Stocking density of laying hens in cages. Chickens for growing in a cage. Video - The right cage for laying hens, broilers

Cages for laying hens have long ceased to be found exclusively in industrial agricultural complexes. In private courtyards, they can now be seen quite often. The main reason for this is a large number of livestock and an insufficient amount of free space, forcing the breeder to keep the bird in the same room with cows or pigs. Let's figure out together how relevant the cellular content of laying hens is at home, and consider all the features.

There are only two ways to keep domestic chickens - walking and intensive. The second option assumes that the chicken is placed on cell batteries or on a deep litter. The walking method assumes that the bird will still leave the chicken coop for the duration of the walks. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but let's take a closer look at the cellular content type. poultry.

This method of keeping suggests that chickens are placed in small groups, each of which contains up to six individuals, and they all live in one cage. It should be noted that one chicken in a cage should have at least 100 centimeters of square area, otherwise the birds will be too crowded, which will significantly reduce their vital signs, and as a result, their productivity. If domestic birds are kept in cages one by one, then fifty square centimeters of area will be enough for them, providing the space necessary for movement. Naturally, such a maintenance condition significantly limits the movement of laying hens, which is why active image they cannot live. Naturally, this leads to many inconveniences, for example, such a bird needs more careful care. For example, in a chicken coop, one type of microclimate should be constantly maintained so that at different times of the year the livestock feel good and do not experience discomfort that affects the productivity of birds.

Advantages and disadvantages

When it comes to the pros or cons of a certain moment, it’s still worth starting with the positive, so now let’s talk about the advantages that the cellular content carries in itself. Firstly, the laying hen is constantly under your complete control, and secondly, there is an incredible saving of territory, which allows you to place a huge number of heads in a small farmstead, as well as feed savings, thanks to which each bird eats the right amount, and this leads us to the next positive side. Thirdly, the laying hen lays eggs all year round, as she receives enough feed and lives in comfortable conditions, where she is provided with constant veterinary care and protection from small predators or aggressive representatives of poultry or livestock.

It is possible to ensure a correct and balanced diet, as well as the safety of poultry and eggs, only in cage conditions. In the case of free range, the bird can leave eggs in various secluded places of the farmstead, and you will find them only when you mow tall grass or clean up the yard. The cage also protects the bird from cats, martens and rats - lovers of eating eggs and fresh chicken meat, and food - from wild birds and rodents that can eat in the feeder. The cage makes it possible to recreate the microclimate necessary for a comfortable life of the chicken, which is why the bird lays eggs not only in the warm seasons, but all year round.

Due to the fact that feeders are installed in cages from the outside, the bird cannot trample and scatter food, which saves up to fifteen percent of feed, and this is a very serious figure in the household, especially if you present it in annual terms of the owner of a large livestock.

The main drawback of the cellular content of chickens is the lack of natural exercise, which, firstly, threatens the immobility of the bird. Under natural conditions of keeping, supposed constant walking, the bird will never sit in one place. On the one hand, the restriction in movement significantly saves the energy of the bird, which also results in savings in feed per unit of egg, but, on the other hand, this often causes a violation of metabolic processes, which can lead to sad consequences - diseases, oppression and decrease in egg laying activity.

Secondly, in a cage, the chicken does not receive enough sunlight. Under the influence of sunlight, the body of the chicken begins to actively produce vitamin D. The absence of this or its significant deficiency has to be compensated artificially, but not a single drug or food product can replace the sun's rays. Because of this, it is impossible to get those “legendary” eggs with a rich yolk from laying hens.

Thirdly, keeping in a cage excludes from the life of chickens any opportunity to receive natural feeding. While walking along the street, the birds themselves receive the vitamins and minerals they need to maintain their health and vital signs from beetles, worms, pebbles and various herbs. Naturally, it is possible to use artificially formulated vitamin-mineral complexes, but such additives will never become a full-fledged replacement, which, of course, significantly affects the general physical condition of chickens and the quality of eggs obtained from them. If your main goal home growing chickens are high-quality eggs, then the method of cellular maintenance is categorically contraindicated for you.

Many environmental organizations call the cell content format inhumane. For example, in Danny, keeping chickens in cages is prohibited at the legislative level, as this contradicts the moral and ethical standards established in the country. Naturally, most often all these disadvantages relate to large-scale production, but at home, the quality of life of birds in a cage can be significantly improved by settling them, for example, in cages only for the winter period. To maintain comfort, it is enough not to fill the cage too much, change the litter in it regularly and add greens or grass flour to the feed for laying hens.

Video “Cage keeping of chickens”

In the video, an experienced poultry farmer talks about keeping chickens in cages: cage design, features of caring for chickens, feeding, collecting eggs, etc.

