5 ways you can use to stop your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks
Many poultry farmers especially new ones, have reportedly confirmed that their broilers start dying at 4 weeks of age.
Keeping broilers can be very rewarding and profitable, but not without some serious hard work and challenges.
These challenges need to be tackled and handled with seriousness.
One particular crisis often faced by farmers, especially broiler farmers is losing their birds as they attain or reach four weeks of age.
I have come across several farmers who complain that they just began to lose their birds as they reach 4 weeks of age for some unexplained reasons, they can’t understand.
This blog will explain and proffer solutions to this problem accordingly.
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The following factors would help you reduce your bird’s mortality to the barest minimum especially as they attain 4 weeks of age:
The feeding Pattern when implemented correctly will prevent your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks
At four weeks of age birds especially, broilers have a rapid transformation that occurs within their body i.e. their body weight increases rapidly.
Heat stress and high temperatures become a serious problem for the broilers the demand for fresh clear and clean water becomes even higher.
In view of these challenges in order not to lose your birds you have to adopt a holistic approach to rearing and keeping them alive and healthy.
Excessive feeding should be avoided, only feed them the quantity of feed they require in a day.
In fact, it is highly recommended that you skip afternoon feeding to allow them to digest, utilize and convert their feed to meat properly.
This is very important for your broilers especially if you rear them under a hot climatic condition above 340C.
At this temperature, it becomes very hot for them to function properly and they generate a lot of heat as they eat.
This can cause a lot of discomfort and eventually may lead to sudden death if prompt action is not taken.
As they eat they generate a lot of heat in their body system as a result of the activities and energy expanded during the process of eating.
It is highly recommended that you feed your broilers very early in the morning when the temperature is very low and later in the evening when the temperature is favourable to them.
This pattern of feeding can stop your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks.
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The provision of adequate water is one of the most important steps to be taken in preventing your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks
The importance of providing clean clear drinking water to your birds can never be overemphasized. it’s the major step you as a broiler farmer will take towards preventing your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks.
At four weeks old their body begins to expand rapidly and they require less temperature, than when they were just a day to two weeks of age.
They require a lot of water to keep their body temperature normal to sustain and maintain system metabolizes.
To stop your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks you should never go out of water at all, because they can easily be dehydrated, especially during periods of high temperature.
If the temperature is very high it is also recommended that you add ice cubes to their water to reduce heat stress.
In the absence of ice cubes ensure that their water is always fresh, cool and clean. The mounted tank that supplies the water channel should never be exposed to direct sunlight.
it is equally very important that you sustain the ice cubes in their water at all times because once you start adding ice to their water it would be very wrong if you stop all of a sudden.
This may affect them, and if care is not taken you might lose them, In other words, extreme fluctuation of temperature should be discouraged at all costs.
It is highly recommended that once you start adding ice you may have to continue till the end of the rearing cycle.
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Minerals and Vitamins
Adding minerals and multivitamins to their water would always relieve stressful conditions for the birds, especially during hot climatic conditions.
It would help them relax and also improve their immune system.
Stress sometimes weakens your bird’s immunity to disease or their ability to fight diseases.
The addition of minerals and vitamins also improves your bird’s appetite, especially as the temperature becomes hotter by the day.
Care must be taken as explained earlier in giving them feed in the afternoon if you really want to stop your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks.
If possible their feeding should be restricted to early in the morning and in the evening.
Just ensure that you give them enough quantity of feed with adequate nutrients to keep them healthy.
Allowing them to add weight easily throughout the rearing period.
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Any Stressful condition should be avoided if you really want to stop your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks of age
At four weeks old broiler chickens are highly pruned to stressful conditions, not just the ones related to heat.
But other stressful conditions such as unnecessary movement in their pen or chicken house by you or any farm worker.
It is highly advisable as your birds are becoming bigger and older you should please restrict your activities around their house.
Avoid entering your broiler chicken house, especially in the afternoon when the weather is extremely hot.
Except when it is obviously necessary, undue disturbances, sharp movement or fright can cause them serious discomfort.
These can cause the broiler chickens to generate a lot of heat leading to some sort of stressful condition which can degenerate to sudden death if not properly handled.
Ventilation
One of the best measures to put in place if you want to stop your broiler chickens from dying at 4 weeks is to provide a conducive aerated chicken house.
When designing your chicken house, keep at the back of your mind that chickens especially broilers need a lot of fresh air and enough ventilation.
The chicken house should be designed in such a way that there should be cross ventilation on all sides of the broiler chicken house.
The use of airflow is a key component in keeping them stable and also in reducing heat-related stress.
Stocking density should be properly kept in check as they become bigger adequate space should be made available for all of them.
Overcrowding should be avoided at all costs, apart from stress overcrowding can also reduce their growth rate, and also reduce their
ability to fight diseases i.e. reduce their immunity to disease and cause them great discomfort, capable of leading to sudden death.
The comfort of your broilers in their house can never be overemphasised, if they are comfortable they will be happy and happy chickens grow well.
It’s like a chain reaction once a sequence is broken it affects the others.
In Conclusion
At four weeks your broiler chickens undergo a lot of changes from chicks to real meat birds.
it is at this stage farmers who change from grower to finisher or from starter to finisher do change feed.
At this stage, your broiler chickens already have a large body mass different from the ones they have as baby chicks.
So in changing their feed, care must be taken, it must be changed at the right time.
If you live in a hot climate undue disturbances, and movement should be avoided.
Any form of bird movement should be done in the morning when the temperature is favourable.
Any discomfort at this stage may lead to stressful conditions. Stressful conditions can aggravate any hidden underlying disease.
- Give them Feed at the appropriate time; avoid starvation i.e staying longer than normal without feed can aggravate hunger stress which can lead to serious health implications for your birds.
- There should be clear, fresh and cool drinking water at all times for your birds, especially during hot water.
- Restricts access to their pen and animals such as untrained dogs should be kept away from your broiler chickens especially as they can cause stress to your birds etc.
