Key Technical Points for Feeding and Management of Silkie Chickens During the Brooding Period
The Silkie chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus Brisson) is a type of domestic chicken belonging to the class Aves, order Galliformes, family Phasianidae, genus Gallus, characterized by the "three blacks" - black skin, black bones, and black meat - commonly known as the black-bone chicken. It is a renowned ornamental gem both in China and abroad and a precious traditional Chinese medicine reputed to nourish and strengthen the kidneys and boost yang qi. Whether the silkie-feathered black-bone chicken or the partridge-feathered black-bone chicken, its value lies in the large amount of melanin in its body and more than 20 kinds of amino acids, lipids, vitamins, carotene, and trace elements needed by the human body. It has a strong tonic effect on the elderly and women, is a variety in short supply on the consumer market, and is also an indispensable wealth-generating project for rural poultry farming. The following key aspects should be mastered during the brooding and rearing period of Silkie chickens.
1. Preparation before brooding, mainly the selection and disinfection of the rearing site. Spray the ground with 5% caustic soda, and spray equipment, feed troughs, waterers, bedding, and other utensils with diluted bleaching powder. Next is preparing feed: purchase complete-price feed or mix complete-price feed yourself. The method of combining complete-price feed must be done carefully. Select high-quality millet or crushed corn grits, soak in clean water for 6-8 hours, steam in a steamer for 20 minutes, then air-dry. When feeding, add cooked egg yolk (add 3-5 eggs per 100 chicks), rub evenly with hands, and feed until 4 days of age when they learn to eat, then switch to complete-price nutritional pellet feed. The complete-price feed formula is: corn 52%, peanut cake 10%, wheat bran 4%, sorghum 4%, barley 4%, fish meal 8%, soybean cake 12%, pagoda tree leaf powder 3%, bone meal 2.5%, salt 0.37%, various trace elements 0.5%, various vitamins 0.005%. If it is inconvenient to mix the feed, you can purchase laying hen chick feed formulated by a feed company as a substitute.
2. Drinking water: The method of providing drinking water to chicks is simple. When feeding wet feed, the feed is basically soaked in water, so they drink very little water. When feeding dry feed, they drink more water. Each Silkie chicken needs 10-20 milliliters of clean drinking water per day. The first drinking water should be given earlier than the first feeding, and potassium permanganate (PP powder, also called potassium permanganate) should be added to the drinking water at a rate of 0.1 grams per thousand milliliters. First dissolve it in a small amount of hot water, then dilute it into a pink liquid resembling spinach roots visible to the naked eye. Each drinking water solution should be prepared fresh for each use, as the diluted solution is prone to oxidation over time. Give once a day for 3 consecutive days, then switch to clean, unpolluted groundwater or tap water.
3. Feeding: Start the first feeding within 36 hours of hatching (the earlier the better). First sprinkle feed on the backs of the chicks so they peck at each other and learn to eat, then place a plastic sheet in the middle of the brooding cage, pile the feed on it, and let the chicks eat freely on their own. After 3 days of age, when they have all learned to eat, switch to feeding from troughs. Feed 6-8 times a day within 2 weeks, and 4-6 times a day after 3 weeks of age.
4. Temperature control
Temperature control is a key measure and depends on the heating facilities adopted. Even simple air conditioning requires frequent observation. Whether using a heated kang, heated wall, brooder umbrella, or small plastic tent, attention must be paid to the maximum temperature: 32-34°C for 1-3 days of age, 30-32°C for 4-7 days of age, 28-30°C at 2 weeks of age, 25-28°C at 3 weeks of age, 25°C at 4 weeks of age, and afterward it is best to gradually approach natural temperature. Observe the clustering of the flock daily. If the surrounding temperature is suitable, they will spread out evenly and freely feed, hop, and chase each other. If the temperature is low, they will gather and huddle together.
5. Humidity requirements:
In nature, humidity is dry in spring and autumn at below 50%, hot and humid in summer at around 70%, and humid in winter at around 80%, which is inconvenient to control. A hygrometer should be used to measure the actual moisture content inside the rearing house, and it is best to adjust it to between 55%-65%.
6. Light control: Light can promote faster growth of Silkie chickens. Within 24 hours of hatching, provide all-day weak light. After 3 days of age, provide 23 hours; after 7 days of age, 16 hours; in the second week, 12 hours, gradually changing to natural light. The light intensity should be 10-12 lux. With a 40-watt bulb at a height of 2 meters from the ground, an average of 1.5-2 watts per square meter is sufficient to reach the standard.
7. Density: Density refers to the number of birds raised on a flat surface. A brooding cage on one level can hold only 60 newly hatched chicks per square meter. At one week of age, spread and redistribute the chicks to 50 per square meter. At 3 weeks of age, spread and redistribute again to 40 per square meter. At 4 weeks of age, 30 per square meter; at 5 weeks of age, 25 per square meter; at 6 weeks of age, they can be taken off heat and released onto grassland for rearing.
8. Timely beak trimming: Although Silkie chickens are relatively small in body size, the pecking force of their beaks can still damage the skin, and attention should be paid to this during rearing to prevent the occurrence of feather-pecking vice. It is best to perform beak trimming at 7-10 days of age, cutting the upper beak to one-half the length from the beak tip to the nostril, and cutting off one-third of the lower beak, then immediately cauterize with a hot iron to stop bleeding, or use a semi-automatic beak trimmer.
9. Vaccination:
Formulating an appropriate immunization program is fundamental to disease prevention. Marek's vaccine should be administered at 1 day of age, that is, within 24 hours after hatching; Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis combined vaccine at 7 days of age; bursa of Fabricius vaccine at 10 days of age; repeat the vaccination once more at 4 weeks of age; and infectious laryngotracheitis vaccine at 40 days of age.