Be prepared. This Boy Scout motto also holds true for prospective and existing chicken farmers. The better you are prepared prior to the delivery of every new batch of chicks, the better your chances of converting your inputs to profits.

Valuable advice is offered to chicken farmers by Tiger Animal Feeds. This company has been supporting farmers in Zambia for the past twenty years with superb products and know-how to reap resounding success from their efforts.

  Proper preparations can make a meaningful difference for chicken farmers.

What to do prior to chick delivery:

• Disinfect all the cages, equipmentand poultry houses.
• Check all equipment to see if it isworking properly and adjusted to the correct height.
• Remove old feed from the bins and hoppers.
• Clean and disinfect feed and water hoppers and allow proper drying   before new feed is delivered.
• Position rat poison where it cannot be reached by the chicks.

One the day before delivery:

• Set the heating system to between 31 and 33ºC for cage brooding and between 32 and 35ºC for floor brooding.
• Check the water system and adjust drinkers to the height of the chicks.
• Ensure that all drinkers are disin- fected and flushed before arrival of chicks.

On the day of delivery:

• Have the water lines full and in operation.
• Trigger the water cups or nipples to encourage drinking. If nipple drinkers are used, the water pressure should be reduced so that the birds can see the drop of water hanging from the drinker.
• Operate the feeders at highest feed level. In the event of cage brooding, feed should be placed on paper.
• Keep lights at highest intensity, 22 hours per day for the first two days, to encourage feeding.

Always buy feed from a reputable firm, such as Tiger Feeds. For more information please contact Rowena Blanco, Nutritionist, Tiger Animal Feeds at +260-96-7991-847 or rowena@tigerfeeds.com.zm. Also visit www.Tigerfeeds.com for more information.