How to feed laying hens to rush better: features and recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Today, quite a lot of people are engaged in breeding pets. Most importantly, you should understand that they always need proper care, namely: proper and regular nutrition, equipped accommodation and, if necessary, vaccinations.

Chickens, geese and turkeys are the most popular among farmers. This is due to the fact that their care is minimal, and as a result you can get eggs and delicious meat. The ability of hens to lay can vary depending on the time of year and climatic conditions. This feature is associated with the physiology of birds. In the autumn-winter period, hens, as a rule, carry fewer eggs than in the warm season. This is due to the fact that the animals are inactive and eat less food. Metabolic processes also slow down. However, farmers know some secrets that can increase the egg production of chickens in the winter. What to feed chickens in the cold? How to provide them with the right conditions of detention? Let's try to deal with these issues.

Features of the diet

If correctmake up a diet, then the bird will rush all year round. The food must include vitamins and mineral supplements. It is also important to feed the hens three or four times a day. A serving in full should contain all the necessary trace elements. How to feed laying hens in winter to rush? It is quite possible to cook food with your own hands.

The daily diet must include the following components:

• grain - 120 grams (30 g - barley, 40 g - corn, 20 g - wheat);
• boiled potatoes - 100 grams;
• chalk - 3 grams;
• meat and bone meal - 2 grams;
• cake – 7 grams;
• yeast - 1 gram;
• table s alt - 0.5 grams;
• mash 30 grams.

As for potatoes, the main thing here is not to give green or sprouted tubers to chickens. A decoction of such root crops can cause poisoning in birds. Also, you can not give quicklime, watermelon and orange peels, chicken meat. These foods can cause serious digestive problems and even death in animals.

Full menu

How to feed laying hens so that they show high egg production? A complete diet should include dry, wet and combination foods. Dry food includes wheat, millet, bran, barley, corn, buckwheat, rye and oats. These cereals contain a large amount of carbohydrates and fiber, proteins and vitamins. Also, the menu should include trace elements such as phosphorus, calcium and others. To provide chicken food with these substances, it is necessary to addcrushed shells, legumes, table s alt and ashes.

As for wet food, it includes a whole mixture of foods mixed with pure water or milk. It is prepared from cake, hay flour, cereals, herbs, boiled and raw vegetables. If the breeder gives the chickens both wet and dry food, then such food is considered combined. The above diet is considered the best option for increasing egg production.

Many are interested in what to feed chickens to lay eggs in winter. In cold weather, fresh herbs should definitely be added to the diet. In the warm season, birds can peck at it on their own.

Egg laying conditions

In order for chickens to rush well, regardless of the time of year, they need to create comfortable conditions. There are no serious requirements for chicken coop equipment. However, certain recommendations should still be followed.

Among them are the following:

• It is better to choose a quiet place for a chicken coop.
• Nests should be installed at the same height.
• Birds must be protected from drafts.
• It is better to fill the floor in the chicken coop with clay. This material will not freeze in winter. You can sprinkle sawdust on top. Chickens will happily dig into them in the winter.
• It's best not to make the laying room too big. There is a pattern that chickens rush better in the dark.
• For laying eggs, the optimum indoor temperature is between 23 and 25 degrees above zero.
• The chicken coop should have several windows, but they are locatedshould be in such a way that sunlight does not fall directly on the nests.

One of the most important factors that directly affects the number of eggs is the diet of chickens. In the cold season, the lamps must be turned on early and better with the first feeding. The second delivery of feed is carried out at lunchtime, about one in the afternoon. In the morning and afternoon, it is better to give chickens mash. In the evening, the birds are fed dry food. Thanks to strict adherence to the regime, it is possible to keep the egg production of chickens extremely high even in winter.

Feeding during the cold season: how is it different?

Many today are interested in how to feed chickens at home in winter. The main requirement is that the feed should be as diverse as possible and contain as many nutrients as possible. This is primarily due to a serious drop in temperature in the chicken coop, a decrease in the mobility of birds and the impossibility of obtaining enough green fodder and protein food on their own.

What is the best food to feed chickens in winter? Birds need to be fed 3-4 times a day. In the evening it is better to give dry food, and during the day - combined. Shredded and grated vegetables and root vegetables can be used as a wet mixture. They need to be laid out so that they lie upside down. Vegetables should not be placed skin side up. If you give grated food, then it must be mixed with ground cereals. So the products are better absorbed.

Green feed

What to feed laying hens to better rush?Green foods should be added to the diet as much as possible. In the cold season, fresh branches of coniferous trees are well suited for feeding. They contain a large amount of useful substances. In addition, they help to disinfect the air in the room. Birds can be fed hay and dried nettles. Sprouted oats and wheat are extremely useful. They contain nutrients. In addition, chickens eat this product with pleasure. It is worth remembering that green food is as useful as grains.

What do birds need in the cold season?

Farmers and household owners often worry about what to feed laying hens to rush better. In winter, the diet of chickens must include fat, fishmeal, fermented milk products such as whey and cottage cheese, as well as components high in calcium. These include forage shells and eggshells. At the same time, chickens should always have access to warm water. It needs to be changed several times a day. For winter feeding of birds, you can use beets, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin and potatoes grown on your site.

