How to raise laying hens at home in winter?

Laying hens, pleasing to the eye of the owner and beneficial, have always been considered unpretentious and profitable pets of a private backyard. And remembering how many pleasant minutes the collection of tasty, fresh eggs from the nests brings, there is no reason to doubt - laying hens are simply necessary in the household.

Keeping domestic layers for long, harsh winters is much more troublesome and differs significantly from the care and cost of poultry in the summer. True, creating the necessary conditions is not a difficult task and does not require large material costs. Having properly prepared the place of detention for the winter period, having prepared nutritious and fortified feed, you can not only save the livestock, but also get healthy homemade eggs all winter.

Keeping laying hens in the winter at home - general recommendations and advice

Preparations for wintering hens should begin long before the onset of the first frost. First of all, when you take up a chicken coop or another place planned to accommodate feathered pets, you need to try to create comfortable conditions so that the coming bad weather and cold affect the way of life of the hens as little as possible. When preparing the chicken coop for the winter, you should pay attention to the livestock, leaving the necessary minimum of healthy, well-laying birds for the winter.

During the cold season, laying hens should be particularly well fed. High-quality and varied feed will help the bird to endure the winter more easily, will allow it to maintain active egg production.

Features of the diet and rules for feeding laying hens in winter

The summer diet of poultry is very rich and varied. The abundance of plant and protein foods, vegetables and fruits, being a good feeding, fully meet the needs of the chicken in nutrients and minerals, vitamins. In late autumn, this wealth begins to dwindle, and the poultry house is required to diversify and saturate the feed with everything necessary. Let's talk in more detail about the diet of laying hens in winter.

What is the best way to feed laying hens in winter?

Practical tips for feeding laying hens in winter:

1. Increase the number of feedings, bringing the minimum amount to 3 times a day. At low temperatures, the chicken's body needs heating and spends much more energy on this, the consumption and intake of which should be carried out evenly throughout the day. Juicy food and mash should be given in the morning and at lunchtime, in the evening dry food should be used. Coarse food, digesting longer, provides the bird with the necessary energy at night.
2. Diversify the diet as much as possible, introduce mash, cereals, vegetables and melons. Combine different feeds.
3. Try to add to the diet more fresh, green feed. Provide hens with hay harvested in summer, preferably deciduous plants. It is advisable to hang hay above the floor. It is useful to give dried nettles, branches of conifers.
4. Supplement food sprouted oats, wheat. Sunflower seeds and cake are very useful.
5. A good feeding is fish and bone meal, mineral and vitamin supplements, in a rich assortment offered by manufacturers. Fish oil, in small quantities added to roughage, has a good effect on the body of a bird.
6. Poultry feeding significantly increases egg production proteins of vegetable origin. Reverse, whey, cottage cheese are used.
7. The bird's body must be fully saturated with calcium and foods with its rich content. In the chicken coop, a container with sand, small pebbles, shell rock is required. It is necessary to give crushed eggshells, chalk.
8. Drinking bowls poultry must be kept clean, they must always have clean and fresh water. Chickens are prone to colds, so they need to drink water at room temperature. The poultry house needs to control this issue by adding warm water to the drinker in winter. You can even make a special winter drinker for chickens.

When choosing a balanced diet and setting the daily amount of food, you need to remember that excess nutrition has a bad effect on the egg production of laying hens, including in winter. They gain extra weight, lose activity and run worse.

One bird consumes about 150 grams of food per day. Based on this, the daily volume required for all livestock is determined. The correct indicator is considered if there is almost no food left in the feeders by the next feeding.

Each house will set the feeding schedule and train the poultry to use it. Usually, the first visit to the chicken coop takes place from 6 to 8 in the morning. At lunchtime, chickens are fed at 1 pm, at night between 5 and 6 pm. In the morning and for lunch, they give mash, at night, grain of cereals. Fresh, warm water must be added every time. Fresh hay is added. Remove low-quality food debris.

Giving hens products from the home table need to rememberthat is not recommended sweet pastry, black bread, meat. Do not give beets in large quantities. Potatoes in the diet of chickens should only be boiled.

Video: how to feed chickens in winter

Note! Many poultry houses grow fodder root crops and vegetables specifically for feeding laying hens in the winter.

Preparing the chicken coop for winter

Preparation for winter must be carried out long before the onset of the first frost. You need to start with a chicken coop or other place planned to accommodate feathered pets.

When preparing a chicken coop for the winter keeping of domestic layers, it is necessary:

1. Spend general cleaning places of detention, disinfect the room as efficiently as possible.
2. Check ventilation work.
3. Spend overhaul of chicken coop equipment, perches and nests.
4. Qualitatively insulate the room, excluding the slightest drafts and moisture getting into the chicken coop.
5. Prepare quality lightingrequired by hens on a short winter day.

Video: lighting in the chicken coop in winter

The easiest way is to prepare a capital chicken coop for winter. If the bird is planned to be kept in another place, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions for its keeping.

Thorough warming of the house brings great positive results. For the health of the entire livestock of layers, it is very important to eliminate all drafts, as well as the possibility of moisture entering the room.

Video: heating a chicken coop in winter

How to insulate a chicken coop for the winter?

