1, small or weak chicks, with body weight below the standard at 7 days of age: Chicks may come from breeding stock that has just started laying or is young in weeks of age. However, not all small chicks have poor feed intake later on. Birth weight still has a significant effect on later feed intake.
2, poor control of proventriculitis in the early stage: If proventriculitis in chickens during the early stage is not well controlled, it will continue to affect the feed intake of the entire flock. In some areas where proventriculitis is severe, flock uniformity is very poor, with chickens spanning three generations from grandparents to grandchildren; feed intake is very poor. Treatment of proventriculitis brings some recovery, and feed intake also recovers somewhat, but the feed-to-meat ratio is high and growth is poor.
3, viral disease in the later stage: This issue is straightforward. Chickens with viral diseases, such as respiratory syndrome, will not increase feed intake for at least one week. Even if treatment reduces mortality and culling, feed intake will not increase quickly.
4, atypical Newcastle disease: It generally occurs in the middle to later stages, with symptoms such as paralysis and a limp neck. In some flocks, it affects feed intake for more than one week.
5, raising chickens under a high-temperature curve: Chickens raised at high temperatures have a poor appetite. In the middle stage, lower the temperature when it should be lowered; do not avoid lowering it just because you are afraid the chickens will catch a cold. If the temperature cannot be lowered in the later stage, chicken feed intake will be affected.
6, using bitter medicines after 30 days of age: Using relatively bitter medicines for 30 days affects feed intake, but it recovers quickly after the medicines are stopped. After 30 days of age, they should be used with caution, as they often cause feed intake to drop and then fail to recover.
7, feed powder is severe: the feed processing is poor and there is too much feed on the surface; the chickens do not like eating it in the later stage. This is also a major reason why feed intake does not increase in the later stage.