Breeding chickens in enclosed spaces with a limited area is typical not only for large poultry farms. This option is suitable for farmers and private owners who own several dozen birds. The main reason is the inability to organize free range with a chronic lack of space. Placement in cages will increase the number of chickens and their productivity. The advantages include:

• simplification of care, reduction of maintenance costs;
• the ability to place a large number of birds in a room of limited size;
• increase in fattening speed, rapid weight gain;
• feed savings with accurate dosage of portions for each chicken;
• simplified collection of eggs and exclusion of their pecking;
• protection from predators and theft;
• accelerated fattening with limited mobility.

Interesting fact! According to statistics, one person consumes about 300 eggs per year. Thus, one hen of a highly productive breed will fully satisfy his needs.

Bird cages are usually placed in an insulated shed. But several containers can be installed even on the balcony of a city apartment. Usually chickens are kept for 1-2 seasons, then the livestock is changed. Quick change allows you to save high level egg production and reduces the risk of spreading infections.

Despite the significant advantages, there are also disadvantages to keeping chickens in cages. Among the main ones:

1. Poor quality of bird life. Chickens deprived of the opportunity to move freely live less, they develop osteoporosis, various tumor diseases and heart attacks are possible.
2. Crowded content provokes the spread of infections. Chickens are prone to epidemics, and frequent disinfection and vaccinations are needed to maintain the health of the livestock.
3. Decreased taste of meat. With improper nutrition, the bird turns out to be too fat, and the eggs become smaller.
4. The need for constant mineral and vitamin supplements.
5. Lack of daylight, poor insolation.

Important! Broilers and laying hens can be kept in a closed space without walking, which is subject to rapid culling. However, such conditions are not suitable for breeding roosters and hens.

Selection of chicken breed

The best choice is crosses of the egg or combined direction (layers suitable for fattening). They gain weight well, grow quickly, are unpretentious, and are less susceptible to infections. When buying, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the breed and recommendations for growing.

Breed	Direction	Description	Egg production (pieces per year)	Egg weight (g)	Peculiarities
leghorn	egg	White color prevails, but other variants are possible. Medium-sized chickens of delicate build, a small head with a yellow beak and a bright red crest, plumage is plentiful and dense. Egg shells are predominantly white.	200-250	up to 60	Champion in egg production, but after a year of laying hens, the readings decrease. Suitable for short term use. Good chick survival rate. They feed well, but the carcasses are not large.
Kuchinsky anniversary	Meat and egg	Roosters are large, showy, with reddish-brown plumage with a dark tail and collar. The females are rounded, the plumage is golden-brown. The crests are bright red, straight. Carcasses are massive, eggs with a light brown shell.	180-250	60	Prone to obesity, need a carefully composed and dosed diet. Eggs are selected and homogeneous, with time egg production decreases. The chicks grow fast, gaining good weight by the age of twenty weeks.
Hisex Brown	Meat and egg	A promising hybrid (cross) with lush golden brown plumage and a bright red crest hanging to one side. The age of females can be determined by the legs, in pullets they are light yellow. Very dense and plentiful feather.	350 - 360	70	Very high egg production, laying hens retain their qualities for several seasons. Gaining weight quickly, suitable for fattening. They need larger cages and good lighting. Prone to stress, a balanced diet and careful care are needed.
Loman Brown	egg	Compact chickens with beautiful plumage, combining brown, beige, white shades. The comb is large, leaf-shaped. Leg muscles are weak.	310-320	50-65	High productivity (including in winter), excellent taste of eggs. On the farm, chickens are kept for 2-3 years, then the livestock is changed. Calm, non-aggressive character, suitable for fattening.
Russian white	egg	Bred by crossing ordinary rural chickens with leghorns. White color, medium size. A distinctive feature is a large red upright comb. Medium sized eggs with white or cream shells.	200	60	Very unpretentious, not prone to incubation of eggs. Almost omnivorous, the meat is tasty and lean. With age, egg production decreases significantly.

Content Features

To ensure good egg production and minimize the risk of disease, it is important to observe certain conditions:

1. Good lighting. The ideal option is a seventeen-hour daylight hours, warm spectrum light is preferred. Cages are placed so that there is enough light for all birds, shadow areas should be avoided.
2. Fresh air. The chicken coop is ventilated 2-3 times a day, while direct contact of cold air with birds is unacceptable.
3. Stable temperature throughout the day. The optimal mode is 20-25 degrees.
4. Moderate humidity. The hygrometer should show 50-70%, a sharp increase in humidity is unacceptable.

Forced molting can extend the period of bird productivity. Organizing the process is easy. For half a day, the bird is left in the dark, while reducing portions of food. Then the lighting turns on again, vitamin components are included in the menu. Short-term switching renews the body of chickens, they begin to actively change the feather, they eat with great appetite, the number of eggs increases.

The dimensions of a standard chicken room are 0.5-0.7 m deep, up to 1.4 m wide, and 0.7 m high. 5-8 laying hens can be placed in such a cage.