General requirements for a hen house intended for winter keeping hens:

1. Comfortable temperature... The optimum temperature for keeping hens in a hen house should be between + 10 ... + 18 ° C. A lower or higher temperature begins to significantly reduce the egg production of birds. A thermometer should be installed in a convenient place for monitoring. If there is a fear of a drop in frost temperatures below +10 ° C, you need to think about a stationary heating source. When choosing a heating system, special attention must be paid to the safety of the laying hens.
2. Optimum air humidity. The relative humidity in the house should be 70%.
3. Correctly placed equipment. Perches and nests should be at least 60 cm above the floor. Drinkers and feeders should be approached comfortably.
4. Effective lighting... The hen house should be provided with high-quality lighting that artificially prolongs the short winter day. Daylight hours for laying hens in winter should be at least 13 hours. Artificial lighting is applied early in the morning and at sunset, extending the daylight hours as needed. It is best to illuminate the chicken coop with fluorescent lamps. It is best to turn the light on and off at the same time, developing a regime that is beneficial for laying hens.
5. Good ventilation. The room must have effective ventilation.
6. High quality bedding. The floor in the hen house in several layers should be sent out with litter. Hay or straw, sawdust, chopped reeds, dry moss are used as material. Wet litter should be removed immediately and replaced with dry one. Once every few days, it must be agitated, turned over. A high-quality bedding not only maintains the hygiene of the room, but is also an additional source of heat.
7. Mandatory the presence of an ash box, flutters.

The installation of automatic relays, turning on the light, automating ventilation and heating, greatly simplifies the maintenance of the chicken coop in winter.

Video: warm chicken coop in winter

How to keep chickens in winter in the absence of a warm room or without heating

If there is no warm, stationary chicken coop for keeping the hens, you should not despair. Quite simply and inexpensively for poultry, you can adapt almost any existing room. Chicken-birds are picky and tolerate winter well even in poorly adapted conditions. Moreover, in prepared and equipped places they winter with pleasure, constantly delighting the owner with eggs.

Whatever room is converted, the main requirement for it remains the same - to create comfortable conditions for feathered pets.

Taking into account the prescriptions that are mandatory for a stationary chicken coop, you need to fulfill everything necessary as much as possible.

Is it possible to keep laying hens in the garage

Many poultry houses have long and quite effectively used the garage for keeping layers in the winter. Of course, the place initially not adapted for the life of feathered pets will have to be re-equipped, creating acceptable conditions. The concrete floor of the garage is detrimental to the health of the bird. Therefore, it is advisable to cover it with a wooden flooring and fill it with bedding. Usually, poor ventilation in garages will also need to be remodeled to suit the needs of new tenants. Create the desired humidity, make lighting. Converting a garage into a chicken coop does not take much time and effort, bringing benefit and pleasure to your wet-nurses.

Video: keeping chickens in the garage in winter

Overwintering hens in a polycarbonate greenhouse

In recent years, many poultry houses have found an interesting solution - wintering laying hens in greenhouses. The use of premises that are empty during the winter is becoming more and more popular and is considered a very effective and expedient occupation. In order for the wintering of the bird to be successful, it is required to create favorable conditions by carrying out work on the arrangement of the greenhouse.

When preparing a greenhouse for placing hens for the winter, it is necessary:

• clean the room, remove excess land;
• eliminate drafts;
• make ventilation;
• carry out artificial lighting;
• sprinkle the floor with a litter;
• install the necessary equipment, perches.

The most important issue that the poultry house will have to solve is maintaining a comfortable temperature regime. Even in the most severe frost, the temperature in the greenhouse should not fall below 0 ° C, below the chickens simply cannot withstand. Therefore, additional heating is indispensable.

Video: wintering chickens in a greenhouse in winter

Important! In winter, a greenhouse adapted for a chicken coop can be covered with a layer of snow from the sides. This will significantly preserve the internal heat.

Video: how chickens winter in a polycarbonate greenhouse

Walking hens in winter

In winter, letting a bird out of the hen house is not only possible, but also necessary... The walk should be arranged on a sunny, not frosty day. It is not recommended to let laying hens outside in winter when the frost is more than minus 10 ° C, the bird can freeze its paws, catch a cold. The total time spent on the street should be no more than two hours. The walking area needs to be lined with hay, and the old bedding from the chicken coop is also suitable. The best time for walking chickens in winter is a thaw and not frosty, sunny days.

Factors affecting egg production in chickens in winter

Winter leads to a decrease in natural biorhythms in chickens. A decrease in winter temperature and a decrease in daylight hours also affect egg production. Vitamin deficiency, lack of plant and protein foods have a negative effect. Proper care, no stress, balanced nutrition helps to significantly extend the period of egg production and get fresh eggs almost throughout the winter.

Video: how to feed chickens in winter so that they lay eggs

Read more about the features of egg production in chickens in winter in this article.

Every day it becomes easier and more profitable to keep laying hens. New, more productive breeds are being bred, effective, balanced feed and various additives appear. Manufacturers offer automated bird care systems. New building materials make it easier to build chicken coops. As a result, the number of laying hens is increasing. Join us and there will always be fresh homemade eggs on your table.

