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Day-old chicks should have a neat, clean appearance with a fully resorbed yolk sac. They should stand firmly on their legs, walk well, be active and vigorous. To prevent bird diseases, it is necessary to monitor their behaviour, breathing, water and feed intake, body weight, litter consistency, and identify the causes of mortality.

Chicks should be transported from the hatchery in dedicated vehicles equipped with controlled microclimate systems regulating temperature, humidity, and air exchange.

After depopulation, poultry houses should undergo insect control (disinsection), rodent control (deratization), and be secured against entry of wild birds. Litter, droppings, feathers, dust, and other organic materials should be thoroughly removed. Equipment, water containers, feeders, walls and floors should be washed. Disinfection is effective only after thorough cleaning of the poultry house, so all surfaces and all equipment must be disinfected.

After cleaning and disinfection, a sanitary break of at least 14 days should be observed. Five days before the chick placement, a final aerosol disinfection is carried out with an exposure of 48 hours, after which the poultry house is ventilated for 24 hours.

The equipment should be checked in advance for its serviceability and suitability for the potential number of chicks. Nipple drinkers should be adjusted to chick height to allow easy access to water. The water pressure should allow a hanging drop in the nipple drinkers.

Poultry houses should be pre-warmed 24–36 hours before placement to stabilize the air temperature and relative humidity above 60%.

Paper sheets are placed on the cages floor to distribute the first feed for 3–5 days. They are gradually removed by 5–7 days. Stationary feeders are filled from the 3rd day of rearing and gradually reduce the feed layer thickness of a week to prevent spillage. Drinkers should be well lit and accessible to the birds. Nipple drinkers should be positioned above the heads of the chicks so that the birds reach upward to drink. Temporary additional drinkers may be used and removed by day 3, as chicks may become accustomed to them and fail to locate new water sources.

In cages systems, chicks are placed on the upper or middle tiers of battery cage. Day 1 to 5 weeks is crucial for chick development: the skeleton, vital organs, and immune system develop. Delay in growth during this period will affect the target body weight at 16 weeks and the subsequent productivity of the bird.

Under optimal conditions, the number of feeders and drinkers should comply with the recommended standards.

The body temperature of chicks is an important indicator that allows you to optimally adjust the temperature in the poultry house. Use a children's ear thermometer to take chicks temperature, insert carefully the sensor of it into the chicken's cloaca. The optimal body temperature is 40–41 °C. To measure the temperature, chickens should be selected from different parts of the house. If the average body temperature of the chickens is 39.5 °C, then the house should be heated by 0.5 °C.

Environmental conditions affect the well-being and productivity of birds. Important factors are temperature, humidity and air quality. The optimal temperature depends on the age of the bird. For optimal egg production, a favourable temperature is 22–24 °C.

Solid wall poultry houses with forced ventilation are usually fitted with wall-mounted exhaust fans, inlet vents, and blinds. Exhaust fans create a partial vacuum, drawing fresh air from outside and replacing the internal air.

A modern lighting program involves periods of light and darkness. During the first days of life provide 24 hours of light, then gradually reduce to 21 hours during the week, and maintained at 9 hours per day from 7–17 weeks.

Light stimulation of development depends on the cross and usually begins between the weeks 17 to 21 gradually increasing daylight hours from 10 to 14 hours at a rate 1 hour per week.

Implementing an intermittent lighting system creates natural conditions for activity and rest, synchronizes periods of activity and feed intake in chickens, can improve 7-day chick survival, and facilitates routine work in the poultry house by reducing periods of darkness.

For optimal productivity, chicks must have constant access to high-quality, clean water. The optimal water temperature is 20 °C. Normal water intake relative to feed is 1.8–2.1:1, but this ratio can increase up to 5:1 under high temperatures (above 30 °C).

The poultry supplier should provide the flock owner with a vaccination and preventive treatment schedule, tailored to the regional epidemiological situation. If this information is unavailable, the local veterinary authority should be consulted. Vaccinations should be scheduled separately from other procedures to avoid overloading the immune system.

To reduce stress, cages used during rearing and the production period should have uniform drinkers and feeders. Increasing lighting after moving chicks to a new facility helps them adapt to the new environment. Administering water-soluble vitamins, probiotics, and improving feed quality three days before and three days after transport helps minimize stress. During hot weather, measures should be implemented to prevent heat stress.