Keeping chickens in winter: care and feeding for beginners at home

Laying hens are kept in specially prepared rooms in winter. Of course, we are talking about a chicken coop, which should be comfortable even in the coldest season. Deal with this issue in advance, before the onset of the first frost.

What should be the conditions in the chicken coop?

For most people, the poultry house is a barn specially designated for keeping chickens. There are also those who convert the garage into a chicken coop for the winter. Regardless of where they are kept, certain conditions must be provided for chickens.

Lighting

This issue is most often interested in poultry farmers. The egg production of laying hens depends on lighting. Properly built lighting maintains fertility in winter.

Fluorescent lamps are best suited for this purpose. Ordinary ones are weak and ineffective. To ensure a full daylight hours, the lamps are switched on in the morning from 6 to 9 am and in the evening from 5 to 9 o'clock. The lamps are set high so that the birds cannot reach them.

Ventilation

At home, you should take care of one more thing - ventilation. There must be fresh air in the chicken coop to prevent the growth of bacteria that cause various diseases.

Installing an automatic relay makes it easier to care for birds in winter. A person sets a certain time at which ventilation, lighting and heating will be turned on.

Briefly about natural heating

Chicken can withstand temperatures of at least 10 degrees in winter. If the indicator does not fall, the laying of chickens is supported. When cooling the air in the room, an additional heater is installed.

Natural heating will help keep the temperature in the optimal range. As a rule, it consists of bedding and room insulation.

Litter

The floor in the chicken coop is cleaned before the onset of winter and disinfected. Peat, sawdust, hay or straw serve as a floor covering. To prevent the chickens from freezing, the litter layer should be between 10-15 cm.

It is poured in parts, carefully tamping. Complete replacement of the floor layer is done in the warm season. In winter, they stir it up so that it does not stale. After that, a new layer of straw, hay, sawdust or peat is added.

Few people know that litter serves as a source of heat in the chicken coop. During decomposition, methane is released. This is why you shouldn't clean your chicken coop in winter.

Insulation

Holes in the walls are filled with putty in the autumn so that the putty has time to dry. The room is sheathed with plywood boards. Be sure to check the chicken coop for drafts, as they should not be.

Additional heating

In order for the chickens to feel great in the chicken coop and continue to lay eggs, devices that heat the room are installed. It could be:

• lamp;
• heat gun;
• radiator;
• stove.

Along with the installation of a heater, the question of the need to ensure fire safety arises. Also, chickens should not have access to appliances. Otherwise, they may injure themselves out of curiosity.

Walking area

Even in winter, chickens must be outside. A daily walk can take no more than 15 minutes, so that the chickens do not grow fat. In severe frosts, the body of birds continues to absorb calcium, absorbing vitamin D.

Chickens are let out into the courtyard, which is located near the chicken coop. The place is fenced with a net to protect the birds from the penetration of predators. To prevent frostbite of paws, wooden boards are scattered around the territory and bedding material is poured.

The yard should be kept away from pets such as dogs. By barking, they frighten the hens, and the stressful state of the latter negatively affects the socking of eggs. Caring for birds in this way keeps chickens he althy.

Why do chickens need hygiene?

Chicken coop cleanliness is directly related to bird he alth. The accumulation of bacteria leads to parasitic and other diseases. Therefore, chickens must be kept clean.

Because the litter is not changed in the winter, poultry farmers have a trick to keep it clean. Moreover, this does not imply any special care. Scattered grain around the chicken coop will help prevent the litter from rolling. Trying to collect grain, chickens loosen the litter, and thus clean it.

Eating for chickens in winter

Helpful tips to follow:

1. In winter, chickens are fed three times a day. This is due to the fact that the body of chickens expends a lot of energy trying to warm itself. In turn, energy enters the body along with food. Dry food is given in the morning and evening, and a mash is added at lunch. Prolonged digestion of food provides birds with energy and, accordingly, warmth.
2. In winter, the diet should be hay, dried in the summer. It is good for chickens to give nettles and branches of coniferous trees.
3. Combining different feeds has good efficiency. Do not forget about fresh vegetables, wet mash and boiled cereals.
4. Sunflower cake and seeds are added to the main feed. The body reacts positively to sprouted grains.
5. Fish oil is added to roughage. In small quantities, it supports the body well. Various pet food manufacturers offer bone meal and various vitamin and mineral supplements.
6. Food rich in protein can increase egg production in chickens. Cottage cheese is periodically mixed into the feed. Whey is used for drinking.
7. To strengthen the bones, birds are given chalk, small shells, sand. Exactly the same effect has crushed and dried eggshells. Such additives strengthen the egg shell, which is also very important.

As for the drinkers, they should always be clean. If the chickens do not have time to drink water, they make sure that it does not stagnate and change to a new one. In winter, warm water is poured into the drinkers.

Poultry farmers recommend having both winter and summer drinkers in their arsenal.

How to calculate the right amount of feed

Beginner poultry farmers often make mistakes when feeding chickens. They give too much food, worried that poor nutrition will not provoke serious problems. Thus, chickens eat more food than they need. As a result, they become overweight, inactive, and do not lay eggs well.

Adult birds consume 130-150 g of feed per day. This indicator helps to calculate the required amount of food for the entire herd.

If there is not enough food left in the feeders until the next meal, then the dose is calculated correctly.

Increase productivity in cold weather

The first thing to take care of in winter is to have a warm chicken coop. If the hens are not laying well, it may not be too warm in the room. An insulated chicken coop increases egg production by 40%. At a temperature of 15 degrees and above, chickens lay perfectly.

Daylight hours for chickens should last no more than 14 hours. Otherwise, the life expectancy of birds is reduced. Long daylight hours provoke premature molting.

A rheostat will help control daylight hours - a special device responsible for the brightness of lighting. Its installation will facilitate the work of a person when caring for livestock.

Chickens are regularly fed greens in winter. With a large herd, greenhouses are sown with grass, which feed the birds. The appearance of greens in the diet of birds increases productivity by 50%.

It is important for people to know about the existence of another important rule, this is especially true for beginner poultry farmers. There should not be many individuals in the chicken coop. It is better to make several rooms and separate the chickens. Otherwise, they can die from the rapid spread of diseases, which is typical for tight spaces.

In order for the chickens to rush constantly, there must be a secluded place in the chicken coop. With a large herd, this is impossible to achieve. A secluded place specially designated for this purpose will save the bird from stress, and the person will receive the desired number of eggs.

How to prevent chicken diseases in winter?

For birds to be he althy and lay eggs, no special events are needed. Chickens must receive proper care and nutrition. This will help you avoid many diseases and get fresh eggs regularly.

Prevention is as follows:

1. Factors that can become sources of stressful situations are completely excluded.
2. Birds are provided with a complete and varied diet.
3. If a sick rooster or laying hen is found in the herd, they will be immediately isolated.
4. The room is insulated and drafts are removed.
5. Feeders and drinkers are kept clean.
6. In the room where the chickens overwinter, additional heating equipment is installed. Air humidity is also constantly monitored.
7. A flutter is required near perches.
8. The quality of the bedding on the floor is checked regularly.

After studying the list, some people think that this is unrealistic and very difficult. But these are the optimal conditions in which birds should live. If the habitual behavior of laying hens has changed, urgent action is taken.

A person who keeps chickens at home should be familiar with feathered diseases, their signs and treatment. Even basic knowledge will help when problems arise.

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