Chicken farming during the rainy season will certainly be very different from the usual season, which will not be muddy or cause many sources of disease. Even overseas chicken farms are willing to carry out a closed chicken coop system to protect all the chickens they are raising, just like how to care for young gamecocks.

Although there are only 2 types of stations in Indonesia, the characteristics of the two stations are very different, thus requiring additional handling. Adjustments are needed between broiler rearing in both seasons.

To be able to take care of the chickens in the rainy season, these are the steps:

1. Recognition of the characteristics of the rainy season farms

Because the conditions on the farm will be very different during the rainy season and the dry season, where there will be very high rainfall during the rainy season. This high precipitation will cause high humidity and lower temperatures and this is a characteristic of the rainy season. These three factors will certainly affect several important components in cattle such as feed, drinking water, germs, and cage cleanliness.

2. Drinking water

The volume of groundwater will certainly increase along with the increase in rainfall even though the volume of groundwater increases, but actually there are various problems that will arise with this problem. Where there is a decrease in water quality and also the limitations of water absorption by the soil. The deterioration of groundwater quality occurs biologically or by reduction in the number of microorganisms and physical degradation. Where the groundwater will look more cloudy, mixed with mud and of course with odors. Where this will cause various types of diseases in the chicken, that should be your concern.

3. Problems that happened

If the groundwater starts to get clogged, 2 types of problems are likely to occur, namely:

• The occurrence of floods or puddles.
• Stagnant water will be a breeding ground for bacteria and other sources of disease that can infect your chickens.

4. Soil contamination

Pathogenic bacteria that breed during the rainy season will cause the soil to become polluted and this is certainly not good for your chickens, especially if you let the chickens roam free during the rainy season. The soil pores will widen and carry some pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and contaminate the topsoil.

5. Food

Chicken feed usually consists of a substrate rich in nutrients and also very easy to moisten. This is one of the gaps for the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and fungi to reproduce in chicken feed. This will lead to a decrease in the quality of the feed and a decrease in the nutrition of the feed, so the chickens will lack nutrition and their feed will be threatened by contamination.

6. Cage

Chickens will be more susceptible to problems and diseases during the rainy season if you use an open cage system. Just like when caring for Pelung chickens, there are impacts from rising and falling temperatures and high humidity. Wind direction is highly variable and infiltration of rainwater will have a direct impact on domesticated chickens.

7. Pay attention to drainage

The water drainage system or what is called drainage must be considered when the rainy season occurs. Where you have to look at the height of the stool and the floor with the cage, especially for those of you who use a stage cage type cage. Just like how to raise turkeys, it will be very harmful and cause seeds of disease if there are multiple puddles of water around your chicken coop.

8. Observing the seeds of disease

Because the germs that have the potential to emerge in the rainy season will be different from the various germs that appear during the dry season. Where airborne transmission of germs will be greatly reduced during the rainy season but increased by transmission through drinking water.

This indicates that in the rainy season the most susceptible diseases are those related to digestive problems, not respiratory ones. The increase in disease-carrying insects during the rainy season must also be monitored so that the chickens remain safe from all forms of disease attack.

9. Behavior

Observe all forms of chicken behavior during the rainy season. If there are some signs that the chickens are in trouble or infected with certain diseases, then you should immediately try to seek help and overcome the problem.

10. Modify the water

There are several effective steps to avoid diseases during the rainy season, namely:

• Perform a water installation which is also accompanied by a review of the state of the well due to the accumulation of feces and also checks the quality of the drinking water of your hen.
• Do not allow chicken drinking water to become contaminated with feces or other hazardous materials.

11. Modify the cage

In the type of chicken house that uses an open system, it is highly recommended to modify the cage during the rainy season. where later you can make sure that your chickens are away from various germs that will infect them during the rainy season. make sure the area around the cage isn’t too muddy and there aren’t too many puddles of water. This will reduce the negative impact that can occur during the rainy season.

12. Faeces management

Did you know that faeces are very influential in the rainy season, where faeces will have a negative impact and various germs on your chickens? Before the rainy season arrives, you should immediately clean up any feces that have accumulated near the cage or under the coop. because chicken feces, which is usually dry and more friendly to chickens, becomes more dangerous during the rainy season and contains many pathogenic bacteria.

After removing the faeces, the soil at the bottom of the cage can be lifted again and then lowered to the outside of the cage. And also make a small ditch that will function as a water reservoir for several piles of feces that enter the waste treatment area around the chicken coop.

13. Physical improvement

If you see a leaky roof in the chicken coop, fix it first, check the condition of the walls and floors of your chicken coop. Don’t let chickens get sick easily just because rainwater seeps in or a gust of wind hits them. Not only the physical improvement of the chicken coop, but also the physical improvement of the chicken, where vitamins can be given to prevent the occurrence of various diseases in chickens, and vaccinations can also be carried out according to a predetermined schedule. This is a step to prevent the spread of diseases that infect chickens during the rainy season.

14. Diet Modification

When the rainy season arrives, you really have to maintain the level of cleanliness and efficiency of the feed. Where the ideal air humidity for chicken feeding is 60%, but the high humidity during the rainy season makes the humidity rise up to 80-90%. A good temperature is 10 to 40 degrees C for storage in a warehouse. Apart from this, keep in mind the following factors:

• Make sure the water content is less than 14%
• Add mold inhibitor or antifungal to chicken feed
• Use mycotoxins or fungal binders (toxin binders) in chicken feed. An example that is often used is bentonite.
• Limit feed storage to no more than 10 days
• Watch for bugs, fleas and rats, as well as fungus in chicken feed. All types of these animals can become feed destroyers and will spread disease and reduce the nutritional levels of chicken feed.

15. Feeding method

Due to humidity and low exposure to air during the rainy season, the quality of the feed will decrease. For this reason, the feeding process should be carried out only 2 times a day – in the morning and in the evening. Follow the feeding instructions in accordance with the applicable regulations. It’s best to first clean the feeder of all sorts of old food residue so it doesn’t have the potential to spread disease.

Doing this feed-switching action is helpful to get back on track and whet your chicken’s appetite. It’s also great for slowing chicken feed spoilage. Because the possibility of mold or insects adhering will be less if you turn the chicken feed upside down.

These are some ways to overcome the problem of diseases that attack chickens in the rainy season. I hope it is useful.