1. Chicken Housing Ms. Morris Adapted from: http://www.agriscience.msu.edu/specialprojects/poultryimprovement/day14.htm

2. Getting Ready for New Chicks Remove any feeders, waterers, manure, feed bags, etc from the chicken house Clean building: sweep, etc Wash all equipment and facilities with soapy water two weeks prior to receiving chicks Disinfect (bleach) facilities and equipment

3. Brooder/Heat Lamps We will be using heat lamps to keep the chicks warm Start lights before chicks arrive to maintain a floor temperature of 90-95 degrees F Place a cardboard chick guard around the heat source. Use for approximately 7 days Gradually reduce heat over a period of weeks, making sure the chicks are warm

4. Too Cold or Too Hot? Chicks are too cold if they huddle together under the heat source. They will also chirp a lot Chicks are too hot when they lay down in corners(or outer areas of chick guard) Chicks are the correct temperature when they form a ring on the floor under the heat source

5. Litter Cover floor with 2-3 inches of litter TIP-Wood shavings are highly preferred Using straw requires extremely good management and may result with ammonia burns on the feet, thus a loss of points at the contest Remove wet litter as soon as possible

6. With broiler chicks, the newspaper will be so slippery that the chicks will develop leg problems which may lead to poor growth or death, thus resulting in loss of points TIP

7. Ventilation Plenty of ventilation is very important or the chicks may get either too hot, too cold, or suffer from diseases associated with ammonia orders and too high of humidity Ventilation slots may be placed in the house A small fan may have to be installed

8. Is My Ventilation OK? If the chicken house smells badly of ammonia, increase ventilation If the chicken house feels very humid, increase ventilation Chicks do not like drafts If they appear cold due to drafts, plug some of the slots in the house or reduce fan speed

9. Space Requirements Day old chicks need 1/2 square feet per bird up to three weeks of age Chicks also need adequate feed and water space If they have to fight for feeder space, you will be inhibiting growth, which will end up in a loss of points at the contest Allow for 20 linear feet per 50 birds

10. Insulation Insulation may be necessary during this contest A building which is entirely heated is the best situation This may be impossible, thus insulation can help keep the chickens warm

11. Lighting Requirements Keep lights on in the chicken house 24 hours a day TIP-This will help keep the chickens from piling up if they get scared TIP-It will also encourage the birds to stay awake and eat, thus making them grow faster!!!