Place feed and water around the brooder before placing the chicks on the litter. For the first three days, you can place additional feed on egg flats to teach the chicks to eat sooner. Place the water fountain on a short piece of board to help keep the water clean. You should clean the water fountains daily and the feeders frequently. Establish a strict sanitation program and follow it for disease prevention.
Damp litter tends to increase the incidence of disease.
Remove all wet or caked litter as soon as possible and ventilate the house to remove the remaining damp air. Occasional stirring of the litter will help keep it dry. Proper feed management is of major importance in rearing a laying flock that will produce many high quality eggs throughout the year. Many problems in laying flocks can be related to feeding broiler-type diets to young pullets. Between 14 and 22 weeks of age, egg-type pullets should be fed a developer ration containing less protein.