CARE AFTER HATCHING
BROODING OF NEWLY HATCHED CHICKS
The newly hatched chicks can be placed into a brooder as soon as they are dry or as soon as several birds in any batch have hatched and are ready to be removed from the hatcher. The brooder may be kept in the same room as the hatcher.
Numbered leg bands are placed on the birds and they are weighed at the time they are placed into the brooder. No food or water is provided until they are 6 to 8 days of age. This allows the birds to absorb any fluid that is in the tissues and requires that the bird begin to utilize the yolk material. Birds that have excessive water in the tissues ("wet" chicks") (see above picture) are held for longer periods without food or water. Chicks have been kept up to 10 days with no notable problems. All birds are taken out and placed on grass or dirt, as soon as weather permits to further stimulate water absorption and to encourage activity.
Often wet chicks have difficulty placing their legs under them at this stage and a condition called "spraddle leg" develops. Most birds can be treated by hobbling the legs together in a normal position with tape, tubing, or Vetrap until the chick is able to stand on its own (usually one to two days). Treatment is almost always successful if the condition is detected early. Care must be taken when hobbling birds in the brooder as they may turn onto their back and will be unable to right themselves.
Our brooder box is constructed of stainless steel so that it can be sanitized easily. It is 4 feet long, 2 1/2 feet wide, with 3 foot sides. The temperature in the hatching -brooder room is 75-78 F. Additional heat is provided for the brooded chicks with a single heat lamp directed in one corner of the brooder box. A washable mat (Nomad entrance carpet, 3M Inc) is used on the floor of the brooder. This type of flooring is ideal since it is easily cleaned, can't be eaten, and provides support for the chicks during the first few days while still allowing a clean dry surface.
ONE WEEK THROUGH ONE MONTH
After the chicks are removed from the brooder, they are placed on grass in a portable pen for as long as weather permits. The grass in the pen area is cut short and the pen is moved daily. Birds are brought back indoors nightly and maintained as described for brooding during the first week. Only water is provided at night.
Before birds are placed out in the morning, feed is provided for a one hour period. Birds are then placed in the portable pen. Supplemental feeding of cut alfalfa or clover is provided several times daily. Birds are provided pelleted feed 3 times per day for 1 hour time periods. The availability of pelleted food is limited for this age bird because we feel it helps to stimulate the use of the yolk material by the birds and reduces the incidence of bacterial enteritis that often results from continuous feeding. Using this feeding schedule, birds loose about 0.25 to 0.50 pounds of their hatching weight during the first week, then they return to or slightly exceed their hatching weight by the second week, gain about 0.50 pound by the third week and double their birth weight by one month. After this, gains of nearly 0.5 pounds per day are not uncommon with a 3 month old bird weighing 30 pounds.
When chicks are 6 to 7 days of age, reexamine the umbelical area to determine if further treatment is needed. At this time, a small "knot" or bump can often be detected at the umbelicus. This is usually what remains of the umbelical vessels and can be the source of bacterial infection that may result in umbelical and yolk sac infections. To treat this condition, simply feel the umbelical area and remove the scab that has formed on the umbelicus (below left). Apply pressure with your fingers from the belly outward, and the potential infected material will be easily expressed (below, right). Retreat this area with 7% iodine and return the bird to its original facility. No further treatment is usually needed.
