Dr. S.K.Maini
Consultant, Vesper Group, Bengaluru.
Chicks always arrive stressed on the farms, as a result of unchangeable post hatch handling procedures and practices, variable weather conditions, transportation from hatchery to the farms, and in adequate brooding conditions on arrival at the farms.
All the above mentioned significantly affect the chicks growth, development, immunity, health, survival and overall performance.
What prevails in the poultry industry is the poor knowledge, understanding, wrong beliefs, in adequate facilities available, faulty practices and procedures being followed since decades and mis-information related to the correlations of every aspect or condition involved with the brooding of the chicks and growing them to adulthood for optimum levels of production and overall performance.
Some of the practices and procedures that need improvements or change are listed below:
Pre-Brooding Preparation’s and Arrangements:
Shed Preparation: Mostly done 5 to 10 days before the chicks arrive, it should be done immediately after the previous batch is removed, most farmers keep un cleaned shed for several days, cleaned shed after litter removal, and application of proper hygiene and sanitation procedures, should be kept vacant till the next batch of chicks arrival date is confirmed.
After spreading the new Litter Material (Paddy Husk /Saw Wood/Wood Shavings/ Ground Nut Hulls/Coconut Coir Powder or any material used depending upon local availability) should be sprayed at least two times before the chicks arrive. One Spray should be an insecticide to take care of the Pests, the other be Formalin to take care of the bacteria, fungus and Virus’s.
Avoid using Lime Powder as it contributes to the dustiness, harmful for the respiratory tract health. However white washing the walls and floor is not a bad idea. Lime powder can be used under the leaking drinkers and on wet patches only. Avoiding spillage and wet patches is the best situation, Wet litter due to birds health and nutrition needs to be promptly looked into and corrected.
Ventilation and Curtains: Fresh air is very essential, but maintaining the temperature is equally important. Fix the curtains, to both the side of the shed, during winters and very cold weather, for heat conservation, have a curtain cloth/tarpaulin sheet/plastic sheet or some insulation material below the shed roof. The side curtains should be lift able from below, as fresh air is required just 4 to 10 inches above the litter where the birds breath, this is the area where the Ammonia, Co2 and other gases produced by the wet litter accumulate and cause damage to the Chicks respiratory system leading to stressful conditions, that usually gets complicated with E. coli and other bacteria leading to Respiratory Infections.
Temperature for brooding: the chicks require 90° F during their first week of life, this temperature is reduced by 5° F every week, till the feathers grow and chicks can handle the lower temperatures. Farmers normally maintain the day temperatures very well, the problem is during night time, when outside temperature falls, less labourer’s are available to work, and the labourer’s take care of themselves more than the chicks.
Feed: Pre Starter Crumble’s for the broilers and the Chick Starter Crumble’s for the layer chicks are used, first on the brooder floor , then in the feeders. It is essential to provide the required quantity of feed and record the daily feed consumed of the birds, to analyse weight gain related problems later.
Fresh clean sanitised water: Clean cool and sanitised water be provided at all the times, use of bleaching powder, tablets or liquid chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, iodophores or commercial water sanitizers may be used to keep the bacterial loads low and the chicks free from infections.
It has become a normal practice in the poultry industry, farmers use antibiotics in drinking water, during the first week of the chicks life, even without the Veterinarians/Poultry Advisor’s recommending it, assuming it to be used for the prevention, control and spread of bacterial infections. Chicks are hatched (99%) disease free, they need products containing Probiotic Bacteria to colonize their gut for its better development, fitness and health, and to keep the population of the pathogenic bacteria under check.
Over Crowding: Should be avoided at all cost, as it increases competition for floor space, feeding and watering space and give rise to several vices, difficult to control later, it has direct effect on the growth, weight gain, immunity development and survivability of the chicks.
Bird weighing and Recording of their body weights: Body weights must be taken and recorded every 2 weeks, from day old till peak production. Mark the birds or the cages, same birds have to be weighed every time for accuracy, weigh at least 25 to 30 birds, take the average, compare it with the standard body weight chart provided by the chicks supplier, and take appropriate corrective action at the earliest.
Vaccines and the vaccination programs: Several types and varieties of poultry vaccines ( live and killed, single and in combination) are available in the market from both international and indigenous vaccine manufacturer’s. No vaccine can give the desirable results, if the immune system of the birds is compromised, as a result of inadequate nutrition, immune-suppression due to presence of mycotoxins and endotoxins, faulty management, and poor hygiene and sanitation.
Equally important is the proper use of the vaccines as per the manufacturer’s recommendations or the Veterinarians advise. The birds should have standard body weights, active, fit and fine immune system, be free from any sub clinical or clinical diseases, and the vaccination program be adjusted as per the existing disease known to exist in the area.
Guess Work and Blame Game is very common: Without improving their knowledge and understanding of the practices and procedures, or learning from their past experience, batch after batch, farmers, their supervisor’s and workers make the same of similar mistakes, keep losing money on medicines, loosing birds and the farms profitability. Hatchery’s are often blamed for supplying poor quality chicks with mycoplasma and E. coli etc., feed is blamed for its quality and not supporting the required weight gains. Pharma products are blamed for not protecting the birds from diseases, problems and their complications. The Vaccines are blamed for failure to protect the birds and not providing sufficient immunity to prevent outbreaks. Veterinarians and poultry advisors are blamed for not being able to solve the problems of the flock, and the farmers are blamed for their faulty management, self and /or over medication, inadequate facilities, poor hygiene and sanitation.