Video: the correct device for a winter chicken coop

Chickens are bred for the purpose of obtaining eggs and dietary meat. If you want to have fresh eggs at home all the time, and sell their surplus, then you need to breed egg-type chickens.

Such poultry has a low body weight, thick plumage. They are able to lay eggs after four months of age. Another 20 days after the hen laid the first egg, she is considered a full-fledged productive individual.

In order to have chicken in your household, there are several ways:

• To lay down eggs in the incubator (or put them under a brooding hen) and raise the young;
• Buy chickens and grow it to an adult chicken;
• Buy grown bird and feed her for a couple of months;
• Buy already an adult chicken.

How to choose young animals?

First, the young for the production of eggs are selected from the breeds of the egg direction. It is naive to hope for a high egg production of chickens in another direction, for example, meat.

Breeds of laying hens

You can choose young from the following breeds: Russian white, Andalusian, Leghorn, Czech golden, May Day, Italian partridge, Minorki, Carpathian greenlegs, Hamburg, Loman Brown, Hisex, Kuchin jubilee others. As a result of selection, new cross-chickens are bred: Borki-1,2, Irtysh, Zaslavsky-1,2,3, Zarya-17, Gibro-6 and many others.

If you have already decided on the breed or cross, when choosing young animals, you need to pay attention to their external signs and habits: the breast is even, the paws are strong, the eyes are bulging, they do not water, the feathers are shiny and clean, the scallop (if it is a grown young) is bright. A young hen should be mobile, without obvious signs of illness, she should not sit on the floor.

You can make your choice based on the weight of the pullets. So, to reach the period of puberty (4.5 months), the chicken should have a weight of about 1.5 kg.

Based on these indicators, depending on the age of the young, you can make a good choice for poultry farming.

Home care and maintenance

Chickens in a cage

If you have made the right choice of young stock, good care and proper maintenance will ensure excellent results. There are two ways to care for and keep chickens: in cages and in a walk.

Combining these two methods is strongly discouraged as the chicken must get used to certain conditions. Any change in such conditions, the more frequent, leads to stress and a decrease or cessation of egg production.

Breeding hens without range

This method assumes their constant presence in the process of vital activity in special cells.

The size and number of cages directly depends on how many poultry are planned to be kept. 7-8 adult chickens can be accommodated on 1 m2 of area egg direction. If the number of birds is large, the cages are arranged in tiers.

It is not difficult to construct such cells, but this requires a serious investment (in comparison with the second method of maintenance, which will be discussed below).

Making a cage - tips for beginners

We make the cage from a fine-mesh welded mesh. Instead, they also use a chain-link mesh (on the sides and on the back), metal rods in the front. The bottom is two-level.

First, to the frame at a distance of 20 cm from the bottom point of the structure, we attach a welded mesh at a slight slope so that the eggs can roll into the egg collector, and then we attach a pallet made of plywood, flat slate, other material, for example, polycarbonate, and other material to the bottom of the frame.

When using a two-level bottom, the cage will always be clean, because the droppings fall through the cells onto the pallet. Then it is cleaned 1 or 2 times a month.

To increase egg production, it is advisable to carry additional lighting in each cage. And so that she rushes better, you need to either place the cage in the shed closer to the window, or make additional lighting... We choose any type of drinker - vacuum or nipple. In this case, the nipple type is selected.

Scheme and structure of the perch

We fix the bottom in the cage at a slight slope to the egg collector so that the eggs can roll into it themselves.

Requirements for the conditions of keeping adult poultry: the cages inside must be clean; the presence of ventilation in the room; optimal containment area (unimpeded food); availability of high-quality fresh feed in feeders and fresh water in drinkers; increased daylight hours; air humidity 69-71%; lack of drafts and dampness; air temperature in summer is 22-25 degrees, in winter - 18-20 degrees.

Feeding: what the diet should contain

When feeding chickens, it is important to take into account that the feed contains the required amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins.

• Protein - the main building material for the cells of the body and the main constituent of the egg. They are found in large quantities in legumes, oilcake, bone meal.
• Fats - energy supply of layers.Contained in corn, oats.
• Carbohydrates - the necessary work of all internal organs. It is found in large quantities in juicy feed. There is a lot of fiber in whole unrefined grains.

The most essential vitamins for laying hens are A, B, D.

Bird feeding

Minerals are essential for the formation of egg shells. There is a lot of it in bone meal, chalk, wood ash.

Feeding for chickens can be provided in two ways:

• buy ready-made feed... Advantages: in such compound feeds, the proportional ratio of nutrients is observed. Disadvantage: their high cost;
• we prepare the mixtures ourselves... Disadvantage: some experience is required + additional time spent for cooking. Benefits: The total cost of the feed is reduced.

The following daily feed composition is possible: grain - 50 g, bone meal - 2 g, juicy feed - 30 g, flour mixture - 40 g, mineral and vitamin supplements - 15 g. In addition, we add protein feed, mash, etc. in small quantities ...

With cellular content, it is better to feed 4 times a day, at least 3. We give more grain in the morning and in the evening, in the afternoon - mineral supplements, vitamins, green and juicy food.

