Are you wondering how you can brood your day-old chicks without the chicks dying? Here is a step-by-step guide to help you succeed in brooding baby chicks.
What is the concept of brooding? Brooding in poultry is the process of giving critical care to baby chicks right after they hatch. The brooding process helps the baby chick develop enough feathers to provide them with the basic nutrients and supplements.
Naturally, the mother hen provides the warm condition and care after hatching them. Mother hens brooding can be seen in the backyard chicken poultry. In commercial hatcheries, baby chicks are artificially hatched using commercial incubators.
This tutorial on how to brood day-old chicks contains the tools and martial needed to set up and run a successful brooding.
How to brood day-old chicks
Time Needed : 16 days
How to brood day-old chicks
- Set up the brooder house.
You must wash and disinfect the brooder house, equipment, drinkers, and feeders properly and fumigate the house two weeks before the chicks arrive.
- Make a safe floor for the baby chicks.
Spread the wood shavings about 3-5 cm thick and then cover the surface of the wood shavings with a large piece of paper or brown paper. The wood shaving will prevent the cold from the floor, while the paper on the surface enhances movement.
- Heat up the brooder house.
Turn on your source of heat using (Gashoover or 60 to 70-watt bulb). Adjust the temperature of the brooder house as you observe behavioral changes in the chicks, starting with heating it up to about 30-35 degrees Celsius on the first day.
- Arrange the feeder and drinkers.
Position the chicken water fountain close to the chicken feeding trays. The chickens should be able to quickly access water when feeding.
- Weigh and distribute feed.
Use the weighing scale to measure the recommended starter mash stated by the feed manufacturer.
- Add multivitamins to the water.
On arrival from the hatchery, it is highly recommended to introduce the baby chicks to drinking water by dipping their beaks into the multivitamin-supplemented water. This will reduce the stress from long-distance moving and also teach them how to drink.
- Light or heat regulation in the brooder house.
The baby chicks will need constant light for the first 8 days, after which you can reduce the light or heat by 1 – 2 hours for the rest of the brooding days.
In this Article;
Tools
- Gas Hoover/ 60 – 70 Watt Bulb/ Coal Pot
- Chicken water fountain
- Tray feeders
- Thermometer
- Weighing scale
Materials
- Large size paper/ Brown paper
- Wood shavings
- Water
- Feed (Starter mash or starter crumb)
- Medication
The recommended temperatures for brooding chicks
| Age | Degree Celcius | Farehient |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | 35 | 95 |
| 4-7 | 33 | 92 |
| 8-14 | 31 | 89 |
| 15-21 | 29 | 84 |
| 22-28 | 26 | 79 |
| 29-35 | 23 | 74 |
| 36 | 21 | 70 |
To avoid overstocking the brooder house, strictly adhere to the carrying capacity of the pen. Be vigilant and observant at all times, and monitor any changes within the flocks. If you notice any issues, report them to your veterinary doctor for advice.
How to brood day old chicks FAQs
- What drugs do you give a day old chick?
For the first day, you can add 8gm of glucose, 0.5-1gm of mild antibiotic or antibacterial drug per liter, electrolytes, and vitamin mixture at the recommended dosage to the water. You can continue administering antibiotics and vitamins for 3-5 days.
- How long do day old chicks stay in a brooder?
This period usually lasts for 3-6 weeks, depending on the type of housing and seasonal temperatures.
- Do day old chicks need light?
For the first 10 days of life, baby chicks require 24 hours of light to ensure they can find food and water.
- How do you keep day old chicks warm without electricity?
In places where there is no electricity, you can use the gas Hoover or burn coal in pots to keep the chicks warm.
- How do I know if my day old chicks are cold?
If the chicks huddle together under the heat lamp, it means they are too cold. On the other hand, if they scatter away from the heat lamp and avoid the area directly under it, it means they are too warm.
Let us know what you think about this day-old chicks brooding guide in the comments. We recommend that you source your day-old chics from reputable chicken hatcheries in your locality. Learn how to implement biosecurity on your poultry farm. Thank you for reading.
Sam is a blogger and an entrepreneur. More about Bio