The best material is a thick steel mesh with not too small cells. Such material provides good air exchange, the bird does not suffer from stuffiness and high humidity. The mesh is stretched over metal or wooden bars. Feeders and drinkers should not be too deep and easy to remove. At the same time, they must be fastened tightly and securely so that the chicken does not accidentally turn the container over. The mesh bottom should have a slope, a retractable metal or plastic tray for collecting litter is placed under it.

Still spending a lot of money on chicken cages? In vain! It is more than realistic to make a “house” for chickens with your own hands. Step by step instructions for the manufacture of cells, as well as detailed drawings of structures, you will find in the article -

The premises for egg crosses can be relatively small, at least 0.06 sq. m. Meat breeds need more space, they need at least 0.08 square meters. m per head. One cage can contain from 2 to 12 chickens. It is important to remember that overcrowded content favors the spread of infections.

Placement of cages and additional equipment

Many space-constrained hosts arrange cages in tiers. However, this method worsens the illumination, the birds reduce egg production. It is better to arrange the cages in one layer or place them on racks with large gaps. It all depends on the size of the chicken coop, its height, the number of birds.

For ease of maintenance, all cells are connected by an egg receptacle. Drinkers and feeders are attached to the outside. The uniformity of illumination is provided by rheostats, they turn on the light gradually so as not to frighten the bird. The device is able to independently adjust the brightness of the lighting and change its spectrum. Egg production is positively affected by lamps with yellow, red, orange filters.

If there are a lot of chickens, it is worth automating the process of supplying water and feed. The most convenient are vacuum drinkers connected into a single system. A common tank made of plastic or metal is installed on the dais, flexible tubes leading to the drinking bowls are diverted from it. So that they are filled to the brim, but do not overflow, the tank is equipped with an airtight lid.

A fan system will help provide fresh air. They are placed in different corners of the chicken coop and turned on at least 3 times a day. For lighting, LED or energy-saving lamps are used. Ordinary incandescent lamps are very short-lived and do not withstand a seventeen-hour light regime. In addition, such devices consume much more electricity and can cause network overload.

Carefully! Energy-saving lamps in the form of a spiral can accidentally break and pollute the room with mercury vapor. LED devices do not have this drawback.

Lighting norm - 12-diode LED lamp for every 2 square meters of the room. It is necessary to distribute the lamps evenly; in case of tiered lighting, they must be installed above each row of cages.

Video - Keeping chickens in cages at home

Features of feeding

From right choice diet depends on the well-being of chickens, their egg production and fattening speed. It is important to maintain the right balance of nutrients. Some novice poultry farmers focus on carbohydrates, consuming which the bird quickly gains weight. However, this approach contributes to the accumulation of fat, the meat becomes less tasty, and the productivity of laying hens decreases. The menu should contain animal and vegetable proteins (at least 10, and preferably 15%), fats (up to 6%), minerals and vitamins.

The best choice is industrial feed with a balanced composition, including grains of wheat, barley, oilcake, vegetable fats and vitamin complexes. Loose feed is easier to give, they are readily pecked by chickens and stimulate digestion.

Grain mixtures are nutritious, but not too rich in protein. Adding legumes, corn, bone or fish meal will help increase its amount. Be sure to combine vegetable and animal protein. Calcium supplements will help strengthen the shell. Some owners add crushed eggshell, it is a cheap alternative to industrial calcium complexes.

Crushed shells are a great alternative to special calcium supplements

Birds should always have access to clean water. Drinking bowls are filled daily, from time to time they need to be washed and disinfected. A chicken needs about 0.5 liters of water per day. A bird deprived of walking cannot peck at pebbles, sand, insects, fresh grass, so the farm owner must take care of fiber and mineral supplements. Fresh chopped vegetables, garden tops, weeds, freshly cut grass are regularly placed in the feeders. Peeling vegetables, leftover food from your own table are also suitable. Such regular additions improve the quality of life of chickens, stimulate egg production and increase the palatability of meat.

Adult chickens eat 2 times a day, the average portion is 120-160 grams of grain mixture or other feed. After the meal, the feeders must be cleaned of residues to avoid food spoilage and poisoning of the laying hens.

Diseases and prevention

Among the dangers that lie in wait for chickens:

• ticks and lice;
• helminths;
• staphylococcus;
• brucellosis;
• salmonellosis;
• pullorosis.

Discomfort can be identified by appearance and chicken behavior. Lethargy, poor appetite, weight loss, disheveled dull feathers and pale combs are a sure sign of illness. Even more striking signs: sore throat, shortness of breath, cough, spasms of the airways. For preventive purposes, all livestock receive a portion of the antibiotic along with the feed. Obviously sick birds should be removed and quarantined in a timely manner.

Note! After contact with unhealthy chickens, you should thoroughly wash your hands and wipe them with alcohol.

Frequent washing of the cells with a disinfectant solution and changing bedding will help to avoid infections. Bathing ashes should be sprinkled with a little dust, the mixture in bathing baths is changed weekly. Periodic quartzization of the chicken coop is capable of destroying the infection. Do not allow other pets to chickens, allow dogs or cats to drink and eat from feeders. Rodents are also a danger, which can spoil grain feed.

