The maintenance of laying hens in the country has many benefits. After all, a homemade egg is not comparable to a store egg in its nutritional properties. There are various breeds of laying hens. Photos of them are easy enough to find. However, in households it is best to keep hybrid birds of the color plumage.
They are less excitable, calmer, and better egg-laying than white-colored birds. Buying chickens is better in early spring. Sale of laying hens is carried out by special nurseries and poultry farms. You need to buy individuals who are no more than 3-4 months old.
Accommodation
The content of laying hens in the country implies their proper placement. For these purposes, you will need a dried and prepared house. Its area is determined from the calculation of 4 individuals per 1 m2. On the floor you need to pre-lay straw, hay or dry sawdust (a layer of at least 5 cm). Of course, over time, the litter layer can be gradually increased. Drinking bowls and feeding containers must be installed on the floor. Their edges should be at the level of the back of the birds. The maintenance of laying hens in the country requires the creation of perches in the house near its walls (height from the floor about 60 cm).
For these purposes poles (diameter 3 cm) are suitable. Their total length should be sufficient to accommodate all chickens. In a shaded place, you need to arrange nests for laying eggs (1 to 4 individuals). An ideal option would be to create a fenced off net for walking where a bird can be released. There you need to create mounds of sand and ash, in which the hens will bathe - clean feathers. If the area is very limited, then the bird can be placed in special cages. This does not affect egg production.
Optimal temperature and lighting
The maintenance of laying hens in the country requires maintaining a certain temperature range (12-20 C) in the house. If the room is cold and the water freezes in the drinkers, the egg production of the bird can drop sharply. In addition, ventilation should be established in the house so that there is constant access to fresh air (transoms, exhaust hoods). Hens are very demanding on the level of lighting. Therefore, there should be an electric light in the chicken coop. The total lighting time (including natural daylight) should not be less than 17 hours a day.
Feeding
To provide the birds with the nutrients they need, they need to be properly fed. Grains such as wheat, corn and barley are most suitable for them. For better digestibility for chickens, grains are best given in crushed form. Cereals in the poultry diet should be at least 60%. But half of this norm can be completely replaced by food waste: boiled potatoes, peeling, the remains of cereal cereals. To meet protein needs, chickens need to be given protein feed. These are, as a rule, various meal and meal. Their share in the diet of poultry should be about 15%. The most valuable food is fishmeal. This product contains a lot of proteins. However, in its absence, finely chopped fresh fish can be given to chickens. This greatly increases egg production. To meet the chickens' need for vitamins, they are given (especially in spring and summer) nettles, chickweed, alfalfa and some other herbs. In autumn and winter, you can give carrots and pumpkins, as well as vitamin preparations. The bird must have access to gravel.