Raising chickens with a walk

This type of maintenance is significantly different from the cell, and has almost no differences in feeding. The main difference is the division of the territory into walking areas, where the chickens walk freely, and the chicken coop, where they rush, spend the night (if the chicken coop is built on the street). For laying hens, this option is preferable, since she feels more free.

A hen house with a walk can be made indoors, then the chickens will sleep where it is convenient for them - both in the walk and in the hen house.

Walking hens

Let's consider in more detail the option of a chicken coop with walking on the street.

The size of the aviary depends on the number of livestock. The section for walking can be 2 - 3 times larger in the area of ​​the chicken coop. Such an aviary can be made both collapsible and stationary.... We cover the welded structure made of a shaped pipe or a wooden bar with a netting-netting or a galvanized welded mesh with a cell up to 50 mm.

We do this in the poultry walking section. Pull a protective shading mesh on top. The second part - the chicken coop, we build from plywood or chipboard boards. In the same part we make perches, sections for nests, a ladder or a gangway.

About the chicken coop

In the hen house (meaning that part of the aviary where the chickens are rushing) should be:

• feeder;
• drinker;
• perch;
• ladder (ladder) - if necessary;
• nests.

The chicken coop itself should be well insulated on all sides by walls and an entrance door, and there should be a roof on top. You can design a chicken coop without an entrance door. Then this part looks like a canopy.

The number of nests is in direct proportion to the number of layers, i.e. the more there are, the more nests. Put finely chopped straw inside the nests. Extremely it is advisable to install a board with a width in front of the nests 15-20 cm so that the hen can easily get from the roost to the nest.

Feeders - bunkers in the hen house (recall that we are considering an open-air cage option for keeping chickens) is conveniently located outside. Then you just need to open it and fill the food inside. The bird will feed through the feed chute.

The device of the chicken coop feeders

Chicken roost in the household

There are many types of chicken roosts. Their main function is that they serve for the bird to sit on them. From here follow the necessary design features.

The material is usually wood. Firstly, it is available and relatively cheap, and secondly, chicken paws will not freeze on them, which cannot be said about metal poles. You can use ordinary dry strong wood sticks. They should be relatively straight.

It is advisable to choose a bar of such a diameter that it is convenient for the chicken to clasp it with its paws. Neither thick nor thin will do (it will be difficult for her to keep balance).

Chicken roost

We immediately make a removable perch. This will simplify the cleaning process.... But in this case, you need to fix it very well so that it does not rotate around its axis. We set the roost in 2 or 3 rows, and it is not necessary to do this at the same height. It is advisable to make one perch lower, the other higher, the third at the level of the second or even higher.

They should be positioned relative to each other at such a distance that the droppings of the chicken that sits above do not fall on the bird that sits below. The total length of the perch should be sufficient to accommodate all livestock.

It should be taken into account that in the summer, chickens sit at a distance of several centimeters from each other due to hot weather, while in winter they nestle against each other for additional heating.

You need to install the roost at such a height that the chicken can easily take off on it. A low position does not train their muscles, a high position creates the likelihood that the bird will not climb on it. Ideal - from 50 to 70 cm from the floor.

Another roost option

How to care for a bird

The requirements for the conditions of keeping hens in a walking hen house are the same as for keeping them in cages: the cages inside must be clean; optimal containment area (unimpeded food); the presence of high-quality fresh feed in the feeders and fresh water in the drinkers; increased daylight hours; lack of drafts and dampness.

The food is the same as for cage keeping. We add protein feed, mash, etc. in small quantities.

You can give daily: grain - 50 g, bone meal - 2 g, juicy feed - 30 g, flour mixture - 40 g, mineral and vitamin supplements - 15 g.

When walking in spring, summer and autumn, there is enough fresh greenery, but if necessary, you can throw juicy grass, watermelon peel, and other food residues. You can limit yourself to two meals of grain - in the morning and in the evening, and once - with a mash, mineral supplements, herbs.

Bird feeding

Diseases of chickens and their treatment

Chickens are susceptible to many diseases. To protect them from undesirable consequences, up to death, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures (disinfection of the premises before settling in chickens and after observing safety measures), feed them with high-quality and fresh products, and give vitamins and minerals.

However, it is not always possible to protect the feathered economy. It is worth paying special attention to such common diseases of adult birds as:

• heterocydosis (intestinal worms). It is treated with piperazine. Prevention: thoroughly wash the room;
• salmonellosis (stomach upset). It is treated with tetracycline or dithrevite;
• ascites (fat accumulates in the abdomen). Prevention: it is necessary to give greens;
• arthritis (joint disease). It is treated with ampicillin. Prevention: give only high-quality food, the bedding must be dry;
• Newcastle disease (bird infection through eggshells). Prevention: setting patients off and disinfection of the premises;
• poisoning... Prevention: you need to make sure that the food is fresh and of high quality;
• typhus (stomach is damaged). It is treated with antibiotics such as ampicillin. Prevention: isolation of sick chickens, disinfection of the poultry house;
• streptococcosis (internal organs are affected). It is treated with an antibiotic. Prevention: Isolation of sick chicken;
• tuberculosis (affects chicken lungs). No cure is possible. Prevention: Maintaining hygiene in the house.

Business plan from scratch: costs and profits

The first question that beginners ask themselves before taking on the maintenance of laying hens in order to sell eggs is, is it profitable?

