Steggles Sydney Royal School Meat Bird Pairs Competition Support Guide 1
Contents Introduction Setting up On arrival of your day-old chicks Monitoring Weighing and assessing growth Temperature control Feeding Lighting Bedding material Confinement and protection Keeping record Further assistance 3 4 6 6 8 8 9 9 10 10 10 10 2
Introduction Welcome to the Steggles Sydney Royal School Meat Bird Pairs Competition support guide. Here, you ll learn how to nurture and grow day-old chicks to the prized Steggles chicken standard. Steggles is an iconic Australian poultry brand with a heritage dating back to 1919. As one of Australia s leading chicken producers, we are committed to the highest standard of farming and breeding practices with emphasis on animal welfare. Our chickens are raised and tended to by farmers who ensure they are fed a nutritious diet and take pride in their welfare. It s no surprise that Steggles is Australia s most preferred chicken brand. So, like you, when it comes to growing chickens, We re Stegglers for quality. 3
Setting up Coop Your chicks will need a safe, spacious, solid construction with enclosed areas to move freely during the day and roost at night. It s important you provide proper heat, feed and water in the early stages (0-7 days). This ensures the chicks digestive tracts develop properly. Chicks are very sensitive to any issues during their first week, so it s important that you observe their behaviour closely and know when to react if they don t look active and healthy. The brooding area shouldn t be too large. The chicks should be able to remain together in a small group and not be exposed to large swings in temperature. The area should be enclosed, indoors, and able to retain heat. You should cover the floor of the brooding area in a bedding material such as pine or hardwood shavings, which absorb moisture well and retain heat. Avoid flat A4 paper, cardboard or newspaper, as these can cause the chicks legs to slip. It also retains less heat and is generally less comfortable. You should also ensure the bedding material is dry and changed regularly. Remember, day-old chicks are unable to control their body temperature in the early stages of their life they re completely reliant on the heat and environment provided. So be sure to pre-warm their enclosure to the ideal temperature before the chicks arrive. You can use heat lamps or brooders as the heat source. Just be sure to position the heat source so your chicks are active and can access feed and water comfortably, especially in the early stages of their life. Age (Days) Day -old 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 Whole - House Brooding Temp ºC 30 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 The temperature of your coop should slowly reduce as the chicks age, according to the temperature chart above. This will ensure they eat to their full potential and remain stress-free. Lastly, before your chicks arrival, be sure to clean and disinfect all areas of the coop. 4
Feed Your chickens will need a stable diet to promote healthy growth and development. Feed them broiler starter crumble for the first 12-14 days of their life. This is a fine textured feed but it shouldn t be too fine or dusty. It s important to use only commercial crumbed broiler feed in these early stages not supplemented with any whole grain, food scraps or additional feed that may not be eaten or digested. As you can imagine, day-old chicks aren t able to climb or perch well. So place your feed at a level they can easily reach. It s a good idea to lay a strip of butcher s paper on the floor along the entire length of the brooding area and evenly scatter the feed over the paper. That way, there s plenty of feed available and it s easy for the chicks to find. The feed on the paper should last at least two days and be regularly replenished. You can then slowly transition your chicks to eating from a dish or a feeder. Water Your chicks must have access to clean water at all times. Ensure your drinkers/watering system is clean, topped up and ready for their arrival. Small bell drinkers with low height trays are a good option. The water should be at room temperature (i.e; not directly under lamps) and kept fresh. Lighting The lighting in the first week is also important. Bright lighting encourages activity and feed intake. Providing a light period of 23 hours light for the first day will ensure the chicks find the feed and settle in well. Just ensure the lights aren t on all the time, to give them the opportunity to rest, too. 5
On arrival of your day-old chicks We recommend you keep them isolated from any other chickens, to reduce the risk of disease. Place them near feeders and waterers to help them learn their new surroundings. And don t forget, water is the most important nutrient: good quality water must be available at all times. Finally, be sure to record the first round of your trial data collection. Monitoring Carefully monitor the chicks after their arrival and during the brooding period. Their behaviour will tell you whether you ve got the right set-up, temperatures, and feeding arrangements. Types of Brooding Area Dispersion Just Right Constantly cheeping chicks evenly spread. Too Cold Noisy chicks huddled under brooder. Too Draughty Noisy chicks huddled together away from draught. Too Hot Drowsy chicks spread around perimeter. Take note of how your chicks are spreading themselves around the brooding area. This will give you a good idea whether your heating is optimal. The chicks should be evenly spread. They shouldn t be huddled together in tight groups, especially under the heat source, indicating it s too cold. They also shouldn t be on the edge of the area, panting and spreading their wings, indicating it s too hot. 6
