A Good Start

I have always told my " mitras" that brooding is probably the most important part of making your broiler operations a success. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Day old chicks (DOCs), if not given proper brooding care during the first week, will most likely have a respiratory problem after the 2nd ND vaccination.

2. If chicks get cold during the first week, it's pretty sure that you will have a lot of small birds after the 2nd week.

3. Poor heater management will result in malabsorption syndrome. This will make your chicks unable to absorb properly the nutrients from the feed, causing "helicopter wings"

4. Ventilation should always be considered as an important part in the development of the chick. Chicks need fresh air too.

5. The immune system's development starts at the first week. If brooding management is not good, then the immune system will not develop properly eventually failing even with little stress.

6. Litter material, if kept dry, will definitely help bird growth.

7. Temperature should not always be the criteria for evaluating "bird comfort".

8. Bird reaction and condition should always be the first step in evaluating brooding management.

9. If the first week body weight is lower than standard, then growth rate is already compromised.

10. Culling small birds during the first week is a good management practice. Why? Because the small birds are usually the first ones to get sick and will always eat a lot of feeds adding points to your FCR.

These are just a few generalizations that I have made during my years as a poultry specialist. But everybody should realize that without a good start, there is no good finish. So let us give our DOCs the best start by providing the best brooding management.