Poultry Management Tips

Topics Covered:

• What you need to start them right
• Chick management tips during first 12 weeks
• Bird health problems
• Light management
• Roosting and Nest Space
• Vaccination

About the Animals – What You Need to Start Them Right:

• Chick feeders: minimum of one foot long per 15 chicks
• Feed: appropriate amount
• Water fountains: one gallon capacity per 25 chicks or 1/4 inch trough space per chick; fill waterers about 4 hours before arrival. Allow birds to drink for 3 to 4 hours before giving first feed. This will help prevent dehydration.
• Disinfectant: Disinfect building and equipment before arrival with a product such as Tek-Trol®. Disinfect waterers often. Follow label directions.
• Heat lamp or brooder stove: 75 birds per heat lamp with a minimum of two lamps.
• Litter: About four inches of pine shavings or sawdust.
• Chick guard: 18 to 24 inch cardboard to keep chicks close to heat, feed and water for first 10 days. Prevent drafts and piling for the first 10 days.
• Air out house: Let house lie empty and air out for two weeks before bringing in chicks. Fumigate if possible
• Buy chicks from a reputable hatchery.

Chick Management Tips During First 12 Weeks

• Where chicks are brooded under a hot water or hot air system, each chick should be allowed a minimum of 7 square inches of brooder space under the hover. When chicks are brooded under individual brooder units, allow a maximum of 500 chicks per hover.
• In cold weather, use a solid chick guard around the hover to keep chicks from straying and to prevent floor drafts. In warm weather, a wire guard may be used. Place guard 2 to 3 feet from edge of hover. Gradually expand it and remove at the end of one week.
• All-night lights, equivalent to 15 watts per 200 square feet of floor space, will help prevent piling.
• Minimum room temperature should be 65 degrees F for the first two weeks. However, supplemental heat should be provided when chicks arrive. Temperature under the hover should be 90 degrees F. Decrease heat as chicks get older.
• Provide 1 square foot of floor space per chick, one day old through the 12th week.
• Allow 180 linear inches of hopper feeder space per 100 chicks, one day old through the 12th week (15 large hanging feeders or 20 small hanging feeders per thousand chicks).
• Provide the following drinking space: First 4 days (per two brooders): 8 one-gallon founts, plus 1 automatic waterer. 5 days through 12 weeks: 36 linear inches of water trough space for each 100 birds.
• Use dim lights for one to three weeks only.
• Keep litter clean and dry to promote healthy environment for chicks.

Bird Health Problems

An accurate diagnosis of any disease is necessary before treatment can begin. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics is not a satisfactory substitute for sound disease prevention practices. Some of the more common health problems are discussed in the next few paragraphs.

Breast Blisters: This condition is caused by constant contact with litter or equipment. The condition or incidence increases with wet litter, overcrowding and leg problems. The condition is most common with heavy broiler chickens or turkeys.

Cannibalism: This is a habit that develops in the form of feather picking, "pickouts" of the vent or picking at other areas on the bird. This bad habit can start at any age if conditions are right. The most common causes of cannibalism are overcrowding, too high a temperature, poor ventilation and high light intensity. Beak trimming (debeaking) could be considered to help correct the problem.

Lice and Mites: These parasites can steal profits without being noticed. They can cause severe decreases in egg production, egg size and growth rate.

Internal Parasites: Worms commonly infest the intestinal tract of birds. The most common are the large round worms, cecal worms and tape worms. Good sanitation between flocks and control of wild birds and insects will help prevent infestation.

Coccidosis: This disease is caused by a parasite called coccidia. The disease is common in both chickens and turkeys, as well as other animals. Tradition® brand poultry feeds have a drug option (amprolium) to aid in the development of immunity to this disease.

Markes Disease: This disease affects the nerves and visceral organs of the chicken, resulting in paralysis and tumors of the internal organs. There is no treatment, however, vaccination at the hatchery is highly recommended.

Leg Problems: Twisted joints, swelled or bowed legs and curled toes will occur to a certain extent in most flocks of broilers and turkeys. However, improper management, nutrition, litter and disease can contribute to a higher incidence of the problem. To minimize the problem, follow feeding, floor space and equipment recommendations. Also keep litter in good condition by removing wet spots and maintaining proper ventilation.

Light Management

• The effect of light on growth and production is a very important factor. Chicks should be placed on 24 hours of light for the first week. Broilers and capons can then be allowed to follow the natural day length as long as there is at least 14 hours of light provided.
• Day length control is very critical for attaining maximum egg production. A basic rule is: Never decrease day length for laying hens.
• General guidelines for total of natural and artificial light could be as follows:
• First week after chicks are housed – 24 hours of light
• Two to 6 weeks – 16 hours of light
• Six to 12 weeks – 13 hours of light
• Twelve to 18 weeks – 10 hours of light
• At 18 weeks, increase day length one half hour per week until 15 hours of day length is reached. Laying hens much have a minimum of 8 continuous hours of rest (blackout) per 24 hour period.
• Use one 60 watt bulb for laying hens or very young birds. One 25 watt bulb (per 200 square feet of floor space) is adequate for growing pullets, broilers and capons.

Roosting and Nest Space

Roosts may be used for growing or mature birds, although they are not essential. Allow 6 inches of roost space per bird. To keep eggs clean, nests must be provided for laying hens. Allow 1 nest for every 4 hens. To prevent floor eggs, put nests in darkened area of the house. Keep the nests filled with adequate amounts of litter to prevent egg breakage and dirty eggs.

Vaccination

Disease prevention may be practiced by isolation of different age groups and species of birds. Thoroughly clean up between flocks. Also purchase healthy birds, vaccinate properly, dispose of dead birds, maintain comfortable environment and control traffic between flocks of birds. These steps will generally control most poultry diseases. There will be times when a vaccination program becomes necessary because of past history of the farm or geographic area. A suggested vaccination schedule:

• Marek’s Disease: One day of age at hatchery
• Newcastle-Bronchitis: First vaccination at 2 weeks, second at 6 weeks, third at 16 weeks
• Fowl Pox: 12 weeks
• Epidemic Tremor: 14 weeks

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