Breeding chickens on an industrial scale

It is possible to draw up in theory 100 business plans, but take into account all the risks and what will be impossible in practice. When calculating a profitable business plan from scratch, it is assumed that chickens will not die or take a small percentage of it when calculating.

In fact, there may be some kind of infection in those 2-3 years in which you purchased and keep layers. Then we can talk about the death of not one or two chickens, but about half of the livestock.

In addition, the profitability of production depends on the conditions of maintenance, the number of livestock (the more, the more profitable the production), seasonal weather conditions, chicken breed, feed, and other factors. In the end, it depends on the experience of the breeder himself.

Is it profitable to breed and raise chickens?

We propose to summarize this issue, and show what elements the expenditure part of the budget for growing and profit consists of. Is it profitable or not?

Home farm with chickens

Expenditure part (what you need to spend money on):

• purchase of eggs for the incubator and electricity costs (in case we do not start the business with the purchase of young or adult chicken);
• purchase chickens or young, or an adult laying hen (in case we do not buy eggs for the incubator);
• Construction Materials for poultry house equipment (profile pipe, plywood, polycarbonate, flat slate, welded mesh, mesh-netting, other drinkers);
• power consumption for supplementary lighting, heating in winter (increased daylight hours);
• purchase compound feed or grain, vitamins, mineral supplements, medicines;
• Unexpected expenses (and they will definitely be!).

Of the above expense items, most of the money will go to the purchase of chickens or chickens (if you buy them, not raise them) and the purchase of feed.

Income part (for which you can get money):

• from implementation eggs;
• from implementation chicken meat (in the case of the slaughter of an adult hen, the egg production of which has productively dropped to the limits of its cost);
• from implementation droppings.

In the absence of force majeure circumstances, the profitability of breeding chickens leaves from 30 to 100%.

Conclusion

Chickens

In the final part of the article, we will determine what determines the egg production of chickens. It is influenced by:

• breed of chickens;
• conditions of detention;
• food;
• force majeure in the form of diseases;
• practical experience of the poultry farmer.

Remember! The less stress the laying hen is, the higher the egg production.

When a new lover of wildlife has mastered the garden, he will think about getting animal products. Breeding chickens at home for beginners is the first experience of commercial production of meat and eggs. Chickens are most tolerant of lack of grooming, almost omnivorous and friendly. This is an almost waste-free production - droppings, eggs, meat, feathers - everything goes into business.

Livestock conditions

The first step is to determine whether a seasonal or year-round flock will be kept. For summer time, a light shelter and a walking area are enough. In winter, you need a warm shed. In the summer, in order to feed on eggs, you need to buy pullet hens. For beginners, raising chickens at home all year round determines the quality of the chickens. It is better to buy a batch of daily chicks at a poultry farm with a guarantee that the livestock will be thoroughbred and zoned.

It is necessary to read the literature and determine the physiological norms of keeping and feeding chickens. Some facts about the conditions for raising chickens will need to be known in advance.

For floor keeping, the room should have an area at the rate of 5 chickens per 1 square meter. The temperature of the content is not lower than 5-7 degrees. The room should be warm, light, dry, egg production depends on it. At night, regardless of the season, chickens should be indoors, equipped with perches. On the roost, each chicken should be 20 cm long and they should all be placed at the same level.

In the cage, the bird develops faster, rushes and gains weight. 5-7 individuals are placed in one cage. A rooster in the herd is needed if fertilized eggs are required in the future for incubating chicks.In summer cottage life, a rooster is needed for beauty and a flooded announcement of a new day.

A walking area for chickens is necessary, they must be outdoors. A shed is needed so that the herd can shelter from the rain.

For beginners, breeding chickens at home is important to determine the number and place of residence of the birds.

What breeds of chickens are suitable for home breeding

Not all chicken breeds are suitable for backyard farming. Therefore, you need to choose chickens for home breeding, taking into account the specifics of the content, simple or thoroughbred. Simple ones are less demanding on the balance of feed, on the conditions of keeping. There are breeds of meat or egg orientation. So, meat broilers can be grown per season for full-fledged slaughter with a carcass weight of 3-4 kg. Egg breeds rush abundantly, but during the molting period they can be hammered, the soup will be rich. For a personal backyard, it is recommended to breed chickens of egg breeds:

• Russian whites;
• Red white-tailed;
• Leghorns

Got one day old chicks, what's next?

You need to take a large warm box. Day-old chickens will knock on the wall with their nose, if it is made of cardboard or foam, they will prick and die. At the bottom, cover the bottom with newspapers, place a drinker and a feeder on them. Place an incandescent lamp on a tripod on top, adjusting the height so that it is 30 ° C on the floor. A brood will be hindered at the bottom of the box and illuminated on the first day, even at night, later the daylight hours are reduced from 17 hours to 8.

Food and drink should always be available. Remove the pellet newspaper 2 times a day. If the chickens do "heap-small", they are cold, the lower ones can be crushed. If you are flattened away from the light, it is hot. From the fifth day, the temperature is reduced to 26 degrees and every week by 3 degrees more, so to 18. From the box, the chickens are transferred to the litter, gradually increasing the area.

