Majority of our producers are using paper with feed at chick placement. What we recommend is that feed is on the paper for three to five days ( depending on ease of eating from pan) or 50 grams per chick. The paper is placed between water and feed lines or directly under water lines. We see many benefits from doing this such as, less starve outs, better seven day weights, better uniform flocks and overall birds getting of to a better start. The reason being is birds consuming feed immediately helps with proper yolk utilization and overall bird health. Other benefits we see is less birds running to comers or under running fans in the barn due to chicks staying on the paper. The reason for staying on the paper is the pecking sound attracts them to the paper. With all chicks being placed on the paper and close to water, there chances of survival have increased.

Commercial broiler farms today are generally large and it can be quite a chore if you are first rolling out all the paper and then putting down on average 50 grams of feed per chick. What we have found is producers that do not put enough feed and paper down is mainly due to the sheer ordeal of the job and the time that is involved with doing it. Producers were manually unrolling the paper and then carrying in the feed with pails, wheelbarrows or in some cases totally abandoned the practice because it being too much work.
With the feed caddy it has drastically reduced the workload and time for placing feed on paper. The feed caddy comes in three different sizes which essentially all work the same. The feed caddy does the two jobs together; it holds the paper and unrolls it under the feed caddy for the feed to drop from the caddy. The feed caddy glides smoothly over the straw and with the adjustment for feed let down it allows for even distribution of feed onto paper. The feed caddy allows you to travel with it full of feed, meaning you are able to bring to its proper location before dispersing the feed.

Producers comments have been such to if they had known how much time it could have saved them they would have purchased it a long time ago. The biggest praise we hear about it is how much of a back saver it is. We have a few producers that are getting past their prime and with them trying the feed caddy now; they would never go with out it. Seeing the benefits from feed on paper, producers are willing to put the necessary amount of feed down due the time the feed caddy saves them. We also hear how easy the machine is to use and how maintenance free it is.

We definitely see the value in having feed caddies on producer’s farms, mainly for the time and effort it saves the producer and for the benefit of getting the chicks on feed immediately.

John Delaquis- Field Operations Manager- Production Division
Dunn-Rite Food Products Ltd