Keeping Poultry Healthy During Seasonal Transitions

Poultry Care During Changing Weather Conditions

Weather Conditions and Breed Selection

!Keeping poultry healthy during seasonal transitions

Ms. Dinh Thi Thuy Trang, residing in Thanh Hung Hamlet (Hoa An Commune), consistently maintains a free-range flock of over 500 meat chickens in her garden.

Previously, Ms. Dinh Thi Thuy Trang, residing in Thanh Hung Hamlet (Hoa An Commune), raised chickens solely to supplement her family's meals. However, recognizing that her spacious hillside garden with fertile soil and year-round lush greenery was well-suited for large-scale integrated farming, she decided to invest methodically in this field, making free-range chicken farming her primary focus. As a result, she has expanded her flock to hundreds of birds, generating substantial economic returns.

According to Ms. Trang, farming in mountainous areas with unpredictable weather requires selecting suitable breeds with strong disease resistance. After several trial batches, she selected black chicken and crossbred Mia chicken breeds, which possess high adaptability to the local climate. Raised in a natural free-range environment, the chickens yield firm, flavorful meat that is highly favored by consumers and restaurants, consistently fetching premium prices.

Thanks to the proper application of poultry husbandry techniques, Ms. Trang's flock has consistently exhibited stable growth. During the recent Lunar New Year, her family sold nearly 1,000 meat chickens, generating more than 200 million VND, with profits exceeding 60 million VND after deducting costs.

Drawing on experience from previous years and observing that food supplies are often scarce after Tet, Ms. Trang avoided leaving the coops empty after the holiday harvest, immediately restocking with staggered batches to ensure a continuous supply.

Currently, she maintains more than 500 chickens of various age groups in her garden, securing a steady monthly income. At the same time, she is preparing to introduce about 1,200 additional breeding chicks. Her goal extends beyond raising meat chickens: she aims to both produce commercial eggs and supply high-quality, disease-free breeding stock to local farmers in the area.

!Keeping poultry healthy during seasonal transitions

On hot days, farmers need to provide adequate drinking water and supplement vitamins and minerals to bolster the livestock's immune system.

Sharing their farming experience in keeping flocks healthy and thriving, Ms. Trang and many local farmers emphasized that producers must strictly adhere to "biosecure farming" standards. Accordingly, they must ensure nutritionally balanced feed, complete vaccination schedules, clean drinking water, and essential supplements of vitamins, electrolytes, and minerals, especially during hot summer periods. Consequently, large-scale poultry farms often invest in automatic watering systems while replenishing water daily and cleaning the systems regularly to prevent contamination from feces and dust, which could compromise the flock's health.

Commenting on how unpredictable weather during seasonal shifts affects livestock, Deputy Head of Cao Bang Provincial Sub-Department of Livestock Production Hoang Thi Hieu noted that during transitional periods, animals are highly susceptible to dangerous diseases such as avian influenza, infectious bronchitis, fowl cholera, and coccidiosis. These conditions are triggered by abrupt temperature swings between rain and intense heat, combined with high humidity, causing fatigue and weakening immune defenses. To proactively prevent and control disease outbreaks early, the People's Committee of Cao Bang Province issued Official Letter No. 626/UBND-KT on March 12, 2026, launching the Environmental Clean-Up, Disinfection, Decontamination, and Livestock Vaccination Campaign (Phase 1, 2026), aiming to ensure that at least 80% of eligible livestock are fully vaccinated.

According to Ms. Hieu, water demand among livestock rises substantially on hot days; farmers must provide sufficient clean drinking water and regularly clean, spray, and disinfect animal housing. Farmers should also proactively administer all necessary preventive vaccines and supplement livestock feed with vitamins, electrolytes, and minerals to bolster the animals' resistance.