Methods and precautions for beak cutting of chicks
2020-12-15
Beak cutting is an important part of the chick feeding and management work. Correct beak cutting can effectively prevent the occurrence of feather pecking, anal pecking, egg pecking and other pecking habits; it can prevent the chicks from hooking and throwing feed, reducing feed waste, and reducing feeding costs . But beak cutting can also cause some stress reactions in the chicks. For example, improper cutting of the beak can cause the chicks to bleed and decrease their resistance. In severe cases, it can cause death. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the feeding and management of the chicks during the beak breaking period. It is usually carried out at 7-9 days of age. At this time, the chicks are small, easy to operate, less bleeding, and less stress. If the breaking is more accurate, it can be kept until the egg is laid without the second beak breaking.
1 beak breaking method
When cutting the beak, the surgeon holds the chicken in his left hand, with his thumb against the back of the chicken's head, and the index finger on the lower part of the chicken's neck. Lightly press the chicken's throat to shrink the tongue so as not to cut the tongue. Pay attention not to use too much force, it is advisable to not shake the chicken head from side to side. Middle finger breast protector, hold the chicken body in the palm of your hand, clamp the two claws between your ring finger and little finger to fix it, and then tilt the chicken head toward the blade to make the upper beak more than the lower beak. The excised parts are: the upper beak is from the end of the beak to 1/2 of the nostril, and the lower beak is from the tip of the beak to 1/3 of the nostril. Pay attention to cut off the growth point, and the remaining part is separated from the nostril by 2mm. The cross section of the cut part is brown and there should be no bleeding.
2 Precautions when cutting the beak
(1) In the hot summer, beak cutting should be done in the morning or when it is cool in the evening, which can reduce stress.
(2) Do not cut the beak when using sulfa drugs, otherwise it will easily cause bleeding.
(3) Do not cut the beak when the flock is under stress. For example, if the flock has just been vaccinated or has just suffered from the disease, it must be done when the flock returns to normal.
(4) It is best to use a fully automatic beak cutting machine. The blade should be sharp, and the joint between the blade and the orifice plate should be tight. The blade is dark red and the temperature is between 650 and 700°C. When the temperature is too low, the chicken beak is easy to be torn off instead of being cut off, and it is easy to bleed; when the temperature is too high, the chicken beak is easy to stick to the blade, and the chicken beak is damaged.
(5) It is forbidden to enter the broken beak hole when the upper and lower beaks are open, otherwise the chicken tongue may be cut off or burned.
(6) The length of the broken beak must be appropriate. Insufficient beak cutting can easily form a pecking habit in the late stage of laying, and the effect of cutting beak will not be achieved. If the amplitude of beak cutting is too large, it will affect the drinking and feeding of chicks, and then affect the development of chicks.
(7) Since chickens often have severe stress after beak cut, the feeding and management of chicks after beak cut must be strengthened. Sufficient feed should be given within one week after the beak is cut to reduce the pain caused by the wound touching the trough and affect the feeding; the drinking water should be kept fresh; no epidemic prevention or other operations should be carried out within one week after the beak is cut to avoid aggravating stress. Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and electrolytic multi-dimensional can be added to the feed to reduce bleeding and stress after beak cutting.
(8) Beak cutting may induce chronic respiratory diseases, staphylococcal diseases and other diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the sanitation and disinfection work such as cages before and after cutting the beak, and put antibiotics in time to prevent it.
(9) Beak cutting is not complete, and the second beak cutting can be done during the breeding period (10-14 weeks of age). 24 to 48 hours before the second beak cutting, vitamin K should be added to the feed to prevent bleeding.
