Keeping laying hens at home for beginners: care and breeding

The rules for keeping laying hens at home for beginners are of interest to many inexperienced farmers. To grow he althy birds, you should choose the right breed, equip a chicken coop and a walking area. Be sure to provide birds with full care. It includes a balanced diet, drinking regimen and disease prevention.

Features of cultivation

There are several varieties of chicken breeds, each of which has certain characteristics for growing.

Meat breeds

Such breeds are very popular with many farmers because they allow you to get a lot of delicious meat. These chickens are considered very unpretentious, but require compliance with certain rules. It is recommended to keep the birds clean, so it is worth systematically changing the litter.

Meat breeds do not require too bright lighting. Therefore, it is worth making 1 small window in the house. In order for the birds to gain weight well, it is recommended that they provide an optimal temperature regime of +25 degrees.

These chickens need a lot of protein. Therefore, fish or meat meal should be present in the diet. Also, birds should be given cottage cheese.

Broilers

Cages are used for breeding broilers. A room with deep bedding is also suitable. There should be a maximum of 18 chickens per 1 square meter. Broilers need proper ventilation, constant light and high temperatures.

At the initial stage of cultivation, the temperature in the house can reach +35 degrees. Gradually, the indicator is reduced to + 18-20 degrees. It is worth heating the room with the help of infrared heaters.

Layers

Such chickens require proper lighting and good ventilation. The room should maintain a constant temperature at + 23-25 degrees. The parameters of egg production are affected by the physical activity of chickens. Therefore, in the summer it is recommended to let them out on the paddock.

Such birds can fly, so the aviary should be protected with a mesh with small cells. It should cover the corral and the space above. This will help prevent wild birds from entering the aviary, which are a source of infection.

Breed selection

Not all breeds are suitable for the household. Therefore, beginners are advised to choose chickens depending on the characteristics of the content. They are simple or thoroughbred. The first category is characterized by fewer feed and maintenance requirements.

Chickens are meat or egg. From meat broilers for the season it will be possible to grow an individual for slaughter. Its weight is 3-4 kilograms. Egg breeds lay well. However, with the advent of molting, they are allowed to be slaughtered.

Beginning poultry farmers should pay attention to the following breeds:

• Leggorny;
• Red Whitetails;
• Russian Whites.

How to choose young animals?

It is recommended to buy young chickens at poultry farms. It is there that the rules of maintenance are clearly followed, there is a clear control of nutrition and disease prevention is carried out. When choosing young animals, you should pay attention to the following features:

• enough activity;
• he althy appearance;
• soft belly;
• pure sewer;
• smooth beak and neck;
• normal head size;
• overgrown umbilical cord;
• fitting the wings to the body.

In 1 month it will be possible to determine the sex of birds. It should be borne in mind that there should be at least 1 rooster for 10-13 females. If you plan to buy 20 hens, you will need 2 males. This number of layers will produce approximately 60 eggs per week.

Types of content

There are several varieties of keeping birds. Each of them is characterized by certain features.

Cellular (free range)

This type of chicken breeding is usually used for meat breeds. It greatly simplifies the care of birds. Domestic chickens need free space. This is especially true for laying hens. Egg production depends on their mobility.

Birds that need to gain weight quickly are kept in cages. This method has undeniable advantages:

• no need to worry about the safety of individuals;
• cells are easy to wash and clean;
• managed to make the dispensing of water and feed automatic;
• can easily increase livestock;
• minimizes the risk of chicken infection.

Reducing the motor activity of meat breeds, combined with a properly formulated diet, ensures rapid weight gain. This content is used in the cultivation of broilers.

Outdoor

This method does not mean that the birds are constantly in the open area. In such a situation, they make a closed chicken coop and an aviary for walking. In winter, the room must be heated.The aviary is complemented by a high fence so that the birds do not scatter. The ratio of the area of the chicken coop and the corral is 1:4.

The walking method is characterized by the following features:

• the quality of eggs is increasing and their number is increasing;
• the bird is on the loose;
• reducing feed and electricity costs;
• chickens get sick less and keep their reproductive potential for a long time.

On mesh (slatted) floors

This option allows you to accommodate more individuals than in a regular cage. On 1 square meter it is worth keeping up to 10-12 chickens. This is ensured by the self-cleaning of the house.

Metal mesh is recommended instead of the floor. A wooden grill is also perfect. This allows faeces to fall through the cells onto a removable drip tray or concrete floor.

Feeders are installed from the outside. Thanks to this, chickens do not trample and do not carry food. This saves 15% feed.

On a deep litter

Keeping chickens with this method is irrational, but it remains popular with many poultry farmers. To implement this method, it is recommended to build cages. Lay the litter on the floor of the chicken coop. It includes a thick layer of straw or wood shavings. Biochemical processes help to heat the litter up to +35 degrees. This saves on electricity.

