INFORMATION ON CARING FOR THE CHICKS
Receiving: When you pickup your chicks at the post office, First thing pry up one corner of the box so you can see the chicks are okay before you sign the slip which says that you received the parcel in good condition. The chicks are insured for live delivery. We include five extra chicks per hundred to cover any small loss: So don't make a fuss over a couple dead chicks. However, if a substantial amount of chicks are dead, you must note this at time of delivery and fill out a form which is sent with the invoice: also call us so that we can replace the chicks the following week.
Brooding: The Brooder should be heated up a day before the chicks arrive. The chicks must be stated at 98 degrees F. For at least three days , then gradually dropped five degrees per week until birds are one month old. Brooders come in all shapes : floor brooders, heat lamps, light bulbs with a pie pan strung down over a wire. If you don't have a commercial brooder, I would recommend one red heat lamp for 200 chicks, ( remember never use clear light bulbs) place 14 inches above the floor very securely: because if it falls down the building will burn. If the building is not tight, run a draft shield around the floor in a five foot diameter circle (usually made from cardboard). This last until they start to fly (at about 10 days). If you have a tight building , use a wire shield of 1/4 inch hardware cloth to keep chicks around heat lamp and out of corners. Remember, the worst thing you can do to a chick is overheat it, and the second worst is to chill it. While chicks are in the shipping box, (it is designed to help them keep each other warm) don't open the box and leave it open until you are ready to put the chicks in the brooders.- If you are raising your chicks in a building in the door cut a small circle for you to look it with one eye. Never good to open the door all the time to look at them (Cause them stress).
Feeding: Feed only good turkey starter because it is high in protein. Make sure the granules of feed are small enough by grinding it between boards or running over it with wife's rolling pin. If you have a lot of chicks you might what to buy a grinder. The size of feed particles is very important . The feed particles' size should be the same as coffee grounds- no larger and not much finer- for the first 3 days. Place lots of feed around where they can get it easily. We use paper plates. In about six days , slowly start removing the paper plates- In about eight days you can put the lid or reel on the hopper to cut down on waste. When watering , put marbles (or rocks about the size of marbles) in the chick fountain to keep chicks from drowning. You can also use a hoop made of rubber hose. Never use the small fountain made for gamebirds . This fountain is 1/2 inch wide and chicks don't learn to drink from it and die at 3 to 4 days old from dehydration. You only need marbles or a hoop for 3 days
Trouble Shooting: When things aren't going right, you must find out what it is and do something quickly. Here are a few basic items that can help when mixed with a little common sense.
1. The only thing that will kill a chick the first three days is temperature, drowning in the water fountain, or stepping on them. The first half hour in the brooder, don't adjust anything. Allow the chicks time to adjust to brooder. One or two degrees make a lot of difference. You must go by the action s of the chicks, not the thermometer. If the chicks huddle under the heat , the temperature is too cold. If they huddle away from the heat, it is too warm.
2. The things that kill chicks from 3 to 4 days is not learning to eat or drink. Not eating is caused by feed size being too large, feed not easy to find or get at, or chicks eating litter which is too fine because they can't move around due to the wrong temperature. You can verify this problem by opening chicks up and looking in the crop and gizzard of dead chicks. (We use straw on brooder floor.)
3. Dehydration: not learning to drink because water is not easy to get at, You have the gamebird fountains, you've put something in the water which does not taste good or smells bad to the birds, or temperature is not correct and birds are not moving around properly, this problem can be seen by pulling the skin off the breast. The birds flesh will seem stickly. The lower legs will be shrunken down and not be full and firm like when you first got them.
4. There is no bacteria that can multiply fast enough to kill a chick in less than 5 days. Death under 5 days is caused by environment or feed and water..
5. Shipping Problems: The rule of thumb is : if less than 10 % of the chicks are dead, the problem is not great to cause you problems when brooding. Over 10 % dead on arrive will sometimes cause you problems in the brooder: so, don't believe the problem is in the shipping and give up working on your brooder system-this can be a big mistake. A chick can stand extremes in temperature and require no feed or water for 3 days. This is a blessing given by mother nature: but after 3 days, this is gone and it's up to you from then on. I have saved and raised a lot of chicks over the phone. If you can't figure out your problem, give me a call. Don't wait until they are all dead. I have never been able to bring them back to life.
Pens: Do not put chicks on a slippery surface such as newspaper. If you do, they will go spraddle -legged: and once down they will never stand up again no matter what you do. Use cane litter, burlap or straw on the floor. Don't use sand or sawdust or anything they might think is food. Recommended floor space is 1-10 days nine birds per square foot: 10 days to 6 weeks- six birds per square foot: 6 weeks to mature- one bird per square foot. If wire floors are used : 4-14 days 1/4 inch wire: 2 weeks -on 1/2 inch wire. We use straw litter from day one until maturity. Straw must be chopped up to lengths of 1 to 3 inches by using a compost shredder. A rotary lawn mower will work by running it over the straw several times (if you can stand the dust). Put the straw down about 1 1/2 inches thick. Too much will draw dampness. The same straw can be used for 2 months as long as it is dry. Pens must have good ventilation, but no draft blowing across the birds. Flight pens should have 1/2 inch wire bottoms (the longer, the better) and be about six feet high. The size of the yard does not count when figuring square footage per bird. Never use wire larger than one- inch poultry netting for sides and roof. The pictures below are how to make a Flight Pen .