In the event of an infectious disease and the death of a large number of chickens, all cages must be replaced, it is better to burn the old ones. The room is treated with bleach and thoroughly ventilated.

Caring for chickens in cages

The day in the chicken coop begins with a gradual turn on of the light. Then comes feeding. With a large number of cells, the process of distributing feed should be mechanized. Eggs are collected from trays, pallets are cleaned of litter. Once every 2 days, you need to clean the cages, clean the feeders and drinkers, wipe the rods, thoroughly rinse the bottom of the cages and trays. Once every 2-3 weeks, a thorough cleaning with a bleach solution is necessary. Before feeding, it is useful to ventilate the chicken coop, making sure that cold air currents do not fall on the birds.

Important! The owner must constantly monitor the condition of the livestock. Lethargy, poor appetite, decreased egg production - a signal that it is necessary to make adjustments to the content: to revise the size of the cages, change the diet or increase the lighting.

With this method of keeping chickens, they are usually placed in small groups, 5 or 6 individuals in one cage.

However, each individual should have at least 0.1 sq. m of cage area, otherwise the chickens will be too crowded and their quality of life will deteriorate significantly.

If the layers are kept alone, then 0.5 square meters is enough. m area for one individual.

Immediately it should be noted that the cage content seriously limits the movement of laying hens. They cannot lead an active lifestyle, walking around the yard, so they need special care.

It is advisable to constantly maintain the same microclimate in the chicken coop. so that the livestock feel good at different times of the year. You can read in detail about the correct organization of keeping laying hens.

Unfortunately, only with the help of this method it is possible to place the bird as compactly as possible on the territory of one poultry farm, so cage keeping is common among large farms.

To minimize the unpleasant consequences for chickens, we recommend choosing only those breeds that are the easiest to tolerate such content.

How to organize the accommodation of laying hens correctly?

The cages where the birds will be kept are made from five-tier columns of three- or five-tier batteries made of wood or metal. The floor with this content is made of metal rods. A small gutter is formed on it from the outside of the cage, and the floor itself is placed at a slight slope. Eggs collected from the cells will fall into the groove.

In the photo below you can see what the cages for chickens look like, which can be arranged in several tiers:

Trays are installed under the floor to collect litter. that slide out easily for cleaning. In non-mechanized cages, a drinking bowl and a feeder are hung on the front in front of the door. As a rule, one drinker is installed for two adjacent cages. Most often, it is fully mechanized, like the feeders for laying hens.

Proper organization of keeping chickens includes many important points, and this applies not only to cages.

In the winter season, the heating of the poultry house with cages is necessarily organized. In winter, the temperature should be maintained at 16 degrees, and in summer - at 18 degrees.

To accomplish this task, you will need information about building a chicken coop and the activities that go with it.

Lighting

Due to the lack of free range, laying hens are forced to receive light from artificial sources.

The fact is that lighting has a positive effect not only on the health of laying hens, but also on egg productivity.

It is especially important to establish proper lighting in the chicken coop during the cold season, when, by their nature, the birds stop rushing.

In the room where there are cages with birds, there should always be uniform lighting. In no case should you allow the formation of too dark and too light corners.

To create uniform lighting, professional poultry breeders use rheostats, which can both adjust the brightness and gradually turn on the light.

Gradually turning on the light is necessary to reduce the stress of the birds. In addition, the illusion of a change in the time of day is created, so the birds perceive such lighting as quite natural.

Often, to improve the egg production of birds on large poultry farms, a different color spectrum is used.. The owners of poultry farms constantly alternate the spectrum of red, orange and yellow colors, which favorably affect the egg productivity of the bird, the chickens become calmer, which immediately affects their health.

Feeding

Under conditions of cage keeping, laying hens should receive a well-balanced feed, since they do not go out for walking. Most often, laying hens in factory conditions are fed with compound feed. They begin to give it from the beginning of puberty until the end of oviposition.

For feeding laying hens living in cages, crumbly feed is ideal. Birds will forage for a long time, spending most of the day doing this activity. For birds that are limited in movement, this method of feeding will come in handy, as they will spend some amount of energy during intensive pecking of the food.

The composition of crumbly feed must necessarily include wheat grains, calcium carbonate, sunflower cake, any vegetable fats, salt and vitamins. In no case should you use food with the addition of drugs and dyes, as the laying hen's body may not be able to cope with the digestion of such food.

It is believed that the best compound feed for chickens should contain 15% protein, 5% fat, 6% fiber and a small amount of useful minerals and vitamins.

The most detailed information about feeding is collected in the corresponding site.

Laying hens kept in cage batteries are fed using automatic feeders. The feed falls into special troughs near the cages, where the chickens quickly peck it.