Before using deep litter, it is worth compacting the earthen floor well. Then it is covered with a layer of lime. For 1 square meter of the floor, 1 kilogram of the substance is used. Bedding must be at least 15 centimeters thick.

The disadvantages of this technique include contamination of eggs, inefficient use of the premises, the risk of disease. A maximum of 5 birds can be accommodated per 1 square meter of chicken coop.

General Content Rules

To keep chickens, they are advised to provide optimal conditions. This will help strengthen the immunity of birds and prevent dangerous diseases.

Chicken room

First of all, you should properly equip the chicken coop. It must include the necessary equipment. It is important to insulate the house and ensure proper ventilation.

Materials and construction of the poultry house

A small chicken coop is easiest to build with wood panels. Between them it is worth placing a heater. Its role is played by polystyrene or glass wool. If a large livestock is planned, the house is made of brick or foam blocks.

Chicken coop lighting

To increase the parameters of egg production with a decrease in daylight hours, there is a need for additional lighting. At the same time, it is worth lengthening the day after the completion of the molting processes.

Microclimate and ventilation

The optimum temperature for chickens is +23-25 degrees. It is in such conditions that chickens lay well. In winter, the temperature should not fall below +15 degrees. Ventilation is of no small importance. It is best to make a hood with plugs.

Bird yard

For high productivity, chickens must receive sufficient amounts of vitamin D. Birds receive this substance only during walks. The walking area should be fenced off. Shelters should be made on the territory. It is also recommended to arrange drinkers and feeders.

Feeders, drinkers and ash baths

When arranging a chicken coop, it is worth putting 2 feeders and drinkers each. One set is placed inside the chicken coop, the second - outside in the aviary. The drinker should hold 5-6 liters of liquid. It is recommended to buy feeders in a store or make your own.

The ash bath is of no small importance. To do this, it is recommended to take a wooden box, fill it in equal parts with wood ash and sand. Such a structure helps to cope with bedbugs, ticks and other pests.

Chicken bedding

The floor in the chicken coop should be covered with sawdust, hay or straw. This will become dry bedding for the chickens. Periodically, this layer is recommended to be changed. In winter, its thickness should be increased to 50 centimeters.

Bird care

Bird care rules differ depending on the season and other features.

Summer

Caring for chickens in summer is easy. Birds should be predominantly free-range. They should provide access to fresh grass and insects. Thanks to this, the birds will be able to get enough vitamins and minerals.

In abnormal heat there is a risk of reduced egg production. If the temperature exceeds +30-35 degrees, it is worth shading the chicken coop and the walking area.

In winter

In the cold season, the productivity of birds decreases. This is due to low temperatures and shorter daylight hours. The walking area should be cleared of snow. Walking is allowed if the temperature is not lower than -10 degrees. In such conditions, walking lasts no more than 15 minutes.

Inside the chicken coop, the temperature should be at least +15 degrees. For this, infrared lamps are used. Dried herbs or root crops should be introduced into the diet.

Chicken Diet

It is recommended to feed the birds twice a day. To do this, use ready-made feed or make them yourself. Do not use too much wet mash. It is worth adding greens and vitamins to the composition. Young birds are fed 3 times a day. It is forbidden to overfeed them.

How to breed chickens

Growing chickens is profitable. Chickens are bred for sale or for fattening. Most hybrid breeds have lost the ability to incubate eggs. Therefore, an incubator is used for this. It is a closed egg device with a heating system.

Pre-egg should be carefully checked. With the help of an ovoscope, it is possible to enlighten them, identify defects and evaluate the development of the embryo, which will make breeding chickens more effective.

Individual birds hatch offspring themselves. The mother hen requires a small nest. It should be equipped with thick padding and a recess in the center.

Diseases of chickens and their treatment

Chickens often face various diseases. To avoid problems, you should follow the rules of hygiene and vaccinate on time.

Non-infectious

Such diseases are caused by various disorders in the functioning of the body. Pathologies are considered non-contagious, but very dangerous for chickens. Non-infectious diseases include gastroenteritis, goiter atony, beriberi, cloacitis.

Diseases are usually caused by eating disorders or poor hygiene. To cope with them, it is worth making adjustments to the lifestyle of birds.

Infectious

The development of such diseases leads to the penetration of foreign objects into the body. They have an incubation period. The infection enters the body through the digestive organs, skin or respiratory system.

Most often, chickens have colibacillosis, salmonellosis, Newcastle disease, tuberculosis, pasteurellosis. Treatment is usually with antibiotics.

Parasitic

They are caused by infection with internal or external parasites. There are many anomalies that differ in course and degree of contagiousness. Antiparasitic drugs are used to treat such diseases.

Chicken keeping is within the power of even inexperienced poultry farmers. To raise he althy birds and protect them from dangerous diseases, a number of important conditions are recommended. To do this, it is necessary to properly equip the chicken coop, provide a complete diet and engage in disease prevention.

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