The most easily overlooked steps in farming management
Raising chickens is meticulous work, especially raising broilers, which are ready for market after only a few dozen days of rearing. Therefore, no mistakes are acceptable throughout the farming process. Even a single mistake in feeding and management can affect final production performance, for example, by increasing the feed-to-meat ratio, failing to meet target weight, increasing mortality and culling rates, making it impossible to control disease, or even forcing early shipment, ultimately leading to farming failure and directly affecting economic returns.
Therefore, during the rearing process, keep summarizing experience and learning from mistakes. In actual practice, aim to be as reasonable and accurate as possible to minimize rearing risks.
How should specific feeding and management practices be carried out? Drawing on many years of hands-on rearing experience, I have summarized some details that are most easily overlooked when raising chickens and would like to share them with you.
I. Poor temperature control
There are two cases of poor temperature control: one is when the temperature is too low, and the other is when it is too high.
In general, low temperatures are relatively uncommon; in most cases, temperatures are too high. Many people believe that chicks are easier to raise at higher temperatures, so before each batch of chicks arrives, they raise the temperature in the brooding room to 35°C~36°C, or even higher. In fact, the temperature does not need to be this high. Chicks have undergone long-distance transport, and some may already show mild signs of dehydration. After entering the brooding room, they also need time to adapt. If they encounter high temperatures as soon as they enter, this is a strong stressor for the flock and can easily worsen dehydration in some chicks. Therefore, it is recommended that the brooding room temperature be kept at around 29°C before the chicks enter. After all the chicks have entered the poultry house, gradually raise the temperature until the flock has fully spread out and adapted to the temperature in the brooding room. Then maintain the temperature at this level.
Of course, the temperature in the brooding room must not be too low either, as this can cause severe omphalitis and pullorum disease in chicks, as well as poor or absent yolk absorption. In short, the brooding stage is very important; poor management can affect the birds’ growth throughout their lives.
II. Improper ventilation
Improper ventilation commonly takes two forms: not daring to ventilate and ventilating indiscriminately. The most common is when farms do not dare to ventilate, especially during the early stage of the rearing cycle. Many people think the chickens are too young and fear they may get chilled, so they do not dare to ventilate. Others believe the environment inside the chick house is still acceptable and that ventilation is unnecessary. However, this can create problems for ventilation later on. If there is no ventilation during the early stage, and the flock reaches more than 20 days of age, then ventilation may be introduced because the air quality in the house seems poor or the indoor temperature needs to be lowered. If the ventilation rate is too high, the flock will show signs of discomfort, and in severe cases, symptoms of a cold may appear. If the ventilation rate is too low, it will not improve air quality, and the flock may still develop respiratory problems.
The author suggests that (especially in closed-cage chicken houses), ventilation can be introduced gradually from the first day chicks enter the brooding room (no later than 4 days). The purpose of ventilation is to keep the air in the chicken house fresh and ensure an adequate oxygen supply. While maintaining a suitable temperature for the flock, it is essential to get the birds accustomed to ventilation as early as possible. That way, when they are over 20 days old and the ventilation rate needs to be increased, they will be able to adapt, and colds will be uncommon.
Another problem is uncontrolled ventilation: paying no attention to the flock’s condition and simply opening windows or turning on fans at will, based on one’s own assumptions and instincts. This management approach is inadvisable.
Three. Humidity control is poor
Humidity is even more difficult to manage than ventilation. Because modern farming equipment is relatively advanced, most facilities use hot-air furnaces to supply air. During the brooding period, the required temperature is also high, so the hot-air furnaces keep running, making the house dry and resulting in insufficient humidity. This can affect the respiratory system of the flock, especially the lungs, which are sensitive to heat and dryness. High temperatures and dry conditions can therefore damage the lungs, leading to more cases of pneumonia and airsacculitis later on. In some cases, humidity is too high, especially in winter when the poultry house is sealed and moisture cannot escape. Tiny droplets form all over the walls and ceiling, which can lead to various diseases in the flock, including enteritis, Escherichia coli disease, arthritis, and staphylococcosis.
