🐣 Care and Management of Day-Old Chicks

This lesson covers core livestock production and management concepts for practical farm application and exam-oriented preparation.

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Care&management -day old

25. Care and management of day old chicks-Brooder management.

Preparation of Brooder

Brooder means to give a heat source by artificial means for the period of growth of chicks

from 0 day (Day old) to 4 weeks. The heat source generally has a large refector (Hover) under

which the chicks will get the heat uniformly.

Aim

The day old chicks do not posses the insulating

feather coverage to protect them from cold. It may result in

the losing of body heat to the environment resulting in

chilling which will create the ground for many diseases.

Preparation of Brooder and daily routine work carried out in the farm

Objective

Chicks do not possess a well-developed thermo- regulatory mechanism. The day old

chicks don't posses the insulating feather coverage to protect them from chillness. The body

temperature of chick is 107 [0 ] F which is always more than the ambient temperature. It may result

in the losing of body heat to the environment. So a source of heat is given by natural brooding or

by Artificial brooding up to 4 weeks of age.

Materials required

Hover or wooden cross bar. Automatic brooder, fuel heaters like lantern.

1. Bulbs

2. Chick guard

3. Thermometer (0 to 110 [0] F)

4. Waterer

5. Linear feeder,

6. Lime powder

7. Lysol

8. Sprayer

9. Coirpith, GN husk or paddy husk

10. Waste news paper

11. Flame gun

12. Automatic vaccinators .

13. Debeaker

14. Bucket

15. Broomstick

16. Rake

17. Electrolyte

18. B Complex and Vitamin A

19. Antibiotics

20. Lasota F1 Vaccine

21. IBD Live vaccine

Preparation of Brooder House

1. The litter material of the previous batch should be heaped up first so that building up of

germs could be destroyed.

2. After 2 to 3 days the heaped up material can be removed from the brooder room.

3. The portion of the litter sticking over the ground must be scraped and removed.

4. The removal of spider web, cob webs and dirt are also essential.

5. The floor and sidewalls should be washed with plain water.

6. Disinfection of the room is carried out by spraying phenyl, lysol, etc at 5%

concentration.

7. Use Flame gun to destroy the insects.

8. The entire floor and side walls should be white washed with fresh limestone.

9. Feeders, waterers,, chick guards should be washed and disinfected

in phenyl or lysol. Dry it in the sun for a day.

10. Hang the gunny bags around the brooder house to maintain the room temperature

to maintain temperature notbelow 80 [0] F in the first week 75 [0] F in the 2 [nd] week 70 [0] F III

week, 65 [0] F -IV week.

Liter material and paper

Decide on the no. of brooders depending on the number of chicks ordered

1. Connect the chick guards in circular fashion with diameter of 5 feet to accommodate

150-200 chicks.

2. Spread the litter material like coirpith, or paddy husk or ground nut husk on the prepared

floor to a depth 2 inches.

3. The litter material is to be covered with newspaper.

4. The feeders and waterers are to be arranged in a radiating fashion from the light

source.

5. 4 hours before the scheduled arrival of chicks place the waterers with water in order to

bring water to room temperature.

6. The brooding unit should be kept ready at least a day before the arrival of chicks.

7. The brooding bulb must be switched on atleast 24 hours earlier to make the area warm at

the time of housing the chick.

8. Depending on weather condition put curtains on all four sides of room to maintain room

temperature.

Brooder Management

1. Spread finally grained maize over the news paper before the arrival of chicks.

2. Give cool water after boiling. Add electrolytes, B Complex and antibiotics.

3. Distribute chicks equally after counting under the brooders.

4. Before putting chicks under the brooder scale their beaks with water.

5. For first 3 days provide crushed maize twice a day. Also provide ground maize

in the feeder.

6. Change newspaper sheets immediately if they get wet.

7. Remove newspapers on 5 [th] day.

8. Remove wet litter under waterers immediately and add fresh liter.

9. On fifth day give Lasota F1

Vaccine.

10. According to the age of the birds brooder temperature should be adjusted.

11. Medication and vaccination

a) 1 [st] day give 5% glucose in water.

b) 2 [nd] to 4 [th] day - antibiotic + Vit.A + B Complex.

c) 5 [th] day - RDVF vaccination

d) 10 [th] day - IBD vaccination.

12. Daily morning and evening wash the waterer and give freshly boiled and cooled water.

13. Give 24 hrs. light up to 3 weeks to induce night feeding.

14. Debeaking is done at 2 [nd] week to prevent cannibalism and feed wastage.

15. Chick mash should contain 22% protein and 2800 kcal/kg ME

Observation

Watch the chicks under light, if chicks are spread uniformly under the light and brooder

area, then the temperature maintained is correct. If the chicks are huddled under the light, heat

provided is not enough.. If the chicks are away from the light source, the heat intensity is high.

Give enough space for watering and feeding for growing chicks according to the age of the birds.

Brooder management : Zero –8 weeks

Chick hood is the most critical age in birds life as it readily picks up problems due to chilling,

mal - nutrition, over crowding and diseases.

Productivity of a layer or a broiler depends largely on the way how they start their life.

New born chicks require warmth to keep them in comfort. Hence they are provided with

artificial heat by a device called brooder.

Brooder can be hover type, flat, type, wooden reapers fitted with bulbs or heating bulbs

or infra red bulbs

Brooding Temperature : 95 [o] C I week

90 [o] C II week

85 [o] C III week

80 [o] C IV week

Floor space : ¼ sq.ft/bird 0-3 weeks

½ sq.ft./bird 4-8 weeks

Feeder space

Water space

0-3 weeks 1”

4-8 weeks 2”

0.3 week ½”

3-8 weeks1”

Arranging for brooding

Spread litter on a prepared floor, over which place old news paper arrange the heating

device in the middle. Cover the desire area with chick guards. Keep waterers and feeders,

radiating from the heat source.

Conserve heat by blocking the side-mesh with gunny sacks.

Medications

I day glucose- 5% in water

II to 7 [th] day – antibiotic + Vit.A + B Complex

III week & VI week coccidiostats in water.

Always use boiled and cooled water for 1 [st] three weeks.

Then sanitize the water for the rearing period

Vaccination : Mareks, Ranikhet and Fowl pox.

After 3 weeks continuous or 23 hours light period has to be given to the chicks to induce night

feeding and avoid trampling. Debeaking is done at II week to prevent cannibalism and feed

wastage – Feed used in chick mash. Contains 22% crude protein and 2800 kcal/kg ME.

Grower management

8 - 20 weeks. –floor space : 1-1 ½ Sq.ft. feeder space – 3” water space : 1½-2” feed – Grower

mash

Restricted feeding

To keep the birds in normal desirable wt. range -10% to 20% of the feed required by the bird is

restricted from 10-18 week of age.

Lighting : Grower should not be provided with extra hight except day light to counteract

undesirable effect on sexual maturity.

Deworming :

Debeaking, delicing if necessary – are to be carried out before the onset of lay.

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Summary Cheat Sheet

Topic	Key Point
Main lesson	Care and management of day-old chicks
Brooder purpose	Provides warmth, comfort, and protection during early life
Preparation need	Brooder house must be ready before chicks arrive
Major requirements	Heat, clean litter, water, starter feed, and hygiene
Early management	Close observation is essential in first few days
Temperature care	Wrong brooding temperature quickly affects chick survival
House preparation	Clean, disinfected, and dry brooder area is essential
Behaviour clue	Chick grouping/scattering helps judge brooder comfort
Main goal	Reduce mortality and promote uniform growth
Exam trap	Brooding is not just heating; feed, water, litter, and observation are equally critical