POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 226, 20 June 1931, Page 24

POULTRY NOTES

Care of Young Chicks

(By

“New Laid.”)

In a general survey of the question of the care of young chicks the chief poultry instructor of the live stoek division. Departed of Agriculture, Mr. F. .C. Brown, gives the following Information: — Having good robust chicks, the next and most important matter is preventing them from becoming chilled. The effects of a chill bn chickens,) whib' l f re <l uentl .v results th death is too often confused with some mysterious, trouble over which the owner has no control. It frequently happens that a good healthy batch of chicks when taken from the incubator arc all that could be desired in appearance, but within a-few days, probably the eighth to the tenth, the little ones' are seen to be losing tlieir sprlghtliness. There ‘is nothing mysterious about it. The cause is mismanagement —either the temperature of the brooder not being maintained at a uniform degree, or the chickens being allowed too much freedom for the first few days. ,‘ln speaking of chill, it is not to be inferred that a. temperature falling' below the desired degree is always the cause of the trouble. There are other ways in which chickens become chilled. For Instance, too high a temperature is just as fatal as too low a one. Overheating not only results in over-. forcing the qhicks and lowering their vitality, but also causes them to be more susceptible to .chill when leaving the brooder and coming into contact with the ordinary temperature In the runs. Undoubtedly the failure to provide a means Of getting away from the heat when it is excessive; which frequently happens on,a hot night! is the most frequent defect in the construction of a brooder and the most common cause of chill. As to the tornperature to be maintained in the brooder, there is no better guide than the behaviour of the chicks; If they are well spread out and look comfortable, it may be taken for granted that the heat being maintained is correct. On the other hand, if they are seen to be huddling, more warmth is required; while it the heat is too great they will be gasping for breath with wings spread out to a lesser or greatr degree. When they leave the, brooder under these conditions they are highly susceptible to chill. In addition to having the right degree of warmth, the brooder must be arranged in such a way that pure fresh air is available to the chicks at all times. Stuffiness must never be allowed to exist, or the mortality will be great. An experienced person can tell by the appearance of chicks as they leave the brooder in the morning if the ventilation is sufficient or not. If the youngsters come out bright and active and are keen to exercise, it indicates that sufficient fresh air is available. On the other hand, if they come out dull but brighten up during the day. it may be taken for granted that, the night conditions are not what they should be, and that more fresh air is necessary. No matter whether it be with a heated or fireless brooder, the provision for the admittance of ample fresh air is all-important. Where chicks are kept in the one degree of heat, especially without free ventilation. they will become forced like hothouse plants, with the result that when let ont of the brooder they are highly susceptible to chill. The aim of the poultryman should be to have the brooder so arranged that he can supply a little extra heat under, the hover when normal conditions are prevailing, so that the chicks will be encouraged to settle down at ulght slightly away from the main source of heat. Then, in fbe event of a cold night following a hot ono, or vice versa, the chicks are given an opportunity to move to and from the heat as instinct demands. Keep the chicks in the brooder for the first three days, having a division in it whore fresh air and light may be obtained. Then give a short run for the first.day or two. and increase this by degrees as they grow older. When allowed a lengthy run right away they are apt to lose their bearings. and, feeling the change of temperature. will huddle together and become chilled. Very often young chickens will huddle just when the sun's rays make their first appearance through the front of the brooder-house. When chickens are observed to be huddling in the runs it indicates that they are cold, and they should be put back under the hover at once. The brooder cannot cluck, so by tapping teach the chicks to run. in and out of the brooders, and thus to know where the hot and cool sections are. If they remain inside too much they will become over-forced and later on die like files. Over-forced chicks Indicate their condition by developing long wing feathers, leg-weakness. long and large feet. Exercise is necessary., The run should be well supplied with straw chaff or litter, in which should be scattered broken grain foods, to Induce the chicks to scratch and keen busy. Do not allow chicks to get a chill when removing them from the incubator to the'brooder. Use a piece of flannel or

blanket to cover them. Chicks must be dry and well on their legs before being removed to the brooder. It is. however.- a mistake to harden off chicks in the incubator.- Have the brooder well heated and bedded with thoroughly dry chaff (free from oats). . It Is always a wise plan to reduce the brooder heat by degrees when the chickens- are very young, even If the weather is favourable. It should not be forgotten that in the earlv hours of the morning tlie temperature is generally at Its lowest, and it is at this time that the chill to-which so many Ills in chicken lite are due commences. It is a mistake to conclude that, because the chickens look well on the day following a cold night and where the heat has been insufficient, that the cold has not affected them, and that consequently they do not require any more heat the following nljtht; This is a common error. The chickens will probably have been affected, but will not show the effect for two or three days. It is well to reduce the artificial heat on a very warm day, but it is never safe to reduce it at. night, even if the night be considered warmer than - The most, pronounced symptoms of chill are - bowel trouble, droopy wings, excessive • thirst, and no inclination' to leave the brooder or to eat. In addition -there is always a tendency to huddling. The constant huddling leads to sweating,and in its train follows spreading of the legs and general indications of an unhealthy condition. Once chicks become so affected there Is practically no cure, and very often it pays best to wring their necks rather than try to doctor them. Prevention at all times is the one and only safe course to follow. ■ In artificial rearing many lessons may be taken from the mother hen. During the first few days her whole endeavour is to keep the chicks under her wings, and by imparting her body-heat to make them warm and comfortable, while at the same time they are given an opportunity to breathe the outside atmosphere. After about the third day. she commences the hardening-off process, and does this by degrees. At first she only allows the chicks a very few minutes to feed and exercise, when she calls them under her body for the purpose of warming them. As they grow older, and providing the weather is favourable, the time given to exercise is extended, but on no account does she neglect to give them a warm-up .when required. • With all the advancement that has been made in artificial raising of chickens, nothing has yet been discovered to take the place of the natural mother, probably because, no matter what the weather conditions are, the chicks can always enjoy under the hen that absolute uniformity of warmth demanded by them. : Do not take the whole of the heat off the brooder during the day. Most brooder troubles can be overcome by studying nature. The hen gives the chicks a regular warm run on the hot days, and at. the same time allows them to breathe the fresh air, but always keeps them under control. An even temperature in the brooderboxes is the keystone to successful artificial brooding. Moro depends on regular temperature, ventilation and cleanliness than any particular method of feeding. Do not allow chicks of different ages to run together. Some people even go so far as to allow three’-months and even two-months-old birds to run with adult stock. It is useless taking every eare of the chickens up to these ages and then placing them at such disadvantage. There are few old birds which are quite free from vermin and the incubator chicken, given careful management, should go right on to maturity without having to fight parasitic life; but introducing them to probable vermin-infection by forcing them to run with old’ stock Is obviously making them run a grave risk of getting a setback.

IJglitn nnd Production. The Extension Service at Brookings. South Dakota, reports that in their State where the winter days are short and the nights correspondingly long, artificial lights in the poultry houses are a paying proposition—as many poultry farmers are discovering. It is reported that at Cornell University where tests were made, using one hundred White Leghorn hens and pullets, it was demonstrated that in a period of 48 weeks the net gain In production was 135 dozen eggs when artificial lights were used, yrnich represented a value of many times the cost of lights and the extra feed consumed. On the large commercial egg farms on the Pacific Coast electric lights arq extensively- used, and out there the production of eggs is a real business