The feeder, where the feed goes

End of flock. You remove the old litter. Under each feeder, it is full of feed.

You have paid for or produced this feed. No chicken has turned it into meat.

The feeder is not just a simple container. This is where your feed is gained or lost.

Four adjustments decide what falls and what is lacking. The first is the filling.

A plate filled to the brim overflows with every peck. What spills over ends up in the litter.

FAO advises never to fill it more than one third. It is better to fill often than to overfill.

The second is the height. The edge of the plate is adjusted to the level of the chicken's back.

It grows quickly, so the height is checked every day. If plates are overturned, they are too high.

The third is the places. One plate serves forty-five to eighty chickens, and the lower end of the range for those we sell heavy.

For one thousand chickens, plan for thirteen to twenty-three plates. The heavier they go, the more you need.

When places are lacking, the strongest eat first. The others wait their turn or go foraging on the ground.

The fourth is the strictest. The feeder is never left empty. Feed interruption is prohibited throughout the rearing.

A batch that is hungry starts scratching, then swallowing its litter. The litter carries the droppings, and with them the coccidia.

This is the main route by which they enter. An empty feeder opens the door for them.

So how much are you really losing? I suggest two simple measurements for you to do yourself.

One morning, spread an open empty sack under a feeder. In the evening, collect and weigh what has fallen on it.

Multiply by your feeders, then by the days of the flock. Your waste appears in kilos, black on white.

The second measurement is done at the end of the flock. Count the sacks poured and the kilos of chicken sold.

If the sacks increase from one flock to another for the same weight, first check under your feeders.

And at your place, at the end of the flock, is the litter under the feeders full of feed?

Do the empty sack test, and send us the weight on WhatsApp, at 05 44 83 27 79. And we will offer you our flock record book.

Your orders for chicks go through 07 07 72 78 67. Subscribe, and we will then read the morning droppings.

Your chicks are born before our eyes, in Agnibilékrou. With Nextekci, every customer is a satisfied farmer.