Recently, people have increasingly appreciated natural food. That is why they are engaged in gardens where they grow vegetables that are not "fed" with harmful chemicals. Gardens are erected in which fruits and berries ripen solely due to care, care, timely watering and sunlight. Also, many people keep their household: geese, ducks, chickens, and even the most daring pigs or cows.
As a result, they constantly have fresh, harmless and tasty products on the table. At any time, milk, meat or eggs. And most importantly, everything is your own!
However, in winter, some people face a serious problem, overshadowing the joy of owning their own households. They can no longer, for example, enjoy an omelet every morning. Because their chickens do not rush. Why it happens? And how to deal with disaster? Yes, and is it possible?
There are clear and complete answers to all these questions. And our readers will recognize them all if they read this article!
What do we know about chickens?
Before you find a solution to the problem, you need to understand what, in fact, we know about home hens. Perhaps they should not rush at all in the winter?
Indeed, since childhood, every child knows for sure that before winter, most birds fly south. Therefore, in autumn, if you throw your head back at the right time, you can see in the sky, for example, even wedges of cranes traveling to warmer climes. Where they will spend several months until good, warm weather reappears in their usual habitat. When the first sun appears in spring, the birds will return. To build nests and have chicks.
But chickens are also birds ... What if it is natural for them to rush exclusively in warm time?
Should hens rush in the winter?
The most important question, without an answer to which further study and discussion of the problem is impossible, is formed in the heading of the current paragraph. Therefore, before finding out why laying hens do not rush and what to do, you should figure out whether they should be carried at all in winter.
So, in fact, chickens should be carried at any time of the year. Nevertheless, for a number of reasons, quite healthy and young individuals may suddenly stop laying eggs. And it does not matter what the weather will be in the yard.
However, in winter, in conditions of high humidity, low temperature, lack of sunlight and a decrease in the length of the day, this situation is most likely. But it can be prevented. If you look at the factors affecting the laying of chickens.
Why do chickens stop rushing in winter?
We have already indicated that in winter even the best laying hens cease to lay eggs due to environmental changes. However, besides these factors beyond human control, there are others. Of which it is also very important to know in order to avoid the problem that is studied in this article.
Why the hens stopped rushing in the winter, reasons:
- the wrong breed of an individual;
- fatigue;
- stress;
- incorrect arrangement of nests;
- lack of vitamins;
- glut of food;
- feather change;
- cold water consumed by an individual;
- disease.
Also, the already mentioned weather conditions affect egg production. Having marked all of them, we should proceed to a thorough and detailed analysis of these factors.
What does “wrong breed of an individual” mean?
Very often, farmers are tormented by the question "why are the hens not rushing." They rebuild the chicken coops, completely change the diet, buy a young rooster (because there is an opinion that with it the egg production increases significantly), they conduct electricity to the birds to provide them with light, and regularly heat the room in which the laying hens are. That's just the point it gives absolutely nothing. How much effort, time and money do not invest, hens do not rush! And as if nothing can be done about it.
However, often the problem lies in the fact that farmers (most often beginners are faced with this situation) have chosen the wrong breed of an individual. That is, they bought meat and egg chicken, which is bred and fattened exclusively for future meat production. And he needed an egg. After all, it is she:
- begins to rush much earlier;
- survives better;
- gives the maximum number of eggs.
Why can chickens get tired?
The next reason chickens do not rush is because of the tiredness of the individuals. Let us explain: the chicken begins to hatch at the age of six months, over the next two years, its body gradually weakens, the individual ages and first gives a small number of eggs, and then completely ceases to hatch.
That is why experienced farmers strongly recommend regularly rotating chickens. What is meant by this? It is a vital process. Eating old chickens for food and acquiring new individuals in their place. This will allow you to constantly have both eggs and chicken.
What is stress for chickens?
Many people believe that chicken is just food, it has neither feelings nor emotions. Therefore, trying to find an answer to the question why laying hens do not rush, some novice farmers do not even consider the option that the animal may be stressed. But in fact, the chicken is a living creature like other animals and like ourselves. Which is very susceptible to negative environmental factors.
