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Laying hens: keeping at home
Keeping laying hens requires compliance with a number of conditions. You need to adhere to the rules of feeding and properly equip the chicken coop. And advice from experienced poultry farmers will help to increase egg production.
Keeping laying hens at home
The younger the chicken, the higher its productivity. But it is impossible to keep individuals of different ages together: they require different nutrition and care. Adult layers can become a source of disease for “beginners”, so it is better to immediately purchase the selected number of birds, and after 2-3 years, carry out a complete culling of the herd.
Keeping laying hens requires regular house cleaning.
Initially, it is important to determine the place of the future residence of the chickens. There must be vents in the house to ensure good ventilation. Nearby, you will need a walking yard located in the shade. If there are no tall trees in the selected area, you need to pull up the mesh to protect from the sun.
It is important to take into account other nuances of arranging a chicken coop:
- Nests are installed in the room at the rate of 1 box for 5 chickens. You need to cover them with hay or wood shavings.
- Both the poultry house and the outdoor yard should have feeders. The capacity of the drinker is about 6 liters, and the size of the feeder is selected depending on the number of chickens – about 10 cm per bird.
- The perches are installed at different heights, at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. The rungs can be made from wooden slats.
- During the summer period, there is enough natural light, and with the onset of winter, you need to turn on artificial light every day.
In the chicken coop, you need to maintain a constant temperature in the range of + 21 + 25 ° C. It is better to refuse concreting the floor – the surface must be wooden, and it can be covered with dry hay or sawdust.
Conditions for keeping laying hens: feeding and cleaning
The main job of the owner is to keep the house clean. To ensure the correct conditions for keeping laying hens, the following rules will help:
- Selection of food, based on the age and characteristics of the breed of the bird. Food should be balanced, rich in nutrients, without artificial additives. Food is given in equal doses at a certain time.
- The water should always be fresh. Drinkers should be cleaned periodically and debris removed daily. It is important to give a warm drink during the winter.
- Ash baths must be installed in the house. Pour equal parts of clay, sand and ash into a deep container. This will keep the birds clean and free from parasites.
With the onset of autumn, you need to insulate the barn. A layer of sawdust 5-7 cm thick is applied to the floor, which is gradually filled up during the autumn-winter period. In winter, chickens lay eggs less – and this is a normal process. But, if egg production has significantly decreased, you need to increase daylight hours.
Keeping laying hens at home is a daily job. It is necessary to control the temperature in the poultry house, observe regular feeding and take care of cleanliness. And in gratitude for the care, the chickens will delight with stable egg laying.