Why did the chicks I raised in my childhood die so soon?

If I can see farther than other chickens, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giant chickens.

Japanese female writer Tetsuko Kuroyanagi had such a childhood memory: she saw a vendor selling chicks at a temple fair. The chicks were furry and particularly cute, so she begged her parents to buy two for her. However, the chicks died after four or five days. This was the first time she experienced the taste of "separation."

Maybe many people had similar experiences with Kuroyanagi Tetsuko in their childhood? Is your child, nephew, or neighbor's child holding a chirping little fur ball?

Little fur balls~ | www.inspiringwallpapers.net

In cities across China, every spring, there are many vendors selling chicks that have just hatched a few days ago. These cute little lives always arouse children's curiosity and desire to protect them. In addition, they are cheap, so many children take them home. Many parents will refuse their children to keep pet chickens for reasons such as "contagious diseases", "unable to keep them alive", "dirty and smelly", etc. Even if some parents agree to keep them, the chicks often die due to lack of proper care.

In fact, simply refusing to raise chickens can easily kill children's kind nature. The chickens sold by vendors usually come from large chicken farms, and the chance of being infected with viruses is not high. If they are kept clean and ventilated, they generally will not affect children's health. If parents guide them correctly, children can also cultivate love and responsibility by caring for small lives, which is not a bad thing.

Today, let’s learn how to take good care of chicks! (Are you overthinking this?

Temperature is the most important thing to me.

When buying chicks, you should choose healthy chicks that are active, have loud voices, bright eyes, and shiny feathers. Gently hold the chick in your hand and feel its body warmth, soft abdomen, even posture, and strong struggle. Gently push the chick down and it should be able to quickly turn over and stand up.

Oops, sorry, I put it in the wrong place. It's this ↓ | www.askideas.com

Handsome Chicken | mixhdwallpapers.com

After bringing the chicks home, you need to prepare a clean and sturdy cardboard box, some newspapers, a heavy food dish, and a desk lamp (40W incandescent bulb). Cover the cardboard box with newspapers to make a nest for the chicks. Desk lamp? Do chicks need to read? No, the desk lamp is used as a heat source to keep the chicks warm. The reason why most families cannot keep chicks alive is that they fail to provide suitable temperature conditions. The ambient temperature of the chicks should be maintained at around 33℃ within one week after hatching, and then the temperature should be lowered by 2℃ every week.

The temperature at home cannot be precisely controlled, so you can observe the activities of the chicks: if the chicks move away from the lamp, pant, don't like to eat, and drink water crazily, it means the temperature is too high and you should move the lamp slightly away; on the contrary, if the chicks curl up near the light bulb and sleep restlessly, it means the temperature is not enough. Generally speaking, chicks can slowly adapt to the natural temperature after 6 weeks. Due to the large temperature difference between morning and evening in spring, you can keep the temperature continuously for 24 hours in the first few days, and then gradually reduce the heating time.

Humidity also affects the healthy growth of chicks. When the humidity is too high, chicks are prone to diarrhea, and when it is too low, they are prone to dehydration and respiratory diseases. Generally, a humidity of about 65%-70% is best. The climate in the south in spring is more suitable, while families in the north and west can sprinkle some water near the chicken coop or use a humidifier.

I went to the wrong set, my friend | www.vitamin-ha.com

You must give me water first.

Some people say that chicks cannot be fed water because they will die of diarrhea after drinking water. This is actually wrong. Chicks should be fed water as soon as possible after being brought home. Failure to feed water in time will easily cause the chicks to die of diarrhea due to thirst. In addition, drinking water before feeding can promote intestinal peristalsis of chicks, help absorb residual egg yolk nutrients and excrete meconium.

Chicks have poor resistance, so when feeding them water, use distilled water instead of tap water. In addition, the water temperature should be around 30℃, just touch the bottle and feel slightly warm. Don't feed too much water to chicks for the first time. Always follow the principle of small amounts and multiple times to prevent the water from spoiling due to too much water, or from dehydration due to insufficient water.

