Chick grading-Zhucheng Zhongyu Electrical And Mechanical Equipme

The traditional grading criteria for chicks are visual and may be subjective. The chicken rating guide is shown in the following figure.

The criteria for grading chicks are usually:

appearance

Chickens should have clean and dry feathers. If the feathers are dirty, it indicates that the chick has been in the brooder for too long and has been contaminated by meconium. Meconium may be a source of bacteria that can lead to navel infections. If the chick has wet or sticky feathers (usually due to protein), it indicates that the humidity is too high or the egg has not lost enough moisture during hatching. Chicks should be bright yellow. Overheated chicks have poor absorption of yolk sacs, resulting in a paler color than normal. However, formaldehyde can also cause the feathers of chicks to turn yellow.

Behavioral performance

Healthy chicks should be alert and active. Quick witted chicks will respond strongly to light, noise, and movement. After spray immunization and chicken treatment process, agile chicks may show normal behavior, such as combing feathers, pecking, chirping, and actively moving in the chick seedling box. On the contrary, weak and tired chicks are usually inactive and may have a hunchbacked appearance, making it difficult for them to stand or move after these processing techniques. Multiple issues including overheating, late hatching, inadequate ventilation, illness, or excessive disinfection may all be related to the weakness and inactivity of chicks.

size

Short chicks may be caused by small eggs, high hatching temperature, or insufficient humidity. Chickens typically have smaller hearts and underdeveloped digestive and immune systems. They are also more susceptible to contracting Escherichia coli.

leg

Chicks should have clean legs, a shiny appearance, and sufficient moisture. If the legs of the chick are apart, it may be due to tendon injury or weakness. These leg problems may be caused by physical injuries, such as the surface of the hatching basket being too smooth. More commonly, they are caused by incorrect incubator temperature or high humidity resulting in improper fetal position inside the egg.

Animal welfare tips

The hatchery should maintain a written report documenting all injuries, scattered chicks on the floor, and handling/quality issues on a daily basis. According to the quality assurance and animal welfare standards of the incubator, corrective measures should be documented to ensure timely resolution of issues.

Animal welfare tips

The grading of chicks is of great significance for the future animal welfare and production performance of chicken flocks. For example, a grading failure (navel closure) may appear small at this stage, but as the chicken grows, it may become a bigger problem. Hatchery should arrange staff responsible for grading, and have clear regulations on unacceptable quality defects. Non conforming chick boxes should be provided at each grading station to collect and process unqualified chicks in a timely manner.

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