Bird food recipes

What to feed laying hens in winter? Egg production directly depends on the air temperature in the chicken coop. It should not be below 15 degrees. Otherwise, the birds will stop laying eggs. Sufficient amounts of nutritious and satisfying food can compensate for the lack of heating. It is recommended to give such food to birds in the morning and in the afternoon. The composition of a warm mash may include the following ingredients: boiledpotatoes (50 grams), grains (30 grams), bran or legumes (6 grams each), curdled milk or warm water (50 grams), s alt (0.5 grams), bone meal (2 grams), fish oil (1 gram), cake or grass (4 grams). You can also use fish or meat broth to prepare food for chickens.

The more varied the diet, the more eggs you can collect. A chicken mash should include several types of food, each of which is characterized by its own beneficial qualities. If necessary, the chicken owner can easily make changes to the menu. As a rule, dishes are prepared from what is at hand - cereals, root crops, peelings, grains. The mash is steamed, filling it with hot liquid. So that the product does not deteriorate, they cook it at a time.

What do laying hens eat at home? Many believe that waste from the human table is also suitable for feeding the bird. This is partly true. You can use cereals, dried bread, peeling vegetables and fruits, offal, bones, meat, tops. It is undesirable to feed birds with spicy and fatty food with a high content of chemicals. Such food can cause an eating disorder.

Ways to increase egg production

In order for the number of eggs in the cold season not to decrease, it is necessary to increase the number of meals. What is the best food for chickens in winter? If in the summer chickens eat twice a day, then in the cold they should be fed at least three times. It is also worth making sure that the food is varied and nutritious. The food must contain all the necessary substances.

Addingvitamins

In the summer, chickens get vitamins from fresh vegetables, leaves and greens. In winter, they cannot extract the right amount of nutrients on their own. How to properly feed chickens to replenish all the necessary supplies? It is necessary to add special premixes, which are natural mixtures. They do not contain preservatives, growth stimulants and hormones. At the same time, these components are rich in vitamins, microelements and amino acids, which are so necessary for chickens.

What can be used as a vitamin supplement?

Many farms today use laying hens. What to feed to rush in winter and show high egg production?

In the cold season, as an additional vitamin supplement, you can use:

1. Dried Seaweed: Helps saturate the yolk and strengthen the shell.
2. Fish Oil: Provides essential fatty acids to chickens.
3. Probiotics: Strengthen the immune system of birds that need extra support and protection during the cold season.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar: Good for the general condition of the bird.

For normal functioning, the body of birds requires vitamin A. Individuals that receive enough of this vitamin, even in winter, carry large eggs with a bright yolk. Its lack is also immediately noticeable: the skin and cornea of the animal's eyes become too dry. To strengthen the immunity of birds, it is necessary to use vitamin E. It also helps to increase egg production. Flawthis substance leads to dysfunction of nerve and muscle tissues. To prevent rickets, vitamin D is used. In case of its shortage, softness of the egg shell is observed. To ensure normal functioning of the digestive and endocrine systems of birds, B vitamins are required. To provide animals with a full range of nutrients, special vitamin complexes can be used to add them to the main food.

Cooking dry food

Bird food can be prepared in advance. Rose hips, mountain ash, hawthorn are excellent for this purpose. You can also use chestnuts and acorns. These components should be given to birds mixed with dry food and mash.

Many owners are interested in what to feed the chickens to rush. It is not so much the food itself that is important, but the conditions of detention. The room for this purpose must be used not too large. For 2-3 birds, only 1 square meter will be enough. You should also pay attention to the temperature. It should not fall below 15 degrees. If the temperature outside drops too low, you will need to take care of additional heating of the chicken coop. A significant decrease in it can affect the level of egg production. If you choose the right heat and light conditions, chickens may not even notice that winter has come.

There are many ways to insulate a chicken coop:

1. Lay the bedding on the floor. Straw and large sawdust are perfect for this purpose. When the upper thermal insulation layer is trampled down, you can loosen it with a fork. This springbedding can be used in the beds as fertilizer.
2. Walls and doors are additionally insulated with various heat-insulating materials. This will help reduce heat loss in the room.
3. Installing an infrared emitter will allow you to maintain the optimum temperature in the room. In addition, the light of such a lamp has a calming effect on birds.

Since the daylight hours are shorter in winter, the chicken coop should be additionally equipped with lighting fixtures. They must work in the morning and evening. In addition, you should take care that the light does not fall directly on the nests.

Moulting chickens

In autumn and winter, a completely natural process occurs - molting. Chickens are starting to lose their feathers. This process is associated with a decrease in the duration of daylight hours. Chickens at this time do not look too he althy. However, this is a completely natural phenomenon, and you should not be afraid of it. But it is worth knowing what needs to be done so that the chickens rush well. What to feed the birds during this difficult time for them? Food should be rich in nutrients and elements. In addition, the chicken breeder can independently control the duration of the daily wakefulness of individuals.

Conclusion

So we looked at how to feed chickens so that they give a lot of eggs. Making the right food takes a lot of effort. It is very important to properly grind and steam the nutrient composition. You should also ensure that the food is rich in trace elements and nutrients. Forspecial equipment can be used to prepare food.

Knowing more than just what to feed laying hens is important to maintain egg production levels. Particular attention is also paid to the conditions of keeping birds. They need to provide a warm, lit room. Compliance with all norms guarantees the achievement of positive results.