By the age of 4 months, the chicks are slightly smaller in size than an adult chicken, at 5 months they begin to rush.

Keeping chickens

While the chickens were growing up in a cramped but warm room for the first two months, a chicken coop was built for them. A house for chickens can become a decoration of the estate. The main thing is that it should be without cracks so that there is no draft. The floor is covered with a thick layer of sawdust or straw. Feeders with three compartments are arranged:

• dry food;
• mineral supplements;
• mash.

The feeder should be separated by bar grates so that the bird can peck rather than trample on the feed. Drinking bowl is installed separately. It is necessary to arrange an ash-sand bath in an old trough. By the time the hens ripen, nests should be prepared - deep boxes lined with dry grass with a depression. Install them in a secluded place at the rate of a nest for 3 hens.

For summer maintenance, the house can be built of plywood with a walk, fenced with a chain-link netting. For winter, you need an insulated, ventilated, heated room with electric lighting and a walking area. With good care, chickens rush in winter like in summer.

Chicken diet

Any villager will tell you how to breed chickens at home. Only one neighbor sells an excess of eggs all year round, while the other scolds her lazy women. Good care and balanced feeding from birth is required to recoup the cost of keeping the livestock.

Chicks need water twice as much as feed. Therefore, there must be fresh water in the drinker. For the first time, diaries need to be given a 5% glucose solution to drink.

Fodder is poured on cardboard sheets until the age of seven days, then feeders are installed, preferably suspended. the first feeding of chicks consists of:

• fine grains crushed;
• hard boiled egg;
• dry fat-free cottage cheese.

Later, the egg is no longer given, the cottage cheese contains calcium, promotes plumage. From the second day, the addition of finely chopped greens to the feed is encouraged. In winter, when there is no clover, you can germinate cereals and add greens to the feed.

From day 3, the mash can be cooked in yogurt, meat broth.They feed only with a fresh mash, after an hour the leftovers are thrown away, the feeder is washed and rinsed with potassium permanganate. A weak pinkish solution of potassium permanganate should be fed to chickens in the morning twice a week. Five day old chicks are already viable. They gradually increase the amount of feed, add vitamins, fish oil, from the first day they need fine gravel, eggshells, coarse sand. Until two months of age, only crushed cereals are used from cereals.

Compound feed for adult chicken is required as part of:

• corn - 40%;
• wheat bran - 8%;
• barley flour - 20%;
• sunflower cake - 10%;
• fish meal, meat and bone meal 1: 1 - 10%;
• feed yeast - 3%;
• mineral additives, table salt - 5%.

Such a mixture in pure form and a mash is given 2-3 times a day. For good work of the stomach, be sure to feed the chickens with dry grain, it is better if the film on oats and rye is less.

A homemade egg always tastes different from a factory egg due to a variety of feed. The presence of carotene contributes to the orange color, this is due to the large amount of vitamin greens in the diet of layers.

It is impossible to overfeed the laying hen, it will be difficult for her to carry, the insides will become fat. The eggs will begin to cover with a thin film instead of the shell, pour out, contaminating the nest. This circumstance will allow the birds to learn the taste of the product, and biting will begin in the future.

You need to feed the hen:

• mash - 65-75 g;
• dry grain mixture - 30-45 g;
• sprouted cereals - 10-12 g;
• root vegetables - 20-25 g;
• fish oil, yeast, gravel, shell 1-2 g each.

You can add leftovers from the table to the feed, diversify the menu. The more ingredients in the feed, the tastier the egg. The menu depends on the season. However, if you visit the base, then chickens can eat vitamins all year round - often withered greens and fruits are thrown into waste containers. Chickens especially like mangoes and oranges.

The golden age of the laying hen is up to 15 months, later it rushes less often, the meat coarsens. By this time, a new brood of chickens will be ready - this is how chickens are bred in a courtyard. Usually the first eggs of pullets are brought at the age of 110-120 days.

Signs of disease

It is necessary to warn, for beginners, breeding chickens at home to know the main signs of disease. Despite good hygienic conditions, pigeons, stealing food, and rodents can bring the disease. Sick birds can be seen immediately. They are lethargic, do not go to the trough, do not stand up, convulsions are observed. A sick bird must be immediately separated from the flock.

Lethargy, lack of appetite is considered a sign of vitamin deficiency. Feed greens, irradiate with ultraviolet lamps, give fish oil and everything will work out. It's scarier to deal with chicken cannibalism. If a wound appears on the bird's body, it will attract the attention of the merchants. Therefore, the light in the hen house should not be bright, the muted and reddish color hides fresh wounds. You need to be on the alert, expect pecking and understand the reasons for this ailment:

• chickens bite their fingers in the blood - it is hungry:
• pecking out the head - the establishment of a hierarchy is in progress;
• pecking of the cloaca - when it is inflamed from improper feeding;
• when the cloaca is inflamed and falls out from the socks of very large eggs;
• pluck feathers - there are few minerals in the feed;
• the presence of insects - feather eaters, lice, ticks.

How to keep chickens and have a productive flock is a multifaceted question.