Four. Overreliance on equipment
Some poultry farms make substantial investments and have very advanced equipment, yet still fail to raise their flocks well. The main reason is excessive reliance on equipment and neglect of human factors. For example, with ventilation, operators may adjust the fans and vents and set the timer, then assume everything is taken care of without regularly observing the flock. If the weather changes or a fan stops running, the air in the poultry house may become stuffy and stagnant, especially in the latter half of the night. Similarly, when it comes to feeding, operators may press a button and see the automatic feeder start up slowly, then assume everything is fine. If some areas have feed left over while others do not have enough, the feed needs to be redistributed manually. Otherwise, the flock may become uneven in size, which can in turn lead to glandular gastritis.
Besides these two situations, there are actually many others, such as relying on a temperature gauge or a negative-pressure gauge, and so on. We will not go into further detail here. In short, while using advanced equipment, farms must not rely entirely on the equipment and slack off. On the contrary, they need to work more diligently to ensure that feeding management is carried out without a hitch.
Additionally:
Common Mistakes in Chicken Raising
1. Dilute the vaccine directly with well water: well water contains chloride ions and other substances that can affect vaccine potency. It is recommended to draw the water in advance and let it settle for about one hour.
2. Used vaccine vials are discarded everywhere: the vaccine itself is a virus, especially live vaccines. It is recommended that they be disinfected and buried deep after use.
3. Using metal equipment during the vaccination process may affect vaccine effectiveness; using plastic equipment is recommended.
4. The amount of vaccine used for disease prevention may be more or less, and there is no reasonable disease prevention program: without considering the body's antibody levels, it is recommended to develop a reasonable disease prevention program based on the flock's condition and regional disease prevalence. The dosage should be determined according to antibody levels.
5. Neglecting disease prevention and waiting until illness occurs before treating it: Modern farming practices prioritize prevention and combine preventive measures with treatment, placing greater emphasis on prevention than treatment.
6. Antibiotic abuse: indiscriminate and long-term use of medication. This can cause the body to develop drug resistance and cause significant harm to the body. In severe cases, it can lead to poisoning, and treatment may be ineffective after the illness develops.
7. Diagnosing diseases based on one’s own established experience can lead to ineffective treatment: diseases are now highly variable and complex, so it is best to make an accurate diagnosis from both Western and traditional Chinese medicine perspectives.
8. Blind use of raw powder or nationally prohibited drugs, or failure to control the dosage properly, can cause drug poisoning and residues in the body.
9. No disinfection is needed when no disease has occurred: Common misconceptions include believing that disinfection prevents infectious diseases, that the stronger the disinfectant odor, the better, and that using a single disinfectant over a long period is acceptable. This can easily lead to viral resistance to disinfectants. It is recommended to strengthen awareness of disinfection, keep two or more disinfectants on hand, and use them alternately.
10. Poultry farmers visiting one another’s sheds: entering a chicken house without disinfecting first can easily lead to the spread of disease. It is recommended that after the chickens arrive, farmers avoid visiting other sheds unnecessarily, protecting both themselves and others.
11. Sudden feed change: Suddenly changing feed can easily cause stress reactions in chickens and may sometimes even lead to death. It is particularly likely to cause digestive tract diseases. It is recommended to transition over three days when changing feed and to mix some Chinese herbal medicine for enteritis into the feed.
12. No isolation area; healthy and sick chicks are raised together: this can easily lead to the spread of disease. It is recommended to establish an isolation area downwind of the poultry house to isolate sick and disabled chickens.
13. Ignore culling: It is recommended to cull weak or disabled chickens during management.
14. Focusing only on antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment while neglecting pathological regulation: It is recommended to use an integrated Chinese and Western medicine approach to treat the disease, combining antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment with regulation of the body to prevent recurrence.
15. Unable to handle conflicts between temperature, humidity, ventilation, and other factors very well: when the temperature is high, ventilate; when humidity is high, ventilate. When conditions fluctuate significantly, first allow the temperature to rise by about two degrees, then ventilate for about half an hour, and repeat this cycle.
16. Incorrect placement of the thermometer and hygrometer: It is recommended that the thermometer’s sensor be level with the chickens’ backs and not too close to heat sources or drafts.