Chick length is an effective and practical method to evaluate
chick quality. You only need:
In 7 steps you will have a clear evaluation of your chick
quality
Chick quality can be used to evaluate two different goals.
| Goal A: |
To evaluate the incubation process, egg handling,
shell quality, and breeder flock influence. |
| Goal B: |
To evaluate the quality of the chicks delivered to
the farm. |
Step 1: Chick Sampling
The method to sample chicks is different for each goal.
Choose your goal, select the chicks and continue with Step 2
Goal A
- Select at random 5 baskets from the hatcher (before
chicks are graded or culled).
- Randomly select 20 chicks from each of the 5 baskets
(in total 100 chicks).
Goal B
- Take one basket with 100 chicks that is ready for
transportation (after culling and selection).
Step 2: Align the tip of the beak on the end of the ruler
and stretch the chick along the ruler.
Step 3: Measure the total length of the chick from the tip
of the beak to the end of the middle toe. Stretch the chick
to obtain an accurate measurement.
Step 4: Measure the chick length to the nearest 0.5
centimeter and record it in the correct category on the chick
length analysis form. For example: when the chick length
is between 19.5 and 19.9 cm, record it on the form in the
category 19.5 < 20.0 cm.
Step 5: Count the total number of chicks per category.
Step 6: Enter the total number of chicks in each category
in the digital chick length analysis program. The program
will automatically calculate the percentage of chicks in each
category, the average chick length, and the percentage
of small chicks.
Step 7: To evaluate the chick length data,
click here.