Video about breeding chickens at home

The desire of poultry farmers to get as many eggs from layers as possible is natural and understandable. However, this issue is especially relevant for those who wish to increase the profitability of their economy, build a real (albeit small) business. For this reason, it is imperative to know how to keep laying hens in winter, since it is during this period that the effectiveness of laying is reduced.

Laying hen

In addition, proper care of layers is important, because nature has not provided for the reproductive instinct for the winter, which means that egg-laying can be minimal or even zero if you do nothing.

How to keep laying hens in winter

What should be the conditions in the chicken coop?

To begin with, the chicken is extremely uncomfortable to walk in the snow, moreover, even a minimal cold snap is contraindicated for certain breeds. For this reason, laying hens rarely go out for a walk in winter. As a rule, poultry farmers resort to this only in order to ventilate and disinfect the poultry house, which will protect the livestock from diseases and parasites.

On a note! Winter is a very tricky time of the year, and therefore, you should properly equip the area for walking. Draft and wind should not harm the birds.

First of all, remove all snow from the walking area. But the main thing is that chicken walking is prohibited at temperatures below -10 ° C. Although even if the temperature is higher, the walk should last a maximum of 15 minutes. If the outside temperature drops below -15 ° C, then airing must be postponed altogether.

Features of keeping chickens in winter and heating the chicken coop

Keeping hens in winter pays off entirely, provided that all the rules are followed. And it is not surprising, because in winter the average cost of eggs increases several times due to the shortage. So, if you keep layers in a hen house at a temperature of at least + 15 ° C, then from each bird you will receive at least 30 eggs per month. Maintaining this temperature is the best way to cost-effectively keep your flock and get the most out of your chickens.

Winter is also the best time to build new nests, which can be located both in the depths of the chicken coop, and separately from it. Chickens - however, like all birds - love secluded corners, and if there are such, they begin to rush intensively. Thanks to new nests arranged in this way, laying hens will be more comfortable in winter, and overall egg production will noticeably increase.

Laying nests for hens

On a note! Also, the room for the winter keeping of chickens must be spacious. To calculate the required area, you only need to know the number of livestock (1 m² for 2-3 chickens).

The winter chicken coop should be spacious

If you ignore this moment, you can prepare for a decrease in egg production, since the presence of birds in crowded conditions reduces their vital signs. Also note that in relation to the chicken coop, the rule that winter is the cleanest time of the year does not apply. During this period, laying hens should always be clean, which means that cleaning should be done more often than in the summer. The litter should always be dry (if it is wet, this will lead to the development of respiratory diseases in birds, and chickens are known to be especially prone to this).

Video - Preparing chickens for wintering

What should be the lighting?

At first, eggs were laid by chickens solely for the purpose of procreation, and therefore it is obvious that birds do not have this instinct in winter. But you can "trick" them and make spring right in the hen house, while much will depend on the light. In winter, daylight hours are significantly reduced, but you need to compensate for this deficit with artificial lighting. It is advisable to turn on the lamps in the period from 6 to 9 o'clock (in the morning) and from 18 to 21 (in the evening). However, the duration of daylight hours should be no more than 14 hours, otherwise the birds will not have time to rest, which will negatively affect egg production.

Illuminated chicken coop in winter

Coop in winter

Egg production - several important points

To increase egg production, you must:

• maintain the optimum temperature in the chicken coop;
• take care of the correct lighting;
• provide a balanced diet (more on this later);
• insulate the nests as much as possible;
• to ensure the optimal density of livestock (2-3 birds per 1 m² of area).

If you adhere to all these requirements, the laying hens will feel comfortable in winter and delight you with a large number of eggs.

Keeping hens in winter

As for heating the chicken coop, this can be done in two ways:

• natural heating (we are talking about warming the chicken coop, flooring);
• artificial heating (stove heating, use of infrared heaters, heat guns, air heaters, diesel ovens, etc.).

A few words about natural heating

As a rule, the goal of warming a chicken coop is to increase egg production (this indicator depends on heat by about 40%) or a set of muscle mass by broilers (the “slaughter” age of birds occurs earlier, which means that there is a saving in feed). And if, thanks to natural heating, a temperature of at least + 7-10 ° C (or better + 13-15 ° C) is ensured, then there is definitely nothing to worry about.

Heating in the chicken coop

Let's take a look at the main components of natural heating in a house.

Litter

Cover the floor of the room with slaked lime (consumption should be 1 kg / 1 m²), lay straw, sawdust or any other insulating material on top with a maximum of 10 cm layer. loosening with a pitchfork. Heat will be released from this layer, which is caused by natural composting processes, and in the spring you will have effective fertilizer for your garden.

Sawdust bedding in a chicken coop

Thermal insulation

Insulate windows, doors (with a woven material - for example, an old blanket), walls (with mineral wool or foam) and the floor (with roofing felt or the same mineral wool). All these measures will help to protect layers from drafts, and the poultry house itself - from atmospheric precipitation. In addition, chickens also warm themselves - it is only necessary that they eat well.

