Feed and water in brooding
For good gut health, poults need to start eating and drinking soon after placement. Supplemental feeders and drinkers are helpful to use so that birds don't have to travel far to access feed and water. Clean water and the right feed presentation will get poults off to the right start. The morning after arrival, check the poults' crop to see that 90% of the birds have a full crop.
Feed presentation guidelines
Correctly presented food can encourage consumption. To make feed access as easy as possible, place paper underneath the drinkers and place a light dusting over the paper. We recommend that in brooding, the size of particles should be a medium crumb (2.3- 3 mm or 0.1"). Below is an overview of presentation guidelines in each stage of development.
| Age | Description | Size |
|---|---|---|
| 0-3 weeks | Medium crumb | 2.3 - 3 mm |
| 3-5 weeks | Large crumb | 3 - 4 mm |
| 5-6 weeks | Short granule | diameter 4 mm - 6.4 mm long |
| 6 weeks | Normal granule | diameter 4 mm - 13 -16 mm long |
Water
Water for your poults should be clean and lukewarm. Flush water lines 3-4 times per day to maintain proper free chlorine.