For this reason, to increase egg production, you should check for factors such as:
- the presence of strangers in or near the chicken coop;
- the presence of animals nearby;
- sounds too loud, noises, music;
- insufficient area of the habitat of hens - the chicken coop (for example, a chicken coop of at least ten meters is necessary to house forty chickens).
All these seemingly frivolous reasons can have a negative effect on chickens. They will cease to feel safe, therefore they will be afraid to have offspring (eggs are future chickens).
How to arrange a chicken nest?
It is often possible to explain why chickens do not rush, you can use one simple phrase - improper arrangement of nests intended for laying eggs. However, if it clarifies a lot to experienced farmers, then beginners will be puzzled and a lot of questions. Therefore, further we will explain how to equip chicken nests correctly.
It should not be assumed that each individual in the chicken coop should have its own nest. In fact, chickens do not lay eggs all day long, so they can succeed each other. Thus, one nest is enough for four to five layers. It must be located on the darker territory of the chicken coop, most importantly, not on the floor. Also, the chicken nest should be covered with straw, periodically replacing it with a dry one.
What vitamins do chickens need to increase egg production?
The internal structure of chickens is significantly different from the human. For example, their food is not stored in the stomach, but in the goiter, which is located just above the chest under the throat. To prevent it from clogging, the chicken needs to peck sand, small pebbles, ash, a special shell and ordinary coarse salt along with food.
In addition, despite the fact that the chicken is a poultry, you still do not need to create too ideal conditions for it. That is, if it is not possible to enclose the chicken coop with a net, thereby constructing a pen where individuals can arbitrarily move, you need to give them a special container in which to fill the above mixtures. This will allow the chicken to row its paws and peck the vitamins it needs. Thus improving digestion and increasing egg production. Well, this will help the farmer to solve the main problem and get an answer to the question of why the hens stopped rushing.
Is it right to overfeed chickens?
Many farmers believe that if chickens are given excessive amounts of food, they will carry many more eggs. However, this judgment is erroneous. Because overfeeding chickens, on the contrary, leads to the fact that they swim in fat and stop rushing.
Thus, in the event of problems with layers, the farmer should pay attention and think about whether his pets receive a lot of food. Perhaps this very factor is the reason and the answer to the questions why chickens do not rush in the winter. What to do in such a situation is obvious.
How is seasonal change of feathers of hens and egg laying related?
Chickens are the same birds as others. The only difference is that they are kept at home. Nevertheless, the feature of the biological cycle, which is characteristic of all other creatures, is reflected in them. How? For example, in the form of a seasonal change of feathers.
But how does this process affect the laying of chickens? At first glance, there is no connection. Although in fact it is. After all, when changing seasons during the year, hens do not always receive a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, very often they still do not have the strength to rush.
How does the temperature of the water the chicken drinks have on egg production?
When analyzing the problem “why chickens do not rush in the winter” it is very important to consider the option that the water used by them can be cold. And this is very dangerous for the individual. And not only because the chicken can get sick. But for another reason. To understand it more clearly, it is necessary to study when, in fact, the chicken needs fluid.
So, each laying hen drinks water before a night’s sleep and after laying an egg. If the water in the drinker is very cold, the individual will refuse it. Consequently, she will not be able to get enough important fluid, and she will stop laying eggs. The same thing happens if in another season you forget to add water to the drinker when it is empty.
“Winter” diseases of chickens and their causes
It's no secret that in the winter it is very cold outside. That is why the most common diseases of chickens, such as frostbite, disease of the bronchi and trachea, arise due to hypothermia. It is their presence that just explains why chickens do not rush in the winter.
However, protecting individuals is quite simple. It is enough to carefully monitor the complete diet of hens and provide heat and light in the chicken coop.
What tips can experienced farmers give beginners?
In almost all matters, a novice needs good advice from an experienced knowledgeable person. For this reason, at the end of this article, we provide recommendations that will help novice farmers understand why chickens do not carry well in winter.
Ways to solve:
- To give the chicken the