Raising chickens in the country is widespread due to the opportunity to obtain fresh eggs and meat. Most bird breeds are easy to care for and do not require special skills to keep them. For chickens to be productive, it is enough to create a favorable environment in the poultry house.
Where to start keeping chickens in the country
When planning to start breeding birds at your summer cottage, you should first think through and take into account all the details. First of all, you need to decide on your goal. If a poultry farmer wants to keep chickens for only one season, it is enough to provide standard conditions. To breed large livestock over a long period of time, it is worth considering the construction of permanent premises.
To keep birds in the country, you will need to correctly correlate desires and capabilities. At the planning stage, it is worth understanding the exact number of individuals to be raised, preparing a chicken coop design and choosing a location for the building.
Which breed to choose
When choosing a suitable variety of birds to keep at your dacha, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the breeds and care features. When choosing, you should consider the following rules:
- There are several categories of birds, and meat and egg breeds are considered a universal option. Meat-only chickens do not demonstrate good egg production, and egg layers are not a suitable source of meat.
- Beginning poultry farmers often breed mongrel chickens, which as a result do not produce a large number of eggs, despite their good endurance. Compared to purebred birds, breeding these animals is less profitable.
- If you do not plan to be at the dacha all the time, you should give preference to breeds that are easy to care for and can do without the participation of a poultry farmer for a long time.
- Among the common breeds and crosses, many choose those that can be kept for one season. This category includes fast-growing broilers and highly productive egg-laying crosses.
Buy laying hens or raise chickens
To breed chickens you need to purchase them. Poultry farmers are offered 2 options - hatch chicks using an incubator or buy young animals. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages, so you should make your choice in advance by familiarizing yourself with all the nuances.
Buy young stock
Buying young animals is the most reliable way to acquire laying hens. As a rule, for subsequent production of eggs, individuals are purchased at the age of 5-6 months in order to be confident in the survival of the population and early productivity.
Poultry farmers often purchase laying hens for seasonal use at their summer cottages. Before the onset of the first cold weather, birds are released for meat.
It is recommended to purchase young animals from proven large poultry farms. If purchased from private individuals, there is a high probability of encountering infected chicks.
Breeding chickens
The main advantage of raising chickens in incubator conditions is its low cost. For breeding you will only need to purchase incubator equipment. However, this method has significant disadvantages. First of all, this is the uncertainty of chickens by gender.
A large number of roosters can hatch from one clutch, while there is a need for laying hens. Also a disadvantage is the non-maximum survival rate of chicks. Typically, 80-85% of chicks survive after hatching in an incubator.
Poultry house space
Building a chicken coop in the right location has a beneficial effect on the development and productivity of birds. Laying hens should be comfortable inside the house, so it is worth planning all the nuances of construction in advance. First of all, you need to study the landscape at your summer cottage.The chicken coop should not be located in lowlands, as this will lead to the accumulation of precipitation, washing out of droppings, the spread of diseases, and dampness inside the premises.
If possible, it is worth placing the building on a slight hill with a slight slope to the south. This arrangement will allow rain to drain away, keeping the soil around the house dry.
If you cannot find such a place on your summer cottage, you need to build a crushed stone cushion with a thickness of 15 cm under the building. A layer of clay mixed with broken glass is placed on the crushed stone to protect against the penetration of rodents. Then the crushed stone is poured again and the concrete base is poured. The final stage is to fill the embankment with a layer of bitumen.
Heating the chicken coop and natural light are also of great importance, so the windows and doors of the poultry house should be placed on the south side. The optimal direction of construction is from east to west. The poultry house should be located in a secluded place, away from noise and people. Laying hens feel more comfortable in quiet conditions and with minimal noise.
Next to the house you need to build a walking yard, into which the birds can go out on their own at any time. Staying in the fresh air is one of the important conditions for high productivity. The area allocated for walking is fenced with a low fence, and covered with a net on top to protect against birds of prey.
