Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
chapter 4
Poultry Prep
Preparing the Flock's First Home
Regardless of where your chicks are from - and whether you're raising 4-or 40 - you'll
need to prepare for your new tenants way before the farm, feed store, or post offce calls to
say come and get 'em. The first weeks of life build the foundation for your stock's over-
all health, and a few commonsense and minimal preparations will be crucial to the birds'
development and well-being. I mark my calendar three days ahead of an anticipated de-
livery date as “Chick Prep Time”: three days before the post offce or feed store calls, I'll
have all the basics on my supply list. These include:
BROODER
Your little girls just emerged from a very warm previous address - the underside of a
mother hen - so you'll need to mimic this as best you can. Enter your chicks' first home:
the brooder. To be a proper brooder, 90°F (32°C) is the magic temperature, and you'll
want to have the heat source pumping at least a day in advance to make sure it warms up
to that level - and maintains that warmth.
