Poultry Raising

Poultry raising does not start with choosing baby chicks. It all starts with fresh grass and soil, electronet, and chicken tractors. What do you mean by this, you might ask? It's as simple as buying diapers, feeding bottles, and everything else that you need to purchase before the baby is born.

We need to learn about grass because this is the basic food that the chicks love to eat. Ensuring that they have fresh grass to munch on is productive to the chicken’s growth and healthier than feeding it with pellets. Oats and corn may be used to complement the grass intake and are healthier for the chicken than synthetic food. Food consumption should be within 10 – 15 minutes meaning, you have to give the chicks just enough for them to consume within that time frame or they would be overfed.

Tractors are movable coops which houses the chicks. This is an effective way for moving chicken to greener pasture from time to time. And it is also easier to clean than a coop as droppings may be used for soil compost thus helping the environment and the soil to naturally replenish minerals. Such a scheme leads to a better environment for grass to grow.

Electronets on the other hand are the cheapest way of containing the chicks. It confines them to a space where they can scratch, poop, and peck on small sections of land and most importantly, it acts as a security perimeter for predators. You may have healthy chickens free from any diseases but if you’re not able to prevent predators from attacking them then you’d end up losing your chickens just the same.

When you've learned about these three poultry necessities, you can now move on to choosing the right baby chick for your business. Do you know how long chicken's lifespan is? Or even how long they can keep on laying eggs if they are healthy? You might be surprised with the answer to both questions. Chickens by nature may live up to about 30 years and may lay eggs for about 18 years as long as they are happy, stress free and well taken cared off. When choosing chicks, you should also take into consideration, whether you are raising them for their meat or their eggs. If you are raising them for their meat then go for chicks that are bigger than bantams like broilers. Hardiness defines if the chick is suitable for winter or cold weather. It is the ability of the chick to sustain itself. There are chicks that have dual purpose profiles. They can be egg layers, and at the same time they can be meat birds. You can have additional reading for choosing the right chicks or you could also try enrolling in courses such as an Animal Care Course to have an in-depth knowledge of raising chickens.  Or, you could simply ask the retailers what type of chicken suits yourf needs and the locale you’re in.

And, once the fluffy balls arrive, make sure that they stay warm and happy. Remember, they are not pets. Over-handling the chicks may lead to premature death. Yet checking on them about 5 times a day is recommended. Be sure to allot 10 square feet per chick if this is their only space. Allocate 4 square feet per chick for their sleeping quarters and they have the freedom to move about in the morning. This will make the birds happy. The electronet is usually 42 to 48 inches high, but have to be spaced closely to prevent the chicks from escaping. Be sure to move the net often and mow the soil to ensure that the voltage does not fluctuate leaving the net ineffective.

Let’s talk about a basic necessity for a stress free chicken life that is often overlooked by poultry raisers, whether veterans or neophytes. Water is very important for chicken life, thus it is recommended to change drinking water at least twice a day especially when the weather is dry and hot. It is also recommended to elevate water containers to ensure that they would not be laden with chicken droppings as soiled water may cause unwanted problems.  Probiotic supplement may be added to the water as a precautionary measure.  Also remember that the water container should be separate from the bath water. If Oxine is available, try to put a drops into the water used for bathing. This will help kill the bacteria, if any, in the chicken bath especially when it gets soiled from chicken droppings.