Watch their behaviour carefully to ensure they re eating regularly, particularly in the first 6-12 hours and during the brooding period. Don t be afraid to scatter the feed and gently disturb the chicks in the first two days to encourage feeding. Sick birds can appear inactive with ruffled feathers and closed eyes. The most common causes of illness or mortality in the first 3-5 days are unhealed navels (belly button not well sealed) and yolk sac infection. Chicks can also dehydrate or not access feed well. These chicks often appear smaller than the others in the group, may not have feed in their crop (the area at the base of their neck), or may have dark, shrivelled legs. To assess how well your chicks are feeding, check their crop fill regularly during the first three days. The crop is at the base of the chick s neck. It should be visible and feel soft and full of feed. All birds should have full crops after 24 hours from arrival. If crop fill is less than desired, assess temperature, lighting, feed texture and access, water quality and availability, as well as bird health. Procedure - Crop Fill Collect 30-40 chicks at 3-4 different places in the house (or surround where spot brooding is used). Gently feel the crop of each chick: - Full soft and rounded - chicks have found feed and water. - Full but hard with original feed and texture felt - chicks have found feed but little or no water. The chick on the left has a full, rounded crop while the chick on the right has an empty crop. Target crop fill assessment guidelines. Time of Crop Fill Check After Placement 2 hours 8 hours 12 hours 24 hours 48 hours Target Crop Fill (% of Chicks with Full Crops) 75 >80 >85 >95 100 7
Weighing and assessing growth Weigh your chickens weekly to assess whether they re growing well in relation to the breed standard. Your breeds will be either Cobb 500 or Ross 308. You can find the management guides for both of these breeds online. They may provide you with some additional management tips and tools to achieve the best possible performance result. Male and female chickens will vary in terms of their standard bodyweight. They are considered the same for their seven- and 14-day bodyweights. After two weeks, you should be able to start telling them apart and wish to compare their weights separately. By four weeks, their gender should become much more obvious. Females are generally smaller and slender compared to males. The comb development of the males may begin from the second week and should be quite red and pronounced by the sixth week. Temperature control Age (Days) 0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 Relative Humidity (%) 30-50 40-60 50-60 50-60 50-65 50-70 50-70 50-70 Temperature (degrees) 32-33 29-30 27-28 24-26 21-23 18 17 16 Observe your chickens behaviour to ensure their activity level is considered normal and they aren t showing signs of heat or cold stress. If they re cold, they will huddle together and may have ruffled feathers. And if they re hot, they will pant with their beaks open or hold their wings out from their bodies. Both extremes are not recommended and may have a dramatic impact on their growth rate. Providing your chickens with fresh air, or air exchange, is a must and will help with temperature control. 8
Feeding Your chickens are highly feed motivated. They re likely to be stimulated to feed each time they hear you filling the feeders, or know when you re about to give them fresh feed. Often, they will start to recognise when the lights are about go out, then eat a sufficient amount to fill their crops before they rest for the night. Feed your broilers a commercial broiler starter crumble feed for the first 12-14 days of their life. The crumble texture allows them to easily identify and consume the feed. After 14 days, you can feed them a small pelleted feed (broiler short cut pellet). After 28 days of age, you can feed them a larger pelleted feed, called broiler finisher feed. You can feed a mash feed rather than a pelleted feed, though chickens generally prefer larger feed particles and pellets when they re older. You should never buy layer pre-lay, layer pullet grower or layer feed designed for feeding to egg-laying chickens. If in doubt, contact your supplier for advice. Lighting Provide your chicks with 23 hours light during the first day following their arrival. You can then reduce the light by an hour a day until they have 6-8 hours of darkness, or sleep, each day. This type of program generally requires careful attention to detail. The chickens like to have a routine and will come to know when the lights generally go out and will feed accordingly. Alternatively, you can raise them on natural daylight hours after the first week. Basic light program: From placement to Day 7: Minimum 1 hour darkness From Day 7 onwards: Minimum 6 hours darkness 9
Bedding material Your chickens will need good quality bedding material. We recommend pine or hardwood shavings. These absorb moisture and can be easily turned, refreshed or replenished to ensure it stays clean and dry. If the bedding material becomes damp or wet, it should be removed and replaced. The feet of young chickens are soft and can be easily damaged by wet bedding. You should regularly check their feet and back of legs to ensure they re clean and there s no evidence of footpad dermatitis. Confinement and protection Chickens are prey species and can be scared of large birds and other animals. House your chickens in their own enclosure, separate from other birds and livestock species. Keeping record Keep comprehensive records to help you troubleshoot any problems and assess the performance of your chickens. At a minimum, you should record bodyweights every seven days. You may also like to keep a record of temperatures. Minimum/maximum thermometers are relatively inexpensive and are helpful for this purpose. If you experience any issues with slowing of growth, you should review the temperatures over the suspect period. Further assistance If you require any troubleshooting or further husbandry support, please don t hesitate to email us at the address below. Include your full name, contact number and school name in your enquiry and our dedicated livestock and veterinary team will respond within 72 hours. Thanks for being part of the Steggles Sydney Royal School Meat Bird Pairs Competition. Good luck and remember to have fun! Contact us: mbcsupport@steggles.com.au 10
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