The drinking water of the chicks should be added with 5% glucose (if not available, sugar can be used instead), 0.1% vitamin C and 0.6% salt to strengthen their physique. In order to prevent diseases such as pullorum, a very small amount of furazolidone (or one of ofloxacin, oxytetracycline, and gentamicin) can be added to the water. Find a clean cola bottle to prepare the chicks' drink, and fill the bottle cap with about 10g of salt, which can be used as a reference for preparation. It is especially reminded that nutrient-rich water is easy to attract bacteria to salivate, so remember to prepare new water every day. Feed the chicks with such water in the first week, and after a week, you can feed them pure water or water with a small amount of vitamin B complex.

Do you think raising chickens is that easy? | pixabay.com

About 3 hours after the first drinking water, you can feed the chicks for the first time. Are you looking forward to it? Like human babies, chicks have a fragile digestive tract, so they cannot be fed hard food. They should pay attention to whether the food is fresh and clean. Chicks can eat rice, soft millet, cornmeal mixed with warm water, etc.

Just like drinking water, chicks should be fed small and frequent meals because they grow and metabolize quickly, but their stomach capacity is small. It is best to feed them every 2-3 hours in the first few days, and then gradually reduce to 4-6 times a day. After about a week, you can gradually feed them grains, corn residue, washed and chopped vegetables, etc. In addition, when starting to feed hard food, you should also find some gravel to feed the chicks to help them digest it.

Note, if you want to develop a relationship with the chick, you can call the chick's name before feeding it, let it come over, and then throw food to it. In a few days, the chick will become very close to you and like to follow you. It's very cute. Remember, you must be patient and wait for the chick to approach you. Don't grab it casually with your hands to avoid scaring the chick.

Eating and stuff is the happiest thing | twitter.com

I can be clean too.

Children always like to take their pets out to play, but it is best not to take chicks out within 3 weeks. First, they cannot adapt to the lower temperature outside, and second, chicks have weak resistance and are prone to diseases outside. When chicks grow to one month old, you must be careful when taking them out. Chicks are very curious and want to peck at everything they see. Even if they don’t peck at the children, it’s not good to peck at flowers and plants.

The chicks may die because of the blockage of the anus and the inability to defecate normally, so you should observe the area around the anus of the chicks every morning and evening within one week. If there is dirt stuck on the hair, you should moisten it with warm water in time, and then use a cotton ball dipped in water to gently wipe off the dirt. Who told the chicks not to wipe their butts after pooping... If conditions permit, it is best to take the chicks to professional places such as chicken farms for nasal drops or injections of vaccines.

"Hey, you are also golden" | www.daliulian.net

Since possible infectious diseases, such as avian influenza, are generally transmitted through the air or contact with contaminated feces, the newspapers in the chicken coop should be changed several times a day, and the feeding dishes should be cleaned every day. At the same time, the home should be well ventilated, and children should wash their hands in time after playing with chicks. This can avoid the spread of disease and there will be no odor in the home.

Although you should pay attention to cleanliness, you should never bathe the chicks! Chickens use the "dry cleaning" method to keep themselves clean. When the chicks grow up and you take them out to play, they will bathe in the sand.

Don't give me a bath｜Pixabay

By the way, spring is the peak season for raising chicks in major chicken farms. In order to save on brooding houses, equipment and feed, laying hens will face gender selection after hatching, and roosters will be eliminated early. This is the source of commercially available chicks, so if a vendor picks out two chicks for you and says they are one male and one female, don't believe it.

References

[1] Xu Zhanyun, Qin Ruiling, Zhao Yueping, Li Chunhong. Analysis of the causes of chick death and measures to improve chick survival rate. Heilongjiang Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine. 2007; 6: 40-42.

[2] Zhang Zhengshan. Improve chick management and improve chick survival rate. Hubei Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine. 2009; 3: 13.

[3] Gao Mingyuan, Chen Yixia, Han Qingyan, Jia Junyuan. Disease prevention and health care of chicks. Chinese Journal of Animal Quarantine. 2002; 19(7): 19-20.

[4] Wang Xiang. Feeding and management techniques for chicks. Animal Husbandry and Feed Science. 2009; 30(5): 165-166.

Author:farmoby

This article comes from the Species Calendar, welcome to forward

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