You can see what the feeder looks like in the diagram and photo below:

At the same time, birds should have free access to water. On average, each laying hen should drink at least 500 ml of water per day, so you need to worry about arranging drinkers in advance.

Most often, a flute drinker is used on the territory of a poultry farm. It consists of a gutter through which water flows, fasteners, a valve cock and a drain pipe. These automatic drinkers are very convenient to use, as they require a small length of pipes for their installation. But they need to be washed periodically, as drain pipes often become clogged and fail.

Often, nipple-type drinkers are also used. You can see examples in the photo below:

What supplements are needed in the diet?

All laying hens living in cages should receive top dressing in the form of vegetables, grass and fruits. The fact is that birds never go out for a walk, so their body may feel a lack of certain vitamins, which can lead to.

Mowed and chopped lawn grass, kitchen waste, fresh vegetable skins and weeds are added to the feed for laying hens. However, cabbage is a real delicacy for laying hens. different types, pumpkin, apples and green salads. All these ingredients need to be finely chopped and added to the birds in the feeder.

Usually laying hens choose green food first, and then start eating grains.

After feeding is completed, it is important to inspect the condition of the feeders. They should not leave food residues, as dangerous microorganisms often start in it.

Remember that an unbalanced diet leads to a lack of vitamins, and this in turn entails a variety of consequences.

Cage and house cleaning

The correct maintenance of laying hens depends on how well the cleanliness of their habitat is maintained. To do this, you need to monitor the sanitary and hygienic standards for keeping poultry. House cleaning should be regular, especially when it comes to laying hens.

To keep cells clean you need to wipe its rods daily. Feeding troughs after feeding the grain are thoroughly washed. If chickens are fed with green fodder or wet mash, then the feeders are cleaned immediately after the end of the chicken meal.

As for the litter, it falls on special pallets placed under the cages. They are cleaned with special scrapers as they are filled. After that, the litter is sent to the workshop for processing, where it becomes a good fertilizer for plants.

With the cellular content of laying hens, the risk of occurrence and increases significantly. That is why preventive vaccinations are constantly carried out on poultry farms. This is especially true for young laying hens, which are considered more susceptible to various diseases.

We present to your attention a story about keeping chickens in cages, a private experience:
https://youtu.be/zXoWasEBSLI

Conclusion

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So is meat, a profitable and interesting occupation. Chickens are fairly common birds on large farms and private farms. The fact is that they are quite picky about the conditions of detention and nutrition, so you can cope with their breeding even without practical experience. Compliance with simple rules will bring the farmer a good income in the form of dietary meat and eggs.

In cases where a large number of chickens are bred, and there is no place for their free range, then it will be an excellent way out. This method has a great advantage - in conditions of limited space, five times more heads are placed in a cage than on bedding. In addition, egg production does not suffer at all, while the bird needs much less feed, since when physical activity is limited, energy consumption is reduced.

The breed is characterized by high rates of egg production, which does not decrease under conditions of constant stay in a cage - 300-320 eggs per year. At the same time, the eggs are quite large, and the ripening period begins early, already from the age of four months. The period of the most productive egg production lasts about a year and a half, after which there is no need to keep the chicken, as a rule, it is slaughtered. The advantages of this chicken include the fact that almost the entire population of chicks, as a rule, survives.

The chickens of the breed have also proven themselves well. They perfectly adapt to any living conditions, their productivity is high both in free range and in cages. These hens lay between 250 and 300 eggs a year, each weighing about 60 grams. They begin to lay eggs in the fifth month of life, but after a year, productivity decreases.

Continues to rush intensively for about eighty weeks. She brings up to 350 eggs per year, starting from the fourth month of life, and each egg reaches a weight of 70-75 grams. At the same time, the cholesterol content in her eggs is quite low, so this breed of chickens is very much appreciated. It adapts well to the cage and. Its productivity is not very high - up to 180 eggs per year, but if you create good conditions for it and properly feed it, the figure can grow to 250 pieces.

In order for the productivity of chickens not to decrease in the absence of free range, it is important to create favorable conditions for them. The room where the cages are located should be warm, well ventilated and supplied with electric light. In order to temperature regime has been observed, it is necessary to raise the cages to a height of one meter above the floor. Air temperature is usually measured at the height of the second tier of cages.

The optimum temperature for chickens is between 20 and 27 degrees Celsius with a relative humidity of 50-70%. For good productivity, the light in the coop should be on for 17 hours a day. Cages for chickens can be equipped independently or bought in a specialized store. The main thing is that they meet the requirements.

Chicken Cage Requirements:

• dimensions 80×50×120;
• the presence of a feeder and drinker;
• compartment for collecting eggs;
• compartment for collecting waste products.

The cage is usually a two-tier structure. Up to seven chickens can be in each block at the same time. For the convenience of collecting eggs, it is better to equip cages with a special ramp and assembly for eggs. To make it easier to clean the cage, it is worth installing a tray to collect waste products. Eggs should be collected as often as possible so that the chickens do not start pecking at them.

