Page 218 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

(b) Ensure proper flock density. The adequate density is 8 - 10 birds per square
metre.
(c) Provide enough clean water, but keep spillage at minimum. Drinking water
containers should be easy to handle; adjust, clean and provide cold water at
all times. There are several types of drinkers that can be used (refer to Figures
9.11 (a) and (b)). Keep drinking water clean in disinfected drinkers at all times.

Figure 9.11 (a): Plastic chicken Figure 9.11 (b): Automatic round and cup
drinker drinker
The pullets will grow to about five to six months before starting egg laying. Just
before this period, the birds are vaccinated as a measure for disease prevention, de-
wormed for health maintenance and debeaked. More management practices to be
observed are:
(i) Have enough perches for the birds to rest on them.
(ii) Change the litter regularly if you use deep litter system.
(iii) Place the laying boxes as early as possible for the birds to get used to them.

Beak trimming: This is an act of reducing the beak of a bird by a properly trained
personnel. It is also termed as debeaking. It is done so as to avoid egg eating,
cannibalism, vices and avoid spilling the feeds from the feeders. This is done at the
age of 10 - 12 weeks. It can be done using electric debeaker or manual debeaker
(refer to Figures 9.12 (a), (b)). Usually less than a third of the upper beak is trimmed.

Figure 9.12 (a): Electric debeaker Figure 9.12 (b): Manual debeaker

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