Tag Archives: brooder

Day-old Chicks Arrive – Jan 3, 2013

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The big day is finally here, so at 6:30am we set off to pickup the day old chicks from the supplies shop. After making all the payments we verify that there are 1,020 chicks including a 2% bonus for the purchase. 

Into the back of the car they go and off we are to the site and the brooder, here is what it looks like 

Day-old chicks in brooder

You may notice that they are eating out of the boxes, and that is because we have given them Oasis nutrition for day old chicks (the green pellets) which we placed on top of chick mash (finely ground feed due to their gentle disposition) which they feed on for the first 2 days. In the water we added 10g of Glucovit (a combination of glucose and vitamins) to give them additional strength

A wide view of the brooder 

Brooder Preparation – Jan 2, 2013

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After the shopping was done the last step was to prepare the brooder which was a room 12” x 15” with a metal door plus a single window for ventilation. We would have gone for an additional window but we opted to keep the door and single window open for ventilation. 

Brooder preparationThe first step was to lay-out the bricks on which the pots (where we put charcoal for heating up the room are placed), after which we poured coffee husks on the floor and placed a brown sheet of paper on top. The brown paper is to ensure that the chicks do not eat the coffee husks in their early days which may lead to choking and digestion complications since their systems are not well developed. 

The temperature for the brooder has to be kept very warm (yes we kept sweating whenever we entered) since layers unlike broilers are very sensitive to cooler temperatures.

There is a separate set of sandals at the door so that anyone entering the brooder does not bring in contaminants, obviously this is a critical issue so we will be working on it continously.

Since the room was freshly built we left the pots running overnight to keep it warm and snug for the chicks coming in the next day.

Below is a photo of the brooder with all sheeting laid out and ready to go 

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Seasons Greetings and Updates

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Well at this time Christmas has come and gone, and so my seasons greetings are belated. 

Yes the day draws closer, January 3, 2013 when the official journey begins with the arrival of 1000 day old chicks at the site. So what are my plans over the next few days:

On Dec 27, 2012 we completed shopping for accessories which included:

  • Clay pots with holes near the top to hold the charcoal to keep the brooder warm 
  • Feeding troughs – after a lot of deliberation we decided on a few small troughs and more larger troughs which will last longer
  • Drinkers – again like the troughs we went for smaller containers (5 liters capacity) plus larger ones to ensure that the frequency of refills is much less
  • Medication – vitamin supplements, antibiotics (especially for flu, diarrhea, and fast moving infections) which will be mixed in the water as and when is needed
  • Brown paper for the first week to ensure warmth
  • Clear plastic sheeting for the windows and doors to keep the heat in
  • Jerrycans and basins for collecting water and cleaning the drinkers – which will happen 3-4 times a day 
  • Paraffin Lanterns – since we have not had the chance to connect electric power to the site, but this will come later 

So we are all set and January 2, we are spending the day preparing the site, finalizing construction, warming the brooder (since its a new site, its wet and cold)

Well we wish you a Happy New Year, and please come back to read more of our journey