THE REALITIES ABOUT POULTRY The Modern Farm - The Realities About Poultry_Seco | Page 37

What a brooder is?
A brooder is a safe, dry, uniformly warm, draft-free
draft
place where chicks spend the first weeks of
their lives. In fact, the device or equipment used for providing artificial heat to baby chicks is known
as a brooder .
Diligently and carefully managed brooding of chicks is crucial to their long-term
long term health and survival.
Farmers express frustration with low survivability in chicks, which may stem from poor stock,
chronic but not debilitating disease in the breeder flock, inadequate brooding husbandry, or shipping
stress.
Chicks are most vulnerable to disease and cold when very young, so the utmost care and attention
should be given to husbandry and sanitation to prevent losses during brooding. To increase the
potential for success start with good vigorous stock from a reputable breeder. If possible, purchase
chicks from a local breeder to avoid the stresses of shipping. While overnight shipping is an
acceptable and generally humane means of transporting day-old
day old chicks, postal delays and exposure
to cold temperatures are not uncommon, and stress these young, fragile creatures.
creature s. With good stock
and detailed attention to their care early in their lives, chicks can grow into healthy, hardy birds that
will have few, if any, health problems.
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