Prevent heatstroke and cool down! Prevent heatstroke and cool down!! Prevent heatstroke and cool down! Suggestions for chicken farmers to effectively prevent heatstroke and cool down

Optimize Ventilation and Cooling Systems: Most modern chicken houses are now equipped with automated and intelligent systems for feeding, watering, egg collection, ventilation, water curtains, and temperature/humidity control. During summer, prioritize ventilation, air exchange, and dehumidification. Activate ventilation and water curtain cooling systems to maintain an ambient temperature of 15-25°C. Never stop fans, water curtains, or other ventilation and cooling equipment if chickens are panting, as they may suffer from heatstroke otherwise.
Adjust Feed Nutrition: Due to the heat, chickens tend to eat less. Add 1% oil powder (or high-quality soybean oil) to the feed. Increase the premix ratio from 5% to 6%. For 3% premix, add an extra 1-2 jin per ton of feed. Additionally, supplement with amino acids like methionine and lysine to ensure comprehensive nutrition.
Add Anti-Stress Medications: Incorporate anti-stress medications such as VC (4-6 liang per ton of feed), VE (1 liang per ton), and baking soda (4 jin per ton). If encapsulated VC is used, it can be mixed with baking soda. If not encapsulated, alternate their use. It's advisable to provide an iced Red Bull VC + multi-vitamin drink once during midday. Due to reduced feed intake, also supplement with deep-sea fish oil, multi-vitamins, calcium lactate, and bile acids to maintain eggshell quality. Other heatstroke prevention products like Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid can also be used.
Adjust Lighting Schedule: After the beginning of summer, adjust lighting time. Ensure 16-17 hours of light for laying hens, and add an extra hour of lighting from midnight to 1 AM with a 40-watt bulb. Clean the bulbs at least once a week. Proper lighting is crucial for high egg production rates. Mainly ensure chickens have access to water and feed to prevent heatstroke and fatigue in laying hens.
Adjust Feeding Times: Feed chickens during cooler periods, such as early morning and after 4 PM. Feed twice daily and ensure feed is consumed by evening. If extremely hot, consider additional feeding and watering at midnight (12-1 AM).
Strengthen Night Patrols: Night patrols are crucial, especially during the hottest days. Poultry farmers should sleep less and closely monitor the chickens. Past experiences of power outages causing heatstroke and significant losses should be remembered. Always have a generator and power outage alarm installed. Ensure the alarm is audible in the patrol room or sleeping area.
Use Deep Well Water for Spraying and Cooling: During the hottest times of the day (noon and evening), spray deep well water inside the chicken house to cool it down. Be careful not to soak the chickens, as this may lead to feather loss after drying.
Pest Control: Mosquitoes, flies, sparrows, and rats disturb chickens and transmit diseases. Poultry farmers must prioritize pest control, including using insecticides like "Yisao Guang" as needed.
In practical production, young chickens (7-17 weeks old) are divided into early (7-12 weeks) and late (13-17 weeks) stages based on nutritional needs and physiological characteristics. Many farmers feed younger chickens with lower-quality feed to save costs, managing them based on personal experience while neglecting their impact on egg production duration, peak duration, and mortality rates during the laying period. Especially for companies or individuals selling young chickens, it is essential to scientifically feed and manage the reserve flock to ensure healthy growth.