Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
on the surface may be hiding a mess of bacteria and germs lying in wait for your
birds. If you're not careful, you'll just be mulching a disease pit because below those
fresh pine shavings is a stew of damp, moldy feed and muck. Not good. You're just
asking for coccidiosis to take your birds.
Easily avoid this by throwing out all those old pine shavings and laying down a
precut piece of cardboard as an absorbent base in the bottom of the box. Even better,
replace the original cardboard box with a new and even slightly larger one each week
as the birds grow.
DAY 6
Peaceable Kingdom
Growing up healthy and strong means your layers can provide a lifetime of service to
you as egg producers. We already covered the importance of a clean, dry environment to
prevent chill or disease that a damp home can cause these fragile birds, but I also want
to emphasize the value of a stress-free life for the young ones.
The brooder should not be placed where pet cats skulk, radios blare, dogs bound, or kids
relentlessly scrutinize. While all of these sensations are good for your birds to grow up
around in small doses - skulking cats being the exception - they should not be a con-
stant presence. If chicks get too stressed out, they could literally die from it because their
vents will seal up—and this is not a good thing.
YOU DON'T WANT SEALED-UP BUMS
What?! OK, that was a little blunt. But it's true. A stressed-out chick can get
diarrhea—and swilling Pepto-Bismol isn't an option. What happens when a young chick
(under fourteen weeks, especially) gets the runs is that the excrement pastes up and dries
over her vent, clogging the passageway and making it impossible for the hen to relieve
herself. Plain and simple, if pasting up happens, she'll die - and it's a sad way to go.
So while your chicks are still in that flu#y vulnerable stage, periodically pick them up
and check their vents. Make sure there isn't any dried poop to cause serious damage. If
there is, you'll need to get a warm cloth and wipe it off till the area is clean, or cut away
the pasting with carefully wielded scissors.
