One of the most picky poultry are chickens. Breeding, keeping, caring for them and feeding them do not require special skills. However, it is necessary to know a few nuances, otherwise the birds will not give the expected number of eggs and can die quickly.
Which breed to choose?
For home breeding, birds of general and egg type are best suited. In an individual farm, it is extremely unprofitable to grow meat breeds. As for the breeding of egg-type chickens , their maintenance does not require a lot of finances. They also quickly mature for gestation, although they are light in weight.
The bright representatives of the egg breed include Russian white hens. Often they are crossed with leggornami. They have a thick neck, a
large head with a leaf-like crest and an elongated body. This breed is capable of producing about 200 medium-sized eggs annually. Another demanded representative of the species are Leghorn vulgaris. They are characterized by high mobility, a thin neck and a driven tail. Leghorns can produce up to 300 eggs per year. Their weight is slightly less than that of Russians.
Sometimes
breeding chickens at home does not consist in obtaining a large number of eggs. Many people keep birds for the so-called common use. In such cases, the weight of the chicken and its egg production over a certain period of time also matter. Common breeds include Adler silverfish, red white tails, Poltava clayey, but the most common are Plymouthroks. They can produce up to 3 kg of pure meat and carry up to 180 eggs per year.
Home breeding
The first two months in chickens the formation of the skeleton and the muscular system, the supporting apparatus. Therefore, the breeding of hens at home for this period should be determined by maintaining the uniformity of the herd (size separation). It is important that by the end of the 10th week the birds of all groups are equal in weight. By the middle of the 4th month, the chicken should have about 1.6 kg. In the following weeks (up to the 22nd), birds need to gain 15-25 g per day so that there is no obesity or rickets.
Puberty in chickens begins from the 4th month. By this moment, groups of birds can already be connected, but do it gradually so that they can easily adapt to each other. Chicken eggs are able to bear from the 17th week. However, the optimal age for this is 5 months.
Experts say good light is needed to accelerate bird maturation. Therefore, breeding chickens at home requires good luminescence. It is proved that for the full development of birds, it is necessary, at least, that the room is lit from all sides for 10-12 hours. This is the only way the chicken ovaries will ripen on time (until the 22nd week).
Household breeding
To keep a large number of birds, you will need an appropriate aviary or chicken coop. In this case, it is recommended to breed chickens in the garden or in the country. The law does not limit the number of pets, but it is worth considering that in the rules of some gardening associations such a framework can be prescribed. Most often, up to 40 chickens are allowed.
In the garden you can breed birds year-round, but for this you need to insulate the chicken coop. Ideal for keeping in winter, broilers are suitable that quickly adapt to the cold due to their plumage and some physiological characteristics. Many summer residents breed hens only from spring to autumn, and with the onset of frost they kill them or take them home.
Small breeds of meat and egg are best suited for breeding on the site, as they lead a more active lifestyle and adapt more quickly to changing weather conditions.
Chicken coop requirements
When breeding poultry in a household plot, the first thing you should think about is building and equipping a room where they could bear eggs, hide from bad weather and sleep. The main requirements for any chicken coop are dryness and light. It is also important that there are no drafts in the room, as young chickens are especially susceptible to colds.
Breeding chickens in the
household requires considerable costs. Firstly, it is worth equipping a room wherever they live. A normal chicken coop should have a
pitched roof, block or wooden walls and an insulated ceiling. It is important that the windows are located at a height of 0.3 m from the floor and correspond to the dimensions - 25 by 30 cm. Doors should be insulated, the slots are closed with platbands. Lazas for birds should not be too large - a square with dimensions of 30 by 30 cm. Keeping and raising chickens in the room also requires constant lighting, especially in cloudy weather.
As for the walking paddock, it should be spacious and have a high fence. The area of the aviary is taken at the rate of 0.7 square meters per head. The soil in the pen should be leveled with a slight slope, along which water flows during precipitation. Also in the chicken coop and aviary you need to install special perches - smooth poles (about 6 cm wide) at the rate of 0.25 m per head. Nests should be in dark corners.
Chicken Feeding
Egg production of birds directly depends on their diet. The daily menu of chickens should include flour mixtures, and grains, and vegetable feed, and mineral supplements.
To get enough vitamins and protein, birds should eat up to 180 grams of food per day. The daily diet of one chicken is calculated as follows: 50 g of grain, 50 g of flour mixture, 50 g of succulent feed, 10 g of protein, 10 g of hay flour, 5 g of shell, 1 g of fish oil, 0.5 g of salt. It is allowed to give 3 g of baker's yeast per head. In addition, fresh grass and vegetables occupy an important place in the chicken diet.
Usually, poultry is fed 3-4 times a day: in the morning - grain, in the afternoon - a wet mash, in the evening - a dry mixture, at night - cereals.
The daily norm of water per head is 300 ml.
Fattening for slaughter
This procedure is recommended to be done with the onset of autumn. Feeding birds must be kept separate from those that are carrying. Boiled potatoes and all kinds of table waste are added to their regular diet.
For a quick result, you can make a mash in a broth of fatty meat. During feeding, the bird should eat 3 times a day (every 6 hours). Breeding domestic chickens for slaughter requires a little patience. After 3 weeks, the birds will be ready for cutting. The day before slaughter they are given only salted water.
Disease prevention
To prevent infection of poultry, pens and chicken coops should be kept clean. A huge role in the prevention of diseases is played by proper feeding.
Often, breeding chickens at home implies their treatment. To achieve the desired effect, it is necessary to find the cause of the disease in a timely manner and to separate infected birds from healthy ones.
You can notice the poor condition of the chicken by its behavior: lethargy, lack of appetite, drooping wings, eyes closed with a film, drowsiness. The presence of infection is also indicated by a temperature of 43 degrees and above.