By Samuel S.K. | Published | No Comments
Are your baby chicks dying in large numbers? In out latest post on poultry farming in Kenya , we will answer your major question on taking care of young chicks on your farm. You will get causes of why some chicks are dying and give you best tips on how to prevent it immediately. The solutions will also prepare you for the next brood to see you lose almost none.
Losing baby chicks is identified as the worst challenge facing the poultry farmers in Kenya and Uganda. While it can be frustrating for beginners in the chicken keeping, the good news is that, It’s a preventable risk, in a cheap way.
In this post, you will learn how the top reasons that baby chicks to die. Second, the post gives you best tips you can prevent your chicks from dying.
There are many reasons why your chicks are dying one by one such as dehydration, poor feeding or exposure to cold. By understanding why your chicks falling sick, stressed or dying, you can control them to reduce and/or eliminate losses as a poultry farmer. The full list of reasons why your baby chicks are dying are;
How can you avoid chicken losses? The best methods to cope with chicken losses are to copy nature. You can imitate how the wild birds and fowls hatch, care and nurture their chicks to maturity. The following are suggestions you can consider to avoid losing chicks in large numbers. They are discussed in detail as follows
As you will learn in this post, Its possible to prevent your baby chicks from dying. The best way is to diagnose your chicks are unwell and reviving or preventing it.
The following are key symptoms that your baby chick is dying.
Your baby chicks develop adult feathers in 8 weeks. Generally, their brooding hen can keep them warm. However, as a commercial farmer with many chicks, you must provide them with an alternative heat source.
Chick’s age | Brood Temperature |
1st Week | 92 – 95°F |
2-3 Weeks | 85 – 90°F |
3-5 Weeks | 80 – 85°F |
5-8 Weeks | 70 – 80°F |
8 Weeks + | Room temperature |
The above chart has the recommended baby chicks temperature. Most successful chicken farmers opt to use a chicken heat lamps. But, the electricity expenses for heat lamps are high and can cause fire. Other alternatives to heat lamps are Heated chick pads, Reptile heat lamps, Chicken coop heaters and the Chicken brooder heat plates.
Incase of poor access to on-grid electricity or supply interruptions, you can keep your baby chicks warm without electricity using cold brooders, hot water bottles and kerosene lamps.
Chicken diseases like the Newcastle Disease can easily wipe your chicken population . While the improved indigenous (kienyeji) chicken varieties have a natural immune, hybrid layers and exotic broilers are more susceptible. To reduce your losses, follow a chicken vaccination schedule from day one as shown above.
The common chicken diseases in the region are Marek, Newcastle and infectious bronchitis. Others are Gumboro, fowl pox and fowl typhoid. Besides, you will need to deworm your chicken.
Pests infestations can make your baby chicks sick and kill them at time. Common chicken pests are worms, lice and red mites. Below are how to control them.
To control poultry mites by applying paint paraffin in cracks and crevices, use pressure washers to wash out mites and provide dust baths to get rid of mites and lice in a natural way. Other control methods are using diatom, poultry shield and other organic pest control products like peppermint and neem oil.
Another cause your baby chicks are dying can be hunger or poor feeding. You are either feeding them less than the daily chick feed required per day, or giving them low-quality chick mash from a counterfeit feed supplier.
The figure above is a layers chicken feeding program. It shows you the recommended feeding rate for each chicken per day. You can see a broilers chicken feeding program here
Commercial chicken feeds can be costly. You can make some at home using corn, supplements or sunflower seeds etc. Besides, you can rear them using the free-range method. You will release them to scavenge on the compound and provide them feed from time to time.
You may be losing your baby chicks is poor access quality or clean water. Without water, they will dehydrate and die. If the waterers are not raised up, they will poop into it or kick beddings and food into it contaminating it.
How can you ensure baby chicks has access to clean water? There are two best methods for properly watering your chicks.
Your chicken house can reduce or cause you losses. A proper chick cage will provide safety from weather elements like rain and extreme temperature. A good house will provide security from thieves and pests like stray pets that may attack your chicken.
While considering the best type of chicken housing, there are two major factors to check into spacing, ventilation and elevation.
Finally poor hygiene is another challenge for chicken farmer. When left unclean, the chick poop may transmit bacteria and virus causing your chicken illnesses. The decomposing material may produce poisonous ammonia gas that can inflame the fragile baby chicks’ lungs.
Make sure you clean water dishes, waterers and bottle nipples daily using warm water and an approved poultry sanitizer. Observe the same for feeders. The brooder should be cleaned often to remove soiled and damp beddings in the chicken house.
Conclusion on how to avoid losing your chicks
In conclusion, you can reduce most losses by following the suggestions in this article. Another effective risk transfer method is applying for chicken insurance. If one is not available, look for livestock and pet insurance policies that may cover losses. The received compensation can help you to bounce back much faster than using your own savings
Do you have additional tips for raising happy and healthy chicken? Let us know in the comments below.
S.K is the founder and senior agribusiness development consultant at Agcenture. He can be reached at info@agcenture.com
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