Management of Young Chickens;

Indian brooders

.
Outline

⮚ Introduction
⮚ Management of young chicks
⮚ Indian Brooders
 Management of Young Chicks
▪ The brooding and rearing of young chick is a difficult task and should
be done with great care
▪ The chicks, from the day of hatching to the 8th week, are called
Brooder chicks
▪ A newly hatched chick does not develop the thermoregulatory
mechanism fully and takes about two weeks to develop this
mechanism and homeostasis
▪ Therefore, they cannot maintain the body temperature properly
for the first few weeks of life; and may be subjected to chilling, if
not properly taken care of
▪ Hence, after completion of 36 hours, the newly formed chicks
are transferred to brood chamber which is properly prepared
and kept disinfected
 Brooding
▪ The process of providing extra heat to baby chicks is
called as brooding
▪ Brooding in chicken is an important part of making the
relationship between mother and chick strong as well as
ensuring proper growth and development
▪ Two types: Natural brooding and Artificial brooding
▪ Natural brooding
▪ It is done with the help of broody hens after
hatching, up to 3 to 4 weeks of age
▪ The brood hen gives extra heat to baby chicks by
keeping them under the wings
▪ Artificial brooding
▪ In artificial brooding, large number of baby chicks
are reared in the absence of broody hen and
artificial source is used to provide extra heat
▪ Equipment's used for brooding are called brooders
▪ Brooder comprises of three elements:
▪ Heating source
▪ Reflectors
▪ Brooder guard
▪ Proper Litter Management
▪ Properly conditioned and fresh litter with controlled
moisture must be provided right from the start
▪ The purpose of litter is to provide bedding and if it
is cold and wet it surely is a recipe for disaster
▪ Optimum Temperatures
▪ This is the most important factor that has to be
maintained
▪ Depending on the type of chicks and at which
stage of growth they are in the optimal
temperature requirement will change
▪ In the 1st week it has to be 95 degrees and by the
fifth week, it can be brought down to 75 degree
Fahrenheit
▪ At relatively low temperatures, they chirp and
huddle or in too high temperatures chicks show
signs of drowsiness and panting
▪ Ventilation
▪ A good brooder can be distinguished from the rest
by its minimal ventilation
▪ A pressure test for the fan, the inlet door opening is
checked, and the fan run time is monitored
accordingly
▪ Feed
▪ The chicks are given ‘starter mash’ from the second
day onwards
▪ Finely ground Maize mixed with mineral mixture and
vitamins are sprinkled on the paper
▪ Chicks are trained to pick feed by tapping the paper
▪ Provide electrolyte, glucose and vitamins in the
drinking water for first 2 to 3 days to overcome
stress
▪ Debeaking
▪ When the chicks are of 6-8 days old, the sharp end
of the chicks beak is cut down with a help of
debeaker
Vaccination
▪ Antibiotics and vitamins may be continued for 3-5
days
▪ The birds should be vaccinated as detailed in the
schedule for vaccination
▪ Deworming should be done routinely
 Indian Brooders:
▪ Indian brooder is an indigenous attempt to keep the
chicken warm and alive
▪ They are made according to the need of the farmer
and his expenditure
▪ The size, shape and quality differs in almost all the
cases
Basket type brooder
▪ The bottom of the big basket is cut open and is placed
up-side down to cover chickens
▪ The rim of the basket touching the ground is either
painted with earthen soil or the pores are blocked by
using gunny bags to prevent the entry of cold winds
▪ A centrally placed kerosene oil lantern is enough to
keep the chicken warm and active
▪ Wooden Box Type Brooder:
▪ It is a wooden box about 90 x 60 cm and 70 cm in
height which can be used for brooding about 200-250
chicks
▪ The chicks can be maintained in this box up to four
weeks after incubation
▪ To maintain constant temperature inside, two electric
bulbs of 100 watts or two kerosene lanterns are used
▪ Sufficient holes should be made in the box for
ventilation and for smoke outlet (in case lantern is
used)
▪ Cardboard is laid on the floor of the foster chamber
▪ Can be provided with feeder and water fountain
 References
▪ Banerjee T. K. (2016). Applied Zoology. London:
New Central Book Agency (P) Ltd.
▪ Arumugam N., Murugan T. & Rajeshwar J. Applied
Zoology (2016) Tamil Nadu: Saras Publication