The internal finishing of the chicken coop is made of sheets of moisture-resistant plywood

Video - Heating a chicken coop without fuel

Artificial heating

The most common option today is IR lamps. One IR lamp or, alternatively, an IR mirror bulb can heat up to 10-12 m². The advantage of such lighting is that it is not the air that heats up, but the objects and surfaces where the rays fall. In addition, the infrared light dries out the litter and allows you to maintain the required humidity level. The lamp itself does not have to be switched off at all - its pleasant light has a calming effect on the hens. Finally, oxygen in the house is not burned, the IR lamp is easy to install and change, and its light helps the absorption of food and strengthens the immunity of the chickens.

Heating the chicken coop with infrared heaters

Note! The efficiency of the infrared lamp is quite high - up to 98%. It not only shines, but also heats - about 90% of all energy is spent on heat.

But IR lamps also have disadvantages - first of all, high electricity consumption, short service life, as well as frequent cracking in case of moisture ingress. Although this is more a matter of proper operation and quality of the lighting fixtures themselves.

Important! When installing such lamps in a chicken coop, remember: they must be located at least 50-100 cm from heated objects! Chickens also love to jump on everything, including lamps, and therefore it is worth taking care of ceramic cartridges and protective fittings in advance.

IR lamp protection

If the chicken coop is small, then a 500 W infrared heater will suffice.

What about stove heating?

The chicken coop can be heated with the help of a "potbelly stove", but this method can hardly be considered ideal. If you install a "potbelly stove" (or a brick oven), you will inevitably face a number of mandatory activities.

Stove heating for heating the chicken coop

These include:

• insulation of heating elements of the heating unit (hens can burn themselves);
• constant temperature control in the poultry house;
• fire safety (especially if the bedding is made of straw, and the room itself is wooden).

Heating the chicken coop in winter

You should also pay attention to less popular heating methods, which are still often used. All of them are listed below.

Table. Less popular ways to heat a chicken coop.

Diesel stove	A safe and smoke-free unit, the required power of which will depend primarily on the area of ​​the chicken coop.
Heater	An expensive heating option that can nevertheless provide a permanent temperature.
Buleryan	Can work on wood, paper, shavings. Heating in this case occurs due to air convection, i.e. due to the circulation of cold / heated air streams.
Gas heat gun	Suitable only for large structures with high-quality ventilation.

As you can see, there are many methods for heating the chicken coop, and therefore there really is something to choose from.

Winter feeding of hens

In the autumn period, the egg production of layers is high, and therefore the nutrition should be appropriate (there are many vitamins and elements important for the body of birds). In summer, there are no special difficulties with feeding at all. But in winter everything is more serious, because birds practically do not walk in the fresh air, therefore they do not have access to food that they could get on their own.

On a note! Feed the hens in the winter three times a day (as much as possible), without removing all sorts of mash and mixed feed from the diet. The grains you use can be crushed to make them easier to digest and benefit the chickens.

Table. Daily ration for laying hens, depending on the season.

Approximate daily ration for laying hens by the seasons

In some cases, the grain is given whole - this is how the body generates additional heat during digestion. If the winters are cold, this will help keep the hens warm. Also note that it is better to take care of feeding in advance - prepare all the necessary products for the summer and autumn.

Note! Do not spare chalk, pebbles and gravel - hens should eat enough. There is no green grass in winter, and therefore you must take care of an equivalent replacement for greenery.

What can replace it? First of all, pumpkins and zucchini. They contain enough calcium, as well as vitamins. Carrots contain a lot of carotene, which will help to increase egg production and strengthen immunity. Also, all root crops that have been grown in the beds are suitable for this.

You can attach greens or vegetables to the ceiling so that the chickens peck a little all day

Even in summer, you can dry herbs (nettles, for example, or clovers), and in winter hang them in a chicken coop. Pamper your hens with fish oil, meat scraps, and bone meal. Give the birds plenty of warm water.

Video - How to feed hens in winter

Master Class. Drinking bowl for chickens in which the water does not freeze

The bottom line is to heat water using a conventional incandescent lamp. It will look something like this.

Heating the water in the hen house in winter

Replacing the heating light

First, prepare everything you need:

• trimming galvanized sheets;
• incandescent lamp 40 W;
• cord with base (can be found in any old chandelier);
• pieces of profile for drywall;
• manual riveter (as an option - you can use bolts).

How to make a box for heating a drinker

Making a box for heating a drinking bowl for chickens

Step one... Cut the galvanized sheets to size, and bend the edges with a mallet or hammer.

Step two... Cut out small rectangles from the profile, make 2 holes in each.

Step three... Bend these rectangles into corners to hold the sides of the box together.

Step four... Connect the 3 walls together using a riveter. You can use, as previously noted, regular bolts. But rivets are definitely cheaper.

How to properly attach the cartridge

Fastening the cartridge to the box wall

Fourth removable wall

How to fix the fourth wall with a lamp

Fixing the 4th wall with a light bulb

Drinking bowl for chickens in winter

It is advisable to use such a device in chicken coops without heating and turn it on when the temperature drops to 0 ° C. If the frosts are really strong, you can use a more powerful light bulb.

Drinking water does not freeze

As you can see, there is a small cover above the drinker at an angle of 45 ° - it is necessary so that birds do not fly onto the device. And, accordingly, they did not shit in the water they drink.

Winter drinker for chickens

Now you know everything about keeping laying hens in winter. There is really nothing complicated here, but everything needs to be taken care of in advance.