Over the years, I have helped farmers raise native chickens by implementing comprehensive disease prevention and control measures, including establishing vaccination schedules, diagnosing and treating diseases, maintaining environmental hygiene and disinfection, building chicken coops, and using scientific feeding practices. These measures have effectively controlled the occurrence of chicken diseases and safeguarded the healthy raising of native chickens. By using low-cost health management techniques, they have also increased production and income. To develop high-quality native chickens, focus should be placed on the following work:
1 Production conditions
Improve the rearing environment to create good production conditions for raising native chickens.
1.1 Chicken coop construction
For raising free-range chickens, choose a location sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, with flat, elevated, dry terrain, convenient access to water, away from villages, convenient transportation, a relatively small tree canopy, and sparsely planted fruit trees. The chicken coop must be built on high ground with good drainage and ventilation. The floor inside should be concrete to facilitate cleaning and disinfection. Set up an exercise yard covered with sand outside the door.
1.2 Site and equipment disinfection
Disinfect the ground by spreading quicklime or spraying with 10% quicklime solution. Brush the walls around the inside of the coop, the flue, and other areas with 10% quicklime solution. Clean and disinfect cages, feed troughs, waterers, and other equipment with 1% caustic soda solution or 10% quicklime solution. Then rinse thoroughly with water and leave to dry in the sun before use.
1.3 Chicken house temperature
Ensure ventilation and air exchange in the chicken house, and maintain a suitable temperature. There are two ways to check whether the temperature is suitable: first, read the thermometer; second, observe the flock. When the chickens are evenly distributed, move freely, and are relatively quiet, this indicates that the temperature is suitable.
1.4 Breeding chickens and chicks
The quality of the chicks plays a decisive role in the success of chicken farming. At present, medium- and small-sized, slow- to fast-growing breeds such as Sanhuang chicken, Zheda yellow chicken, and Xianju chicken are relatively suitable for free-range farming because they have low environmental requirements, broad adaptability, strong disease resistance, high activity levels, and excellent meat quality.
1.5 Stocking Density
To improve the rearing environment for native chickens, the stocking density in the chicken coop should not be too high. They may be allowed to roam after being weaned from supplemental heat at four weeks of age.
2 Immunization Program
Develop a scientific immunization program to ensure the healthy rearing of native chickens. Native chickens have a relatively long rearing period, so their immunization program should differ from that of fast-growing chickens raised indoors. The main differences are that vaccines must be selected from reputable large-scale manufacturers, the vaccine dosage must be sufficient, the immunization program must be appropriate, and the immunization method must be correct. In the early stages, individual chickens should preferably be immunized by nasal drops, eye drops, or oral drops; in the later stages, use injections.
3 Disease prevention and control
Prevention is the priority; take measures to prevent and control common diseases in free-range chickens. Observe the flock’s feed and water intake every day. Grower and adult chickens roost on perches overnight, lined up in pairs, each in its place, making it easy to check their droppings regularly and identify the corresponding sick chickens. In addition, sick chickens entering the coop cannot fly up to the perches; when the flock goes out, sick chickens will not fly away from the perches either, and seriously ill chickens will fall off the perches. Use these signs to identify sick chickens. Isolate sick chickens immediately. Remove droppings 1 times per week. Do not let the chickens out to forage in rainy or snowy weather, to avoid getting their feathers wet and causing them to catch cold.
4 Feeding and management
Establish strict management procedures and strengthen the feeding and management of free-range chickens. Strictly comply with the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law and relevant livestock and poultry epidemic prevention and hygiene regulations issued by the animal husbandry and veterinary authorities. Caretakers should observe the flock every day and prevent, detect, and treat chicken diseases early. Do not feed moldy or expired feed. No drugs or additives prohibited by the state may be added to feed. Feed should preferably come from farm-produced corn, rice, wheat, and other ecological feed with no pesticide residues, as well as natural insects such as earthworms found in orchards and woodlands.