4 Reasons Day-Old Kampung Chicks Die Early

Caring for day-old chicks (DOC) is not easy, and the success of a chicken farm depends heavily on them. DOC are newly hatched chicks, so their immune systems are still very fragile. If you cannot care for them properly, your farm's output will suffer. That is why it is so important to look after the health of your DOC, so they grow into more productive birds for meat or eggs. You need to know what can cause chicks to die and what keeps them healthy. This article focuses on DOC of kampung chickens, Indonesia's native free-range chickens. Kampung chickens have the strongest immune systems of any breed. When raising kampung chicks, avoid the following so they do not die early:

Keeping DOC in the Open

One reason chicks die early is being kept in the wrong place. Day-old chicks cannot live in an open area, especially at night. Even during the day, a DOC coop should not have too much ventilation, because the chicks' tolerance to cold is still low. DOC must always be kept somewhere warm and separate from adult chickens. When mixed with adult birds, cannibalism can occur, as adult chickens will not hesitate to injure the chicks with their beaks.

Also read 6 Proper Ways to Build a Coop for Day-Old Chicks

Setting the Brooder Incorrectly

A brooder is a device that helps warm the coop. It helps the chicks keep their bodies warmer. The poultry farmer's job is to monitor the brooder constantly, so the coop stays warm even when the weather turns critical. You can judge how well the brooder is working by watching how the chicks spread out. If the chicks are not crowding together and are spread evenly, the temperature is warm enough; if they huddle under the brooder, it is still not warm enough. And if they crowd together away from the brooder, you can be sure it is too hot. If you do not know how to set up a brooder, ask the seller.

Infection

Although they have stronger immune systems than other breeds, kampung chicks catch infections easily. Infections are caused by a poor coop environment, which allows microorganisms to grow and attack the birds. Once one chick is infected, the rest are easily infected too, because infections spread quite easily. Symptoms of infection include fever, lethargy and weakness. Infected chicks also lose their appetite for food and water, and their weight drops sharply. The most obvious sign of infection is that the chick stays still and does not want to move.

You can deal with this by keeping the coop environment clean and sanitary. Separate any infected chicks from the rest so the infection does not spread. In the morning, also put the chicks out in the sun so their bodies warm up.

Dehydration

The next cause of death is a lack of fluids. Dehydration can have many causes, one of which is poor hatching conditions, where the incubator setting is too high and air humidity is low. To prevent it, keep a close eye on the temperature and humidity in the incubator.

Also read 3 Ways to Source Layer Chicks (DOC) and How to Care for Them

Those are some of the things that can cause kampung chicks to die. We hope you find this information useful.