Preparation Of Chick Rearing In Chicken Farming Cage

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2024-03-21

In recent years, caged broilers have developed rapidly. After the ground or net surface has been changed to caged broilers, the scale of breeding has been doubled. However, while the scale of breeding has been improved, we also found that many reformed breeding bosses do not adapt to the management of caged broilers, and new breeding bosses do not understand the management of caged broilers. Here we have sorted out the main points of the management of Chick Rearing In Chicken Farming Cage, hoping to help you.

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Before Chicken Cage Farming

1. Where do we plan to rear the chicks:

The battery cage chicken house is for whole-house chick rearing, which means taking out an entire layer for chick rearing. The old-fashioned cages do not have a manure conveyor belt, so the total height of a three-layer cage is only 1.7-1.9 meters. Generally, we adopt upper-level chick rearing where the temperature is slightly higher, which not only meets the temperature requirements of chicks but also saves fuel costs. When the chickens need to be divided into chicken battery cages, they are initially placed in the second layer and finally in the third layer. More advanced cages often have a height exceeding 2 meters due to the presence of manure conveyor belts, which makes it very inconvenient for tasks such as feeding and observing the flock. Therefore, nowadays, tall cages often adopt middle-level chick rearing. When dividing the cages, they are generally divided upward to the first layer.

2: How many chickens are there per cage in our chicken house for chick rearing:

According to the number of chickens each poultry farming cage can accommodate provided by the equipment manufacturer. We calculate how many chickens should be placed in each chick-rearing cage (usually, for cage-reared broilers, it is calculated at 18-20 chickens per square meter).

3: Regarding the number of chickens per layer of cages:

Nowadays, many chicken farms, for example, those with 80*110 centimeter chicken battery cages, often divide the layers into 17 (upper), 18 (middle), and 19 (lower). However, through the breeding process, it is not difficult to find that the chickens in the middle layer eat the feed slowest and have the smallest weight at slaughter. There are two reasons for this: high temperatures affecting feed intake and poor air quality (or low oxygen content).

Determination of chick rearing temperature

Once we have determined the layer for chick rearing, for example, if we decide to rear chicks in the middle layer. We place the temperature probe 5 centimeters above the floor mesh of the middle layer or level with the chicks’ backs. It is important not to place the probe inside the poultry farming cage or where the chicks can reach. And it should be away from the warm air blown by the fan.

We generally set the chick rearing temperature at 33-35 degrees Celsius. First, we preheat the chicken house thoroughly, and one hour before the arrival of the chicks. We lower the temperature to 28-30 degrees Celsius to allow the chicks to adapt to the temperature change from the chick transport vehicle to the chicken house. Then, we gradually increase the temperature by 1 degree Celsius every half an hour. It reach the normal temperature within 2-3 hours, and adjust the temperature based on the performance of the flock.

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Humidity

Humidity is crucial for ensuring the health of the flock! We require humidity to be at least 55% in the early stage of chick rearing. This requires us to humidify while heating. In practice, sprinkling hot water on the floor is a simple and effective way to humidify. Using irrigation micro-sprinklers for automatic humidification also works well.

Water line and feed trough (line)

water line

Before placing the chicks, clean and rinse the water line with trichloro (or dichloro) or hypochlorous acid to ensure that each nipple releases water smoothly. We once encountered a problem where the water line was blocked on the second day. It due to not cleaning the water line during the empty house period, resulting in severe dehydration of the chicks and significant losses. Maintain a water pressure of 5-10 centimeters for chick rearing. Adjusting it too high may cause excessive water pressure at the end of the chicken house. It make it difficult for the chicks to drink water and causing the manure belt to store watery feces. 3 hours before the arrival of the chicks, preheat the clean drinking water. And ensure that it is around 25 degrees Celsius. The chicks can drink water at the appropriate temperature immediately upon entering the cage, replenishing the lost moisture during transportation.

feed line

The poultry automatic feeding system should be cleaned thoroughly, without leaving any feed or debris from the previous batch of chickens, and wiped dry with a disinfectant. Pre-fill the feed, so that the chicks have water to drink and feed to eat as soon as they arrive. If we use small feed buckets to assist feeding, add feed to the bucket in advance (in small quantities and multiple times). And place it in the poultry farming cage, and keep it at least 15 centimeters away from the water nipple. If we use poultry automatic feeding system for direct feeding, add feed to the trough in advance. It ensure that the first feeding is slightly thicker to ensure that the chicks can see and access the feed, especially in cases where some troughs are deep.

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Lighting

During the chick rearing period, especially in the first three days, lighting must be strong (30-50 lux). In middle-level chick rearing, there should be near lighting such as LED light tubes or light bars. Insufficient lighting on the first day can cause chicks to not eat or eat unevenly, resulting in insufficient weight gain or poor uniformity at 7 days of age.

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