Laying hens: the care and feeding

Poultry farmers often have to deal with bad habits of laying hens. Some constantly peck the eggs, others leave them in the garden or in the yard, but not in the nest. If you decide to get this economy in the form of birds, you need to ensure that laying hens have the care, feeding and maintenance.

Caring for chickens-laying hens

Chickens start laying eggs at the age of 4,5-5 months. Daylength should be about 12 hours. Light bulbs incandescent 40-60 watt hang at a height of 1.8-2.2 meters from the floor. In the cold season it is impossible to get a high egg laying chickens without the use of additional lighting. To force chickens to nest in the right place, put in a socket podklady, made of wood, alabaster or chalk (can be extracted from the egg contents and fill with a solution of gypsum). The mass of eggs should amount to 50-60 grams.

Laying hens – a cross chicken breeds, which are characterized by high productivity and good preservation of the young. At home, the egg production of chickens is extended to two years. The maintenance and care of hens begins with the assignment of places for nesting. Put it in a secret place the chicken coop straw or hay, bird it out on your own satisfied nest. If you keep chickens in cages, make them a third of the curtains. During the week, do not let hens in the paddock, they need to get used to their nests.

Chickens are low maintenance, hardy and prolific, breeding at home is not going to be easy. Help will reliable and high quality poultry house (chicken coop Dodonova). Space for laying hens should be rather spacious, dry and warm, ventilated, well lighted and kept clean. Good conditions of housing and feeding contribute to increased egg production by 15% and the increase in weight of eggs.

For laying hens the required backyard area you want to fence height from 1.5 to 2 meters. It is desirable to make it from mesh or slats without gaps that rodents do not hurt the birds. Hens definitely need a shadow, make a small canopy. On the territory of the backyard playgrounds, you can make the roosts where birds like to sit in the afternoon. As bedding for floor use dry leaves, straw, sawdust, chopped hay or peat. Daily remove litter from the chicken coop, replace wet litter.

Feeding the birds

Feeding laying hens should be plentiful. Part of the grain feed, it is recommended to germinate before use. This is done very simply. Corn or barley will soak in warm water, sprinkle a thin layer in the room (the temperature should be 23 to 27 degrees). Ensure the grain remains moist all the time. On the third or fourth day, sprouts will appear, and then feed you give chickens. The chicken coop should be a drinking bowl filled with clean water (change water daily).

Include in the diet of laying hens: cereals and legumes, flour feed, meal, cake and yeast, animal feed, herbs, pine, hay and grass meal. To increase the egg production of chickens by using drojjevoe feed. 1 kilogram flour feed required to take 30 grams of fresh yeast, diluted in 1.5 liter of warm water. Mix well ground, put in 6-9 hours in a warm place. After that, the food is ready, you can add it to the mash at 20 grams per day per head.

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