Day 8 marks the formal exit from early brooding. As chicks develop true feathers and metabolic heat generation, brooding rings are moved back or dismantled to increase floor space to 18–20 birds/m², preventing high-density smothering while stepping target house temperature down to 26–28°C.
Failure to expand floor space at Day 8 causes uneven feeding competition, crushes runts, and compacts litter under high stocking density, increasing ammonia generation and setting back 14-day frame size.
•Expanding space into unheated, cold litter zones without pre-warming the floor 12 hours prior.
•Removing all paper feeding trays at once before chicks locate and adapt to main pan feeders.
•Leaving sharp 90-degree corners in the new pen boundary where chicks can pack and suffocate.
•Inspect birds for unabsorbed yolk sacs or subclinical yolk sac infections (omphalitis) during post-Week 1 mortality culling.
•Veterinary Escalation Threshold: If daily mortality exceeds 0.20% (e.g., >20 birds per 10,000) or if cull necropsies show swollen livers, watery pericardium, or unabsorbed smelly yolk remnants, submit 5 fresh dead birds for laboratory bacteriology.
•Round all corner fences with curved cardboard sheets so panicked chicks cannot trap each other in tight corners.
•Tap automatic feeder pipes or shake hoppers when introducing the flock to expanded zones to trigger their natural foraging curiosity.
Expand the brooding area by approximately 30% to 40%, increasing floor allocation to accommodate roughly 18 to 20 birds per square meter depending on shed style and ventilation.
Phase paper out over 24 to 36 hours. Ensure main feeder pans are lowered to floor level and filled to maximum depth before taking out the final paper sheets.
Target 26°C to 28°C at chick height. Reduce heat by approximately 0.5°C to 1°C from Week 1 brooding settings as birds produce more metabolic body heat.
