestive capacity, from 10 days of age add a small amount of fine sand to the feed, or put fine sand in a tray for them to eat freely.
4. Lighting and ventilation: For the first 3 days after the chicks enter the house, provide 24-hour lighting at a light intensity of 2.7 watts per square meter. Bulbs should be set up reasonably and distributed evenly to facilitate feeding and drinking. From the 4th day to the 2nd week, lighting is 18 hours, but the light intensity is reduced to 1.3 watts per square meter. After that, shorten the lighting time by 2 hours each week until natural lighting is used. Too strong light will cause stress to the chicks, while too weak light will reduce their feed intake and prevent them from reaching the expected body weight.
When the weather is warm at noon, windows can be opened appropriately, roller blinds raised, or fans used for ventilation. It must be ensured that a person staying inside does not smell odor, is not irritated by pungent smells, does not have stinging eyes, and is not choked. During ventilation, avoid drafts and cold wind blowing directly onto the chicks.
5. Rearing density: 30-40 birds per sq m before 2 weeks, 20 birds per sq m after 2 weeks
6. Sanitation and epidemic prevention: The immune system of chicks is not well developed, and they are prone to diseases, especially infectious diseases, which are difficult to control once they spread. Therefore, one brooding house should raise chicks of the same source and the same age, entering at one time and moving out at the same time. In addition, strictly follow a scientific immunization program and carry out immunization and prevention well. To reduce the stress caused by each immunization, an appropriate amount of vitamins can be added to the water. During the chick stage, emphasis should be placed on preventing and treating pullorum disease. Within 3 days after the chicks arrive, give each chick 10001U penicillin in drinking water, and add anti-coccidial drugs to the feed for prevention.
Chen Ruixiang