7 Ways to Produce High-Quality Broiler Day-Old Chicks

One advantage of raising broiler day-old chicks (DOC) is how fast they grow, so the rearing period is relatively short compared with other breeds. Unfortunately, broiler DOC are also very prone to stress, which leaves them vulnerable to all kinds of diseases.

That is why raising broiler DOC takes patience and care, so the chicks stay healthy and you get the best results. Producing quality broiler DOC yourself does not have to inflate your operating costs, as long as you do it the right way. Here are seven ways to produce quality broiler chickens that you can put into practice.

Choose Young Breeder Hens

The most effective way to produce quality broiler DOC is to choose young breeder hens. Young hens generally lay the best hatching eggs, which can then be used to produce superior chicks. Older hens, on the other hand, tend to lay small or even abnormal eggs that are less suitable for producing superior stock.

Also read Day-Old Chick Care Mistakes Beginners Should Know

Select the Right Eggs

Not every broiler egg can be hatched into a day-old chick, so you need to select quality eggs. To produce quality broiler DOC, set aside eggs that are dirty, cracked or the wrong weight. You can also check the yolk: an egg with a double yolk is abnormal and has a low chance of hatching.

Fumigation

Before storing the eggs, you must fumigate them first. Fumigation removes bacteria and fungi that cling to the eggshell, so they cannot get inside the shell. Without fumigation, bacteria or fungi can cause the chicks to hatch in poor health.

Egg Position

You cannot place the eggs any which way. If an egg sits in the wrong position, its internal structure can be damaged and its quality drops. The best way to position eggs correctly is with the pointed end up and the rounded end down.

Temperature

Paying attention to how high or low the temperature is helps you produce quality broiler DOC. When storing eggs, make sure the coop is warm and enclosed to keep rats and cats out. You can keep the coop warm with lamps or a brooder. You also need to set different temperatures for the start and the end of the egg storage period.

Store the Eggs Properly

After fumigating the eggs and setting the coop temperature, you can store the eggs. They must be stored properly so they hatch right on time. Quality broiler DOC hatch on schedule, neither too early nor too late. Given how important egg storage is, this is not a step you can ignore.

Schedule the Hatching

The final way to produce quality day-old chicks is to schedule the hatching. You can do this by numbering the eggs, so you know which ones went into the incubator first. If the eggs do not hatch on schedule, you can wait a few more days, but do not be surprised if quality drops.

Producing quality day-old chicks is not easy in practice, because every step has to be done with patience and care. But it all gets easier once you are used to it and truly committed. Broiler DOC prices on the market fluctuate a lot, so producing your own chicks will save you money.

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