How to select laying hens?
In the country it is best to include hybrid breeds of chickens. Rules for the selection of laying hens following: the bird should be active, her comb and earrings – bright red, legs pronounced yellowish color (if they are pale this is an indication that the bird is old). Feathers of chicken must be clean and shiny, tight to the body. If you and your hens to a rooster, the eggs will "live", that is, you can bring the chickens.
How to care for hens?
Caring for chickens is simple, this task can handle any adult. The first thing to do after buying laying hens – build a chicken coop for them at the rate of 1 m2 for 4 birds or use any suitable for this purpose room. On the floor laid a layer of straw or sawdust with a minimum thickness of 5 cm In the house needed a perch mounted at a height of 60 cm from the floor.
It is important to know that the more chickens are in the sun, the higher egg production. So for walking birds need to fence a site. This is necessary to ensure that the chickens were not running around the garden beds. As the fence is fine mesh netting. Next to the chicken coop, it is desirable to arrange a place for bathing birds: pour on the ground of sand or ash.
You should know that hens can not overfeed. In the morning you need to give them any grain: corn, wheat, barley. Better if they are crushed. Grains should be at least 60% of poultry diet. Laying hens can be given food waste, cereal porridge, boiled potatoes. To increase egg production in feed add special mixtures, e.g., "Ryabushko".
As a protein food for chickens will fit the cake and meal. Their share in the diet – at least 15%. Of special value is such food as fish and bone meal. Well increases the egg production of hens boiled or fresh chopped fish.
Chickens need fresh grass. For this purpose, harvest nettles, alfalfa, ground. As vitamin supplements poultry give carrots, beets, pumpkin, special finished products. For proper digestion chicken need small pebbles. The bird swallows them and they help to grind in the stomach solid food. Therefore, the area for walking hens have to be gravel.
It is important that the birds always had plenty of pure water. The lack of water can affect egg production and it will be significantly cheaper. In total, caring for laying hens will need no more than 30 minutes a day. Besides feeding, you will need to clean the coop and collect eggs.