With cage keeping, it is also possible to select eggs for incubation. To do this, use a cage measuring a meter by two, in which ten chickens and a rooster are placed.

In some situations, keeping chickens in a cage is the only option. Cages with chickens can also be found on the balcony of a city apartment. With the right approach, you can get good productivity from birds, while saving space and money for feed. With good care can be grown in a cage and meat breeds chickens.

However, with all the advantages, there are also disadvantages. Firstly, free-range chickens lay for two or even three years. In a cage, this figure rarely exceeds twelve months. Secondly, there is a risk of hysteria among chickens when the bird begins to pluck itself, or fatigue caused by overloading the cage. Compliance with cage requirements, regular cleaning of the coop, and adequate space for each bird will help avoid these problems.

In this article you will find many useful information and practical advice on the summer and winter keeping of chickens in the country, and also learn how to properly equip a room for growing birds.

Raising chickens is one of the easiest and most profitable industries. Agriculture. Observing certain rules of content, you can receive not only chicken eggs but also high-quality dietary meat.

To create optimal conditions for breeding chickens, it is necessary to take into account not only the physiology of birds, but also the direction of productivity. First of all, you need to choose the right breed.

Note: If chickens are planned to be bred for meat, meat breeds should be chosen, and egg breeds for eggs. However, for household plots it is better to give preference meat and egg breeds chickens that have high egg production, but are also suitable for obtaining dietary meat with high palatability.

For breeding chickens, you need to create such conditions:

• Room: the poultry house in which the birds will be kept is built from any materials (wood, brick, concrete), but the building must be insulated, lighting and heating are carried out. This will help maintain egg production in the winter.
• Equipment: inside the house, feeders and drinkers are installed, as well as perches and nests for laying hens.
• Stern: in the summer, the birds have enough green food that they receive on the run. Such feeds can be supplemented with grain or wet mash. In winter, the diet of chickens should be more saturated and include food rich in vitamins, protein and carbohydrates. For this, silage, hay and grass flour, mineral supplements (crushed shells, chalk and limestone) and special vitamins for laying hens are used.

Figure 1. Scheme of construction and internal arrangement of the poultry house

An important condition for breeding chickens is the presence of walking. This is a fenced area where chickens can move freely. Being outdoors prevents excessive obesity and helps birds build up vitamin D.

Aviary and walking

When planning to breed chickens at home, you need to create optimal conditions for their maintenance. First of all, a poultry house is equipped, the size of which must correspond to the number of individuals on the farm. The optimal ceiling height is no more than 180 centimeters, since in winter a large room is more difficult to heat. Figures 1 and 2 show detailed schemes for the construction of a chicken coop, indicating the main dimensions of the room. Based on this drawing, you can easily create a poultry house in your backyard. In addition, the drawing will help to correctly distribute inner space poultry house and rationally place all the necessary equipment.

• Building made of wood and insulated;
• floors made of wood, concrete or adobe. Concrete floors are considered the least acceptable, as they contribute to the spread of dampness;
• Supply and exhaust ventilation using vents or pipes with plugs;
• Square eye n corresponds to 10 percent of the floor area;
• window frames make double and removable for natural ventilation in summer;
• Near the poultry house equip a closed yard for walking birds. To protect chickens from attack by ferrets or birds of prey, it is better to do a walking yard under a canopy or trees, and there should not be holes in the fence;
• Floor inside the house without fail covered with bedding (chopped straw, hay, sawdust, peat, dry leaves). The presence of bedding helps to maintain the temperature and prevent the growth of pathogens.

Figure 2. Drawing of a house for 10 individuals

It is worth noting that it is better to prepare the litter in advance and store it in a dry place so that the raw materials do not become damp and moldy.

For a comfortable stay of chickens inside the house, it is necessary to equip perches. For their manufacture, wooden bars or poles are used. Perches are made near windows, but away from drafts. For more convenient collection of litter, it is better to mount lifting perches that are attached to the walls.

Note: In order to provide laying hens with convenient places for laying eggs, nests are arranged in secluded places of the poultry house (one for 5-6 birds). They are made from ordinary wooden boxes, inside which they put chopped straw, hay or wood shavings. The litter is periodically changed when it becomes contaminated with droppings.

At the end of summer or the beginning of autumn, the house must be disinfected, dried, sprinkled with lime and covered with fresh bedding. When a change of litter is required, the old layer is simply fluffed up a little and sprinkled with new. Since most of the manure accumulates under the perches, it is necessary to equip metal pallets under them for easy manure collection. For a comfortable stay, there should be no more than five chickens of egg breeds and no more than four meat breeds per square meter of bedding.

Temperature and ventilation

The temperature regime directly depends on the height of the ceilings in the room. The recommended indicator is 1.8 meters. If the ceiling is lower, it will be difficult to provide fresh air, and if it is higher, it will be difficult to warm the room in winter.

