Currently, not only rural residents are engaged in chicken breeding , but also urban dachas. Many people wishing to do such a business have a question about how to properly care for these birds. The main factors to pay attention to are feeding, lighting, humidity and air temperature.
Laying hens usually begin laying eggs at 5 months of age. In this case, the cock in the herd is completely optional. However, in order for the chickens to be hatched, he, of course, is necessary. In any case, to obtain a good result, first of all, in the chicken coop, it is necessary to provide appropriate lighting. If in the summer it is quite enough and natural, in winter you canβt do without using additional lamps. The chicken coop should be light at least 16 hours a day.
Laying hens, the care of which consists primarily in proper feeding, also very poorly tolerate high humidity. It is necessary to ensure that this indicator in the barn does not exceed 45%. As for feeding, it should be at least plentiful. The laying of chickens directly depends on this. They need to be fed at least twice a day.
When using dry food, its amount should be approximately 120 g per day per individual. If used mixers with the addition of grass and root crops, this dose is increased to 170 g.
Laying hens, the care of which differs in some nuances, if a certain temperature is maintained in the room, will be carried out with the same performance with less food consumption. It is best if the air in the barn is warmed up to 21 Β° Celsius. The diet of young and adult laying hens is slightly different. The latter must include as many proteins as possible in the mash. The replacement of the diet should be carried out in advance - no later than 19 weeks of age.
At this time, laying hens, the feeding of which with green mixtures is very useful in terms of enriching the diet with vitamins, should receive at least 40 g of grain per bird per day. In addition, during this period, the diet must be varied with products containing protein of animal origin: cottage cheese, skim milk, etc. Adding meat and bone meal and fish meal to the mixers will also be beneficial.
The presence of a sufficient amount of minerals in the diet is also a very important condition. Therefore, laying hens, the care of which can be called correct only if all conditions are met, must, together with the main feed, receive chalk, limestone and salt in sufficient quantities. As for the latter, its daily rate should be no more than 0.5 g per chicken, otherwise the birds will be thirsty. If you receive too much dose, the laying hen can even poison.
Some summer residents instead of chalk and limestone include eggshells in the diet . It is also very useful for such finicky animals as laying hens. Caring for them, as you see, is quite complex. However, their breeding in the household, including in the country, is considered economically viable. Such a business can pay off within a year and a half after the start. Of course, this is subject to all technologies and content rules.