DailyTasks

  • Fill buckets for enclosures with finisher.
  • Go past enclosures on land to see if there are any problems. Fill water if necessary.
  • Go to brooder house.
  • Check the gauge of the water tank .
  • Start at the youngest and finish at the oldest.
  • Turn shavings.
  • Clean and fill water.
  • Clean and fill feeder with feed – See Batch Sheet for type of feed – grit only added to starter
  • Record actions in Batch sheet – Very Important
  • Finish in brooder house around 10 am
  • Go to enclosures.
  • Enclosures – fill feed and water, check for mortalities and write on batch sheet
  • Move enclosures. One of the pig team to help with moving the enclosures.
  • Check for gaps around enclosure and put poles
  • Check feeders and drinkers height
  • Try to stick to the same tracks when driving the tractor on the pasture as this avoids compaction.
  • Go back to brooder house at lunch to double check all chicks in brooder house are ok
  • Redo food and water in the brooder house in the afternoon before leaving (around 4pm)
  • Check lights
  • Lights – Day 1 to 8 on 24/7
  • Lights - Day 9 to 15 Night Only
  • Lights - Day 15 to 22 – No lights
  • Quick sweep before lockup
  • If the temperature is over 30 Celsius then the irrigation on the land needs to be turned on for 20 minutes to cool chickens. At 4pm.
  • When irrigating do not let the sprayers turn into the enclosures as this will wet the food. After irrigation unblock the sprayers.
  • If temperature is over 30 Celsius chickens must be sprayed down with a backpack sprayer filled with water.
  • Leave a full water tank on the land.

Additional tasks

Monday

  • Day starts at 0430. Load birds into crates for slaughter. 8 birds per crate.
  • Fetch chicks early - Leave before 8am - Oom Gert is waiting for you and he does not like being kept waiting.
  • Vaccinations – See schedule below. Once opened vaccine must be used within 2 hours. Kept in a cooler box with an ice block in it whether in house or on pasture.
  • Sterilise enclosures for tomorrow’s batch. Move to new position at bottom of pasture. Fill tube feeders and water containers.
  • Wash and sterilise crates for moving the chickens from brooder house to pasture.

Tuesday

  • Check Silos for Finisher & Grower levels. Check starter level too. Order more food if necessary.
  • Check Materials sheet – see below.
  • Move day 23 chicks out onto land. Before 10am.
  • Wash and sterilise crates for Monday slaughter. Move crates into the shade.
  • Check Silos for Finisher & Grower levels. Check starter level too. Order more food if necessary.

Wednesday

  • Spray sanitizer in brooder house. On all the walls and the ceiling. With backpack sprayer.
  • Neatness check – Sawdust Packed nicely, Chemicals and Minerals Packed nicely, Tools and Spares packed nicely.
  • Check rat poison.Refill if level low.
  • Start preparing room for next Monday arrivals. Remove shavings. Into bags and to compost bins. Sterilise and leave empty until Friday.

Thursday

  • Slaked lime, light dusting, in the room for next Monday’s batch.
  • Vaccinations of the day 25 chickens, on the pasture. Once opened vaccine must be used within 2 hours. Kept in a cooler box with an ice block in it.
  • Feed change day – See batch sheets

Friday

  • Get transport declaration for legal chicken transport on Monday to abattoir from Yolande and give to the driver.
  • Check Silos for Finisher & Grower levels. Check starter level too. Order more food if necessary.

Saturday

  • Spray sanitizer in brooder house. On all the walls and the ceiling. With backpack sprayer.
  • Put two bags of shavings and one bag of Zeolite into each area for Monday’s chicks
  • Keep empty Zeolite bag for use on Sunday

Sunday

  • Place food, grit and sand onto opened Zeolite bag directly under the lights in Monday batch area
  • Fill food containers for Monday chicks
  • Fill water containers for Monday chicks

Materials Sheet

Chicken food (Starter, grower and finisher) - If less than 6 bags – Order – Profile Feeds - +27 21 8755 890

Shavings - If less than 16 bags – Order – Louis Cadle +27 83 650 9002

Vaccines - If less than 8 – Order – Immunovet - +27 21 9822 652

Zeolite - If less than10 bags – Order – Agring - +27 28 7222 679 –

Grit - If less than10 bags – Order – Kulu Agrit –

Slaked lime – If less than4 bags – Order – Agrimark - +27 21 887 2834

Vaccination program

ALL VACCINATIONS VIA EYEDROP, EACH CHICKEN INDIVIDUALLY

Day 1. Newcastle only,VH vaccine

Day 8. Infectious Bronchitis only, H120 vaccine

Day 15. Newcastle and IB combination, VH and H120 vaccine. Also Gumboro, Avipro vaccine.

Day 25. Newcastle and IB combination, VH and H120 vaccine.