3 Causes of Early Death in Kampung Chicken Chicks
Prevent kampung chick deaths by understanding the 3 main causes: infection, long transport times and wrong brooder settings, plus simple fixes.
Kampung chickens (Indonesian free-range native chickens) are prized because they rarely get sick and are easy to raise. Broilers are different: they stress easily and catch a wide range of diseases. As you may already know, day-old chicks (DOC) play a crucial role in a farm's success. Don't expect success if you don't know how to care for DOC properly. Each type of DOC needs its own kind of care; broiler chicks and kampung chicks, for example, are cared for differently.
Chicken deaths are one thing every poultry farmer wants to avoid. The more DOC die, the fewer birds you can harvest. If it keeps happening, your farm may well start losing money. The way to prevent DOC deaths is to avoid their causes. Here are some causes of kampung chick deaths you need to avoid:
Infection
The first cause is infection. Infections can be triggered by extreme weather or by poor coop sanitation. A dirty coop that is never cleaned becomes a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. During the rainy season, chickens in open house coops are highly vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. Infected birds have weaker immunity and lose their appetite. Watch for symptoms of infection such as fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and eyes that stay closed. Infected chicks are also reluctant to move, unlike healthy ones, which are lively and quick.
Also read 5 Mistakes in Raising Day-Old Chicks
To treat a fever, first put the chicks out in the morning sun. Morning sunlight is great for making the birds sweat, which brings the fever down. You can also give them a fever reducer, available at pet stores. Prevention is better than cure. You can prevent infections by keeping the coop properly sanitized, giving the coop a thorough cleaning once a week, giving the chicks vitamins regularly and keeping healthy chicks away from sick ones.
Long Transport Times
The leading cause of death among kampung chicks is long transport times. For example, if you buy DOC in city B while you live in city A, the chicks will get stressed during the journey. It's fine to buy kampung chicks from another city, but you need to pay attention to how they're cared for on the way. Don't let the chicks get stressed from being jolted on the road. Make sure the chicks are protected from bumps in the vehicle, for example by placing them in a secure, cushioned box. It's better to collect your DOC using the farm's own vehicle than to rely on a delivery service whose standards you don't know.
Wrong Brooder Settings
Early DOC deaths can be caused by incorrect brooder settings. When the brooder is set too hot or too cold, kampung chicks overheat or get chilled. You can tell whether the brooder setting is right by watching how the chicks behave: if they huddle under the brooder, it's still too cold, while chicks that move away from the brooder are a sign it's too hot. The fix is to set the temperature correctly and check it regularly. The brooder also needs to be at the right distance from the DOC coop, neither too far nor too close.
Day-old chicks are still vulnerable to many diseases and infections that can threaten their health. To keep this from ending in death, you need to avoid the causes of kampung chick deaths explained above by taking preventive steps.
