Growing Period
Preparations—Place paper on the cage floor during the brooding period. This will allow supplemental feeding on cage paper to quickly get chicks eating. Place feed on the cage paper in front of the permanent feeder to train chicks to move towards the feeders. Remove paper by 14 days of age to avoid build up of feces that could lead to IBD (Gumboro) or coccidia infections. Water lines should be flushed prior to arrival of the chicks to remove residual disinfectant and warm the drinking water. Drinking water temperature should be 25 to 30 C (77 to 86 F) for the first week. Adjusting water system pressure in nipple drinkers to create a hanging drop will help chicks find water. Cup drinkers should be manually filled during the first three days to train chicks to drink. The W-36 male can be smaller and less developed than the female. Special supportive care for these males include higher brooding temperatures, reduced bird density, vitamins and electrolytes in drinking water and enriched feed. To avoid leg problems, the rearing cage should be constructed with wire that is at least 2 mm (0.08 in) in diameter with spacing between wires to provide a maximum cell size of 18 mm x 18 mm (0.71 in ื 0.71 in). The floor of the cages should not be slippery or sloped. The height of the cage should be a minimum of 40 cm (15.75 in). If too low the roosters can experience problems with legs and pressure sores on the keel bone.
Lighting—During the first week, chicks should be provided with 20-22 hours of light with bright lights (20-30 lux, 2-3 foot-candles) to help chicks find water and feed. Alternatively, an intermittent lighting program (4 hours of light followed by 2 hours of dark) can be used for the first week.
Socialization—Males and females should be grown together to allow socialization. This can avoid mating problems that can occur as adults. Ideally, the males and females should be co-mingled by 4
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