Key Technical Measures for Raising Free-Range Chickens Well in Summer
Summer has high temperatures and frequent rain with high humidity, and it is a season when free-range chickens are prone to diseases. To keep ecologically free-range chickens highly productive in summer and prevent them from becoming listless and entering the "summer slump," farmers must carry out scientific free-range management to achieve better economic returns.
I. Do a good job of heat prevention and cooling. Temperature is directly related to egg production. The ideal temperature for egg production in free-range chickens is 15°C to 24°C. Above 25°C, the laying rate gradually declines. Above 30°C, chickens will show open-mouth breathing and wings spread out, at which point the laying rate drops significantly or even stops. If the ambient temperature remains above 35°C for a long time, mass deaths are very likely. Therefore, to keep free-range chickens laying more eggs in summer, measures such as building sunshade canopies at the free-range site, ventilating the chicken house, spraying water, and whitewashing the walls must be taken to cool and prevent heat, keeping the chicken house and farm environment below 28°C.
II. Provide sufficient drinking water. The water intake of free-range chickens varies greatly with changes in ambient temperature. In summer, water intake is about 4 times that of winter and about 3.5 times the feed intake. Chickens do not like to drink warmer water, so in summer free-range chickens should be given clean and hygienic cool water, preferably mountain spring water. Because raising water temperature requires a large amount of heat, even if the surrounding ambient temperature rises greatly, body temperature rises very slowly. At the same time, as the water excreted with feces and urine increases, a large amount of body heat is carried away. When the outside temperature is 32°C, one chicken drinking 300 ml of water per day can carry away 4500 calories, with a very obvious cooling and heat-prevention effect, and the chicken's feed intake and laying rate increase.
III. Adjust nutrition. In summer, when ambient temperatures are high, the thermal energy needed to maintain free-range chickens should be reduced, while protein requirements should be relatively increased. An effective way to keep free-range chickens laying more eggs in summer is to replace carbohydrates with animal and plant fats. Add 3% soybean cake and 2% fish meal to the feed, which correspondingly changes the ratio of energy to protein. At the same time, attention must also be paid to maintaining amino acid balance.
IV. Add anti-heat-stress additives. In hot summer, adding an appropriate amount of anti-heat-stress additives to the supplemental feed of free-range chickens helps increase egg production. Add vitamin C, electrolytic multivitamins, etc. to the feed, and add zinc chloride, ammonium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, aspirin, etc. to drinking water, and appropriately reduce the salt content. This can effectively reduce the harm of heat stress and improve the egg production and quality of free-range chickens.
Free-range chickens can also be fed Chinese herbal additives, which can both prevent and treat certain diseases and resist heat stress, with obvious effects on improving chicken production performance. For example, heat-clearing and fire-reducing types: gypsum, gardenia, etc., can help the body dissipate heat; summerheat-dispelling types: ageratum, elsholtzia, can dissipate heat and prevent heatstroke; calming and sedative types: polygala, arborvitae seed, spine date seed, can calm the mind and relieve shock, and have anti-heat-stress effects.
V. Strengthen free-range management. Supply sufficient fresh, clean cool water all day; reducing stocking density as much as possible can effectively lower the ambient temperature; pay attention to letting chickens out early and bringing them in late, avoiding the hottest times as much as possible so that free-range chickens can forage in the wild.
VI. Do a good job of disease prevention and control. Summer is a period when chickens have weak constitutions, so disease prevention and control work should be carried out effectively. Persist in disinfecting with chickens present 2 to 3 times per week to keep the chicken house clean and hygienic. Strictly implement the immunization program, regularly monitor Newcastle disease antibodies, and take corresponding measures promptly if abnormalities are found. Regularly spray pyrethroids and other insecticides harmless to humans and livestock in the chicken house and free-range site to thoroughly eliminate mosquitoes, flies, midges, and other pests. Regularly add drugs such as Taimiejing and Keqiufen to the supplemental feed to do a good job of preventing chicken diseases.