CHAPTER 5
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Day-old chicks
In general day-old chicks are bought by broiler farmers. The quality of the day-old chicks determines
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for a large part your final results. So make sure you have good starting material.
Chick A
Chick B
Before you start, you have to know the breed you are buying and the vaccinations they received (and their mothers). The weight of day-old chicks doesn’t tell you much about the quality. If the chicks have a large residual yolk in their body, they may weigh the same but are of lower quality. Chick length is a better indicator of the chick’s quality. This should be 18 centimetres or more, depending on parent stock age (young parent stock * 18, older parents > 18).
Chick A, with a small residual yolk, has absorbed sufficient nutrients, is more vital, and would have had a stronger start (if it was still alive...). The smaller chick B has a large residual yolk. The chicks itself are also smaller. It has absorbed insufficient nutrients.
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B roile r Signa ls - Afric a n edi t i on
