Caring for your chicks needs- tips and Information
Here i have added a few short and easy tips to ensure a proper healthy growth for your chicks. Please take note to this information as we do this to help other poultry enthusiast raise healthy poultry. These tips are and can be use really for any type of poultry in life.Thank you for your support and please leave any comments you have below.
FEED: you should use chick starter medicated or non medicated for the first 8 weeks. Use a 2 foot feeder for each 25 chicks. After the first day remove the papers from the starting area. Please refer to the order blank for feed protein levels for the type of poultry you are ordering.
WATER: Have a 1 gallon chick waterer for each 50 birds. DIP THE BEAK OF THE CHICK IN THE WATER BEFORE YOU TURN IT LOOSE. Most baby bird loss is caused because the bird doesn't start to eat or drink or the temp is way to hot . Never let your bird run out of water.
HEAT: The temperature where the birds are should be 95 to 99 degrees for the first week. Reduce the temperature 5 degrees per week until you get to 70 degrees. Then they shouldn't need any more heat. A good source of heat is a 250 watt bulb. (Red bulbs are better than white. They cause less picking.) Use 1 bulb for each 50 chicks in cold weather.
LIGHT: If you use a heat bulb, this will also serve as the light you need. Otherwise, be sure to give your birds light. Use a 75 watt bulb on dark days. Have a small light for night - 15 watts or similar - to keep them from piling.
SPACE: Try to provide 1/2 square foot per bird at the start. For starting 50 chicks use a wind shield so the draft want get them to cold. For 100 birds, you should double your space as needed.
After 4 weeks of age: Increase floor area to 3/4 square feet per bird. Increase feeders as needed of space per bird. Increase waterers to one 5-gallon fount per 100 birds. Make sure you have the right food. Install roosts at back of brooder area.
Other important tips
LITTER: Wood shavings, pinestaraw make a great bedding for the chicks. Do not use cedar chips,sawdust (It is too small and the birds may eat it instead of their food.
PICKING: The chicks will sometimes pick at each other if there to hot,crowded or just need some air. Occasionally the wrong light also causes them to pick. Sometimes, however they pick for no apparent reason. As a last resort, debeaking might have to be done if there older . Try cutting off about one-third of the top bill. Do not cut the lower bill.
PICKING: The chicks will sometimes pick at each other if there to hot,crowded or just need some air. Occasionally the wrong light also causes them to pick. Sometimes, however they pick for no apparent reason. As a last resort, debeaking might have to be done if there older . Try cutting off about one-third of the top bill. Do not cut the lower bill.