Litter, Water And Feed Management

Litter Management
Litter management is a very important aspect of poultry farming. It takes part in temperature regulation of the poultry house and could also abhor diseases if not manage properly. It is therefore mandatory to take the following point account.
Fresh shavings that will be used for the poultry housing must be dried and friable. Avoid introducing wet or damp shavings into brooder house.
Avoid the use of saw dust as this may cause respiratory problems among the chicks.
Avoid the use of wet or cracked litter as this type of litter conducive to outbreak of coccidiosis
A way of accessing a good litter with a better quality, when pressed together between your palms, should stick together slightly and break as the hand is released. While a wet litter with excessive water will form a ball when pressed together between your palms.
Importance of litter in temperature regulation for day old chicks
The importance of litter in temperature regulation of day old chicks cannot be over emphasis because litter is important in the regulation of floor temperature in the brooder house and consequently the chicken body temperature. On arrival of the chick from hatchery to the farm, the litter temperature should be approximately 30 degree centigrade. So that when the day old chicks are off loaded from the carton to the brooder house, they will be under normal condition they are supposed to be. Don't be surprise that your chick performance and liveliness depends on the temperature of the litter and brooder house.

 

Water And Feed management
Somewhere somehow, your poultry will never survive without water. It is in fact the most important element in the survival of your poultry farming. It is not an overstatement to say that the farmer itself will not survive without water. So it is obvious that the availability of water is crucial an a important factor in poultry performance because of the following reasons:

• Chicken body is made up of 55-75% of water in content
• Water is needed by the chick in regulating their body temperature
• Even an egg is made up of 60-65% of water
• The feed consumed by the birds, dissolves in water for easy absorption into their body system
• Blood itself is made up of 70% of water
• Finally water is the most appropriate medium for administering drugs to the chicken.
• If you starve birds of water for 3 days, they will go into moulting resulting in drop production
• For every gram of feed eaten by chicken, it will need 2-3ml of water
• Supply clean, cool and fresh water as temperature increases
• If you do not supply enough water it will affect the growth rate of the birds
• Avoid water spillage on the litter. Place water trough on raised flat planks.
  
   
  As for feeding the chicks, take note of the following:
• High quality feed is the best to start your chicken. Therefore get quality feed.
• Supply day old chick with feed on chick trays or flat feeders.
• Ensure that there is sufficient feeder and space to ensure proper feeding among the chicken. This will lessen competition and all chicks can grow at almost same rate.
• Usually start with 3 birds per 10cm for trough feeder and 25 birds per hanging feeder of 18kg.
• Do not waste feed. This is because the profitably of the business is also directly proportional to this.
• Do not fill the feeder to full level as this may cause wastage up to 25%. The best way is to fill the feeder to one-third full
• Adjust feeder weekly to the level of the back of the bird.
  
   
  
   
  The table below is a guide to feed and water administration for 1000 birds
  
   

Age(in weeks)	Feed Consumption(Kg)daily	Water(liters)daily
1	12	3.4
2	20	7.6
3	27	11.4
4	40	14.8
5	50	18
6	60	20.8
7	62.5	24
8	67.5	27
9	70	30
10	72.5	34
11	73.5	37
12	75	42
13	78.5	42
14	78.8	42
15	80	42
16	80	42
17	85	42
18	85	42
Point of Lay	105	42