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Can you define
the meaning of 'chick quality'? When one deals with the concept of chick quality one way is to rely and utilize visual scores to assess this parameter. This involves a lot of subjectivity, I try to stay away from subjectivity and concentrate on quantitative measures to assess true chick quality. In doing so, my favorite way is to measure day-old, body weight uniformity. This method is rather quick and relatively easy to perform in a hatchery. Top quality broiler and/or layer chicks will exhibit a high degree of body weight uniformity or a low degree of dispersion of individual body weights around their average body weight at day old, i.e., at least 85% of the total chicks in a sample should fall between + 10% of the average body weight. The sample variance should be 9.5 or less. The standard deviation should be 3.5 or less. The percent coefficient of variation should be 7.5 or less. The Chick navel must be fully closed and well healed, no buttons. Finally but not least, chick body weight should represent 67 to 70% of actual, initial egg-weight prior to cold storage. When we move on to the broiler farm or grow-out operation, chick mortality at the end of the first week should be less 0.9 – 1.0%. After 3 to 4 days in the broiler house the size of the residual egg yolk in a healthy chick, or the remnants of the yolk, should be no larger that a lentil or a small pea.
How can I tell when it is time to change a fan blade? Any time one is able to detect vibration and/or blade warping with the aide of a digital tachometer is time to buy new fan blades. Cracked, bent and warped fan blades should be replaced immediately.
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