Brooding: The Brooder should be heated up a day before the chicks arrive. The chicks must be stated at 98 degrees F. For at least three days , then gradually dropped five degrees per week until birds are one month old. Brooders come in all shapes : floor brooders, heat lamps, light bulbs with a pie pan strung down over a wire. If you don't have a commercial brooder, I would recommend one red heat lamp for 200 chicks, ( remember never use clear light bulbs) place 14 inches above the floor very securely: because if it falls down the building will burn. If the building is not tight, run a draft shield around the floor in a five foot diameter circle (usually made from cardboard). This last until they start to fly (at about 10 days). If you have a tight building , use a wire shield of 1/4 inch hardware cloth to keep chicks around heat lamp and out of corners. Remember, the worst thing you can do to a chick is overheat it, and the second worst is to chill it. While chicks are in the shipping box, (it is designed to help them keep each other warm) don't open the box and leave it open until you are ready to put the chicks in the brooders.- If you are raising your chicks in a building in the door cut a small circle for you to look it with one eye. Never good to open the door all the time to look at them (Cause them stress).
Feeding: Feed only good turkey starter because it is high in protein. Make sure the granules of feed are small enough by grinding it between boards or running over it with wife's rolling pin. If you have a lot of chicks you might what to buy a grinder. The size of feed particles is very important . The feed particles' size should be the same as coffee grounds- no larger and not much finer- for the first 3 days. Place lots of feed around where they can get it easily. We use paper plates. In about six days , slowly start removing the paper plates- In about eight days you can put the lid or reel on the hopper to cut down on waste. When watering , put marbles (or rocks about the size of marbles) in the chick fountain to keep chicks from drowning. You can also use a hoop made of rubber hose. Never use the small fountain made for gamebirds . This fountain is 1/2 inch wide and chicks don't learn to drink from it and die at 3 to 4 days old from dehydration. You only need marbles or a hoop for 3 days
Trouble Shooting: When things aren't going right, you must find out what it is and do something quickly. Here are a few basic items that can help when mixed with a little common sense.
1. The only thing that will kill a chick the first three days is temperature, drowning in the water fountain, or stepping on them. The first half hour in the brooder, don't adjust anything. Allow the chicks time to adjust to brooder. One or two degrees make a lot of difference. You must go by the action s of the chicks, not the thermometer. If the chicks huddle under the heat , the temperature is too cold. If they huddle away from the heat, it is too warm.
2. The things that kill chicks from 3 to 4 days is not learning to eat or drink. Not eating is caused by feed size being too large, feed not easy to find or get at, or chicks eating litter which is too fine because they can't move around due to the wrong temperature. You can verify this problem by opening chicks up and looking in the crop and gizzard of dead chicks. (We use straw on brooder floor.)
3. Dehydration: not learning to drink because water is not easy to get at, You have the gamebird fountains, you've put something in the water which does not taste good or smells bad to the birds, or temperature is not correct and birds are not moving around properly, this problem can be seen by pulling the skin off the breast. The birds flesh will seem stickly. The lower legs will be shrunken down and not be full and firm like when you first got them.
4. There is no bacteria that can multiply fast enough to kill a chick in less than 5 days. Death under 5 days is caused by environment or feed and water..
5. Shipping Problems: The rule of thumb is : if less than 10 % of the chicks are dead, the problem is not great to cause you problems when brooding. Over 10 % dead on arrive will sometimes cause you problems in the brooder: so, don't believe the problem is in the shipping and give up working on your brooder system-this can be a big mistake. A chick can stand extremes in temperature and require no feed or water for 3 days. This is a blessing given by mother nature: but after 3 days, this is gone and it's up to you from then on. I have saved and raised a lot of chicks over the phone. If you can't figure out your problem, give me a call. Don't wait until they are all dead. I have never been able to bring them back to life.
Pens: Do not put chicks on a slippery surface such as newspaper. If you do, they will go spraddle -legged: and once down they will never stand up again no matter what you do. Use cane litter, burlap or straw on the floor. Don't use sand or sawdust or anything they might think is food. Recommended floor space is 1-10 days nine birds per square foot: 10 days to 6 weeks- six birds per square foot: 6 weeks to mature- one bird per square foot. If wire floors are used : 4-14 days 1/4 inch wire: 2 weeks -on 1/2 inch wire. We use straw litter from day one until maturity. Straw must be chopped up to lengths of 1 to 3 inches by using a compost shredder. A rotary lawn mower will work by running it over the straw several times (if you can stand the dust). Put the straw down about 1 1/2 inches thick. Too much will draw dampness. The same straw can be used for 2 months as long as it is dry. Pens must have good ventilation, but no draft blowing across the birds. Flight pens should have 1/2 inch wire bottoms (the longer, the better) and be about six feet high. The size of the yard does not count when figuring square footage per bird. Never use wire larger than one- inch poultry netting for sides and roof. The pictures below are how to make a Flight Pen .