Good news, fellow Poultry keepers!
This is the beginning of a lesson on raising chicks, we will learn how to build a chick coop, the essentials in a chick coop, preparing to receive chicks, vaccinations and medications, causes of chick deaths, good nutrition for chicks, and how to control mortality, etc.
In this first part, we will learn how to build a chicken coop/the essentials in a chicken coop.
Chicken House
If you want to build a chicken house, you should know the following:-
_ The chick house should be close to your own home so that you can check on your chicks regularly.
_It should be built 20 steps or more away from the adult chicken house, this is one way to reduce the risk of disease transmission.
_The chicken house should not allow cold or dampness or pests to enter.
#But the house should always have enough air and light.
_ The house should have enough space so that the chicks have room to move around to find food and water without being cramped.
_It should be built in a place that is not exposed to the wind coming from the large chicken coop.
This precaution helps chicks avoid diseases spread by the wind.
House Size
Location:
Chicks do not need a large area during the first 4 weeks. The approximate space required is 1 square meter for every 16 chicks. For example, a 10 square meter house is sufficient to raise 160 chicks until they are 4 weeks old.
The dimensions of a house with this area could be 5 steps by 4 steps or 3 steps by 3.25. You will build depending on the area you have. After 4 weeks of age, increase the space and give the chicks a suitable area to live.
Consider the size of the house depending on the age/type of chicken
Floor:
A good floor in a chicken house should preferably be built with cement mixed with concrete.
To reduce costs, you can use building materials
easily available in your area used for floor sealing such as clay
tunnel.
Wall:
It would be best if the walls of the houses for raising chicks were made of brick, clay, tin, or tin.
Brick and earthen walls should be made of brick to facilitate cleaning of the house or spraying of pesticides. The height of the walls should be from 1.8 to 2.4 meters (6-8 feet). The lower part of the exit 0.9 to 1.2 meters (3-4 feet) should be covered with a brick or earthen wall and the remaining upper part 0.9 to 1.2 meters (3-4 feet) should be built with metal mesh or poles.
Wood:
Wooden poles or logs should be treated with a wood preservative such as “Dudu killer” or linseed oil to prevent rotting. If using wood, it is best to remove the bark which can harbor parasites and insects.
Windows:
You can use insulated boxes, sack mats, sack curtains are easy and
They can be installed by nailing them to the ceiling and at the bottom the curtain should be nailed to the board to hang it. You can fold the curtains/bags to let enough air and light into the chicken house. (This depends on the environment you are in and how you like it)
On:
The roof structure should be able to provide the chicks with enough air, so the roof should have a hole to let out hot air.
As much as you can, you can use cartons,
Tin sheets, straw or grass etc. to roof the chicken house.
#If a part of the roof starts to leak, it should be repaired without delay.
Identify the best coop that will protect your chicks from diseases, and will also protect your chicks from dangerous insects.
In chicken farming, the first thing is to build a coop. This step is the initial step and also the most difficult. Once you have completed a good coop, then the farming begins.
Build the best coop for your chickens! The best coop for the best livestock
IMPORTANT THINGS IN A PACK OF CHICKEN.
Important Items in a Chicken Coop:
1.Brooder
This device is often circular, this is to prevent the chicks from gathering around the edges. You can make a brooder using wood, singbod, box etc.
In raising chicks, one of the most important things is how to keep them warm.
The Importance of Brood for Chicks
A breeder who uses a bruda and one who does not use a bruda have a big difference:
_First, if you use a brooder, cleaning is easier because the chicks stay in the brooder area and if they get dirty, the dirt cannot spread throughout the coop.
_If you use a brooder, you will find it easier to ensure that your chicks get enough heat, because if the chicks are in the brooder and you have turned on the light, the heat from the light will go directly to the chicks and not spread around.
_Since heat does not spread randomly, it is possible to use fewer heat sources than someone who does not use a heater.
_If you use electricity, charcoal or oil to heat the chicks, when you use a broda the cost will be reduced because the heat will always be sufficient for the chicks.
“Unlike the one who doesn’t use a fan and puts in lots of light bulbs so the chicks can stay warm.”
Since the chicks are well-heated, you will be able to reduce the mortality of your chicks.
Things That Will Be Inside The Broda
• Water containers
• Food containers
• A heat source you can use
• Bulb
• Charcoal stove: A charcoal stove can be used instead of a lamp to keep chicks warm. When using
charcoal stove is to make sure that the charcoal you use does not emit smoke and the room is ventilated
fresh and sufficient air. Also, the stove should be placed on bricks to prevent the chicks from touching it. (Make sure you turn it on outside the coop)
• Chemli
•Vyungu.
2. Food containers
For the chicks to grow well, the containers
The food must be suitable for them. Measurements including
The number of food containers is important.
Let them be satisfied.
A vessel with a length of (feet)
3 x 3 inch) is enough for 100 chicks. If you use
wood for making food containers
It is recommended that the boards be 1/25 cm thick.
(½ inch). You can also use plates
the ones you usually use at home to put them
chicks food.
_Here it depends on how you plan, you can buy food containers or make them yourself using wood, straw, etc. (Pay attention to cleanliness)
_Something to note is that food containers need to be larger than water containers.
_When you put food out for the chicks, many will rush to eat, and when it comes to drinking water, the chicks will go in small numbers. Therefore, if there are few food containers, it is easy for some chicks to miss out on food, fight, and bite each other. At the end of the day, some chicks will be weak and even smaller than their peers due to lack of food (stunted).
3. Water Containers
Any shallow container is suitable for
To water the chickens, it must be raised so that the chicks cannot bring any debris down into the water. Also, if it is open, the drinking area should be covered with clean gravel to prevent the chicks from getting wet when they drink.
“I know it has happened to many chicks, especially in the early days, because of waterlogging”
Or use plates and cans as follows.
Make a hole three centimeters from the mouth of the can, fill the can with water, then cover it with a plate and turn it over.
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