The optimum temperature is considered to be between 23-25 ​​degrees in summer and 15 in winter. In the warm season, windows are opened to support the desired mode, and for the cold period, the house is insulated and heating devices are installed.

Figure 3. Scheme of supply and exhaust ventilation in the poultry house

The temperature regime is inextricably linked with ventilation. For small poultry houses, a few vents will suffice, but it is still better to equip a supply and exhaust ventilation system. So it will be easier for you to control the intensity of the influx of fresh air. To do this, two holes are made in the roof of the room and pipes of the same diameter are inserted into it, bringing their upper ends out. At the same time, the supply pipe must be located below the exhaust pipe so that warm air from the inside of the room can freely escape to the outside (Figure 3).

Arrangement of a chicken coop

It is important not only to build a quality poultry house, but also to properly equip it inside. First of all, you need to make quality flooring so that the birds do not suffer from cold and humidity.

Necessary poultry house equipment includes:

• Feeders should not only be spacious (Figure 4) so ​​that all the birds have enough food, but also safe and easy to care for (so that they can be easily washed and disinfected if necessary);
• Additional small feeders for mineral feed, gravel and clean water;
• A box for taking ash baths, which is installed in one of the corners of the room;
• On the walking area, special feeders are equipped for feeding green fodder.

Figure 4. Drawing for self-manufacturing feeders of various types

If the area for housing is limited, chickens can be placed in cages or on mesh floors. This greatly facilitates care, reduces feed consumption and increases productivity.

Lighting also plays an important role in productivity. Birds need enough light, but with too long daylight hours, egg production is reduced. The author of the video will tell you everything about keeping chickens at home for beginners.

The easiest way to get acquainted with the features of growing chickens in a summer cottage is to watch a video. If you plan to keep laying hens at home, you need to take care of the arrangement of the house. This is true not only for the cold season, but also for the summer, as chickens need shelter from rain and sleep. We bring to your attention a video that shows in detail all the key points of keeping laying hens at home.

Keeping laying hens at home

It can be difficult for beginners to decide how best to keep domestic chickens - in cages or free-range (poultry floor). In fact, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so we recommend that you familiarize yourself with each of them and choose the right one.

outdoor

In this case, the birds can move freely around the house, the floor of which is covered with a deep bedding of loose materials with low thermal conductivity. This method has an undeniable advantage: chickens can move freely, which has a positive effect on their health and egg production (Figure 5).

Note: But it should be borne in mind that the consumption of bedding materials will be quite large. The coating layer should be at least 15 cm, and if many individuals are raised on the farm, such maintenance will be unprofitable from a financial point of view.

Figure 5. Growing layers on deep litter

At the same time, the use of deep litter greatly facilitates the care of birds. The material is laid down before the hens are put into the house and not removed until slaughter. In addition, suitable bedding materials are not expensive. For this purpose, you can use ordinary straw, sawdust, wood shavings or peat. You can add some grain waste. Then the chickens will independently rummage in the litter and fluff it, preventing the formation of a crust and the development of harmful microorganisms.

Cellular

Such cultivation is practiced on large poultry farms that specialize in selling eggs. At home, this method is rarely practiced, since it requires the purchase or manufacture of special cages, as well as feeders and drinkers (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Drawing and photo of cages for breeding laying hens

The advantage of the method can be considered a fairly high egg production and a quick set of live weight. Since the birds move much less, the fattening time for meat can be significantly reduced. But it should be borne in mind that the cell content entails an increased consumption of feed and nutritional supplements.

On the mesh floor

This method of keeping is great for households for several reasons. Firstly, it allows you to double the number of livestock: if no more than 5 animals can be kept on a regular litter per square meter of floor area, then on a mesh floor this number increases to 10-12 individuals (Figure 7).

Secondly, this method greatly facilitates the care of birds. The mesh laid on the floor is at some distance from a special metal pallet. For cleaning, it is enough to remove and clean it from waste products. In addition to keeping the poultry house clean, it helps prevent the spread of some dangerous diseases.

Figure 7. Arrangement of mesh floors in the poultry house

To make a poultry house with mesh floors, you first need to make wooden frames measuring 1.5 * 2 meters. Under the frame, at a distance of 30 cm, small transverse strips are attached, on which the grid located on top will rest. It is better to use a galvanized mesh with a mesh size of up to 3.5 cm.

Growing chickens in the summer is not difficult, especially if there is free space for walking on the site. In the warm season, the birds will independently look for food and eat greens or insects in the garden, but this does not mean that they can be left unattended.

Care

The basis of bird care is the arrangement of the poultry house and walking. If you don't want to let the chickens out into the garden, you can fence off a small area in the yard. It is desirable that it has a ground cover and at least a little vegetation. So the chickens will be able to independently search for food (Figure 8).