A canopy is being built on the territory, under which the birds can hide from the rain and sun. If there is grass growing on the exercise yard, there is no need to mow it because the birds will feed on it. Extra green food helps save on food costs.
Equipment of the place of detention
When raising chickens, inexperienced poultry farmers limit themselves only to building a building, which is a mistake. Internal equipment plays an important role in the development of birds. The chicken coop should have perches that serve as a device for resting and sleeping. With a population of more than 10 units, you need to make several perches. With the onset of winter, it is possible to reduce the number of perches, since the birds will press together to provide additional warmth.
Perches can be made from beams, even branches and scrap materials. When creating perches, you need to consider the following requirements:
- the structure should not bend under the weight of birds;
- sharp corners need to be processed with a plane so that the chickens are not injured;
- the length of the perch for an adult bird should be at least 25 cm;
- The optimal placement of the perch is 50 cm from the floor, 25 cm from the wall and 35 cm from another perch.
In addition to roosts, chickens need to build nests in which they will lay and contain eggs for breeding. To make nests, you can choose any container suitable in size. The recommended dimensions of the nest are height 40 cm and width 60 cm. A soft layer of straw or sawdust is placed on the bottom of bird nests.
Also, the internal equipment of the chicken coop includes devices for feeding and watering the birds. To prevent food and water from mixing with dirt, you need to make closed containers and install them at a low height.
It is recommended to install feeders and drinkers against the wall and securely fasten them to reduce the risk of birds overturning the structures.
To keep the birds clean, you need to give them baths with stove ash. The chickens will climb inside on their own and preen their feathers, getting rid of skin parasites.Any large container is suitable as a bath for chickens.
Equipping a chicken coop is not complete without the use of lighting fixtures. You can install standard or infrared bulbs indoors. It is important to take into account that birds do not see well in the dark and if the lights are suddenly turned off, they may not have time to take up roosts.
This problem can be solved by installing a dimmer, which ensures a smooth and gradual switching off of the light bulbs in the room. If there is no dimmer, you must first turn off the main light and leave the standby light on, and when the chickens take their places, turn off the lighting completely.
How to care for chickens
Standard caring for laying hens simple and requires minimal costs. If the poultry house is equipped with all amenities, the following rules must be followed:
- constantly examine birds to monitor their condition and promptly notice signs of disease development;
- carry out disinfection and sanitation of the premises to destroy pathogenic microorganisms;
- add feed and water to specially prepared containers, since chickens need constant access to food;
- ventilate the chicken coop to eliminate unpleasant odors and circulate fresh air, which is especially important in the summer at high ambient temperatures.
What do broilers need?
Breeding broilers does not require special knowledge, and even a novice farmer can raise birds. When keeping individuals, it is necessary to create favorable environmental conditions. From the first day of life, chicks need to build cages or bedding from sawdust and straw.The temperature in the room with broilers should be at 26-33 degrees in the first week and 18-19 degrees with further growth.
Lighting in a broiler house should be on 24 hours a day. Too bright light can lead to pecking, so it is better to use low-power lamps. It is also important to regularly maintain cleanliness in the area where broilers are raised.
To reduce the risk of developing intestinal infections, you need to periodically wash feeders and drinkers. Broilers should be periodically inspected, a balanced diet should be provided, and chicks should be removed in a depressed state.
What and how to feed correctly?
Proper nutrition is a significant component of chicken care. The food should be balanced, varied and rich in vitamins. When using compound feed, it is poured into feeders as they are consumed, and other food is given to the birds 3-4 times a day.
It is important that chickens do not overeat, as this leads to obesity and negatively affects their health.
The main percentage in the nutritional diet is made up of proteins, which are contained in fish and bone meal. To compensate for the lack of fat, corn grits and oats are included in the diet. Vitamins A, B, and D play a special role in the diet. Increased amounts of vitamins are found in vegetables and legumes.
Common problems
Common problems when raising chickens include disease and death of the birds. This is often due to improper care or unfavorable environmental conditions. To avoid mistakes, you should first study the instructions for keeping birds and take into account the characteristics of a particular breed.