The poultry house can be light, for example, from boards. But inside it is necessary to equip perches and nests, as well as feeders and drinkers. Otherwise, there are no special requirements for summer care, with the exception of feeding, if you want to get a lot of eggs from laying hens.

Feeding

Although the birds can forage on their own, they need to be given other fortified foods to increase egg production and weight gain.

Figure 8. Features of summer breeding of birds

For example, the basis of the diet can be wheat, which contains a lot of protein. You can supplement it with barley, which improves the quality of meat, or corn (positively affects egg production). In addition, you can feed any green and juicy food that is on the farm: young nettles, chopped sugar beets, vegetables and tops. Also, do not forget about mineral dressings: you need to put crushed shell or chalk in special containers on the walk.

In winter, raising chickens in the country is much more difficult than in summer. Several factors affect at once: the limited food supply, short daylight hours and low ambient temperature (Figure 9).

Despite the fact that chickens normally tolerate a decrease in temperature, in winter, their egg production is significantly reduced.

To prevent this from happening, you need to properly keep the bird in winter:

• The keeping room must be insulated, and the chickens are kept on a deep bedding. As a room for keeping, you can use a greenhouse equipped with a system of supply and exhaust ventilation.
• Feeders and drinkers are deepened into the litter so that water and food are room temperature. Simple and convenient options for making homemade feeders and drinkers are shown in Figures 10 and 11.
• In winter, the duration of daylight hours is artificially extended by turning on the lamps.

Figure 9. Growing laying hens in the cold season

Since winter growing has several important features, let's look at the key points of this process in more detail.

Care

The most important thing is to provide the chickens with a warm room, since in order to maintain egg production, the temperature should not fall below 15 degrees.

Figure 10. Homemade feeders from improvised materials

To do this, you can carry out external insulation of the house or install heaters inside. You should also take care of the bedding. First, the floor is sprinkled with slaked lime for disinfection, and then covered with a layer of straw or sawdust about 15 cm thick. As it gets dirty, the litter is not removed, but only fresh layers are added, gradually increasing the thickness to 25 cm.

Note: A prerequisite is the presence of ventilation, since vapors from the waste products of birds will pollute the air and can provoke livestock diseases. The best way- supply and exhaust ventilation, which will provide a uniform supply of fresh air without lowering the temperature.

Daylight hours also play an important role. To maintain egg production, it must be at least 12 hours, so be sure to hang a few lamps in the house for additional lighting.

Feeding

Another factor that affects the success of winter rearing of layers is the correct composition of the diet. Traditionally, chickens are fed three times a day. In the morning they give out wet mash, in which, if desired, you can add special vitamins to increase productivity.

Note: The stirrer must be crumbly, as the sticky mass clogs the nasal passages of birds.

During the day, you can give roughage with mineral supplements (crushed shells, lime or chalk), and it is desirable to provide separate feeders for each type of product. You can also give out fresh chopped vegetables and root crops.

Figure 11. Types of homemade drinkers for chickens

In the evening, chickens are given whole grains: so the birds will be full until the morning, and the type of culture should be changed daily (wheat on the first day, barley on the second, corn on the third, and so on).

If you have a greenhouse on the site that is not used in winter, it can easily be converted to keep chickens. Such a room is easy to heat, and the temperature inside is kept at a stable level (Figure 12).

Figure 12. Growing chickens in an old greenhouse

The only difficulty that may arise is ventilation. The influx of fresh air should be gradual, and so that the chickens do not get sick, drafts should not be allowed to occur.

Otherwise, the equipment of the greenhouse is no different from the arrangement of the poultry house. It is necessary to install perches and nests in it, put feeders and drinkers, and cover the floor with a layer of bedding.

Maintenance in the winter in the country

Novice poultry farmers often have questions about winter breeding of chickens. In the video below, you can find answers to questions about the arrangement of the premises and the schedule for feeding birds in the cold season.

Unusual content of laying hens

In some cases, it is allowed to keep laying hens in the winter on the balconies of ordinary city apartments. Outwardly, the device for keeping birds resembles a cabinet, inside of which there are perches and nests.

Additionally, it is necessary to make feeders, the volume of which will allow the birds to eat all the food for half an hour. To provide the required level of heat, electricity is supplied to the cabinet.

Under these conditions, feeding occurs twice a day. Any kitchen waste is suitable for this: vegetable peel (peeled from rot and boiled), cabbage leaves, raw carrots. You can also feed meat and fish waste, egg shells, leftover flour or cereals. The mineral top dressing is shell rock, which is crushed in a meat grinder and introduced into wet mixers. Separately, you should install small jars with gravel or coarse sand.

In these conditions, it is important to comply with all sanitary and hygienic standards. First of all, it is necessary to clean the closet from bird droppings daily, and once a week to disinfect it and change the bedding. For such content, it is recommended to select calm layers that will not disturb the neighbors. Practical recommendations for the manufacture of compact and comfortable cells for keeping chickens on the balcony of a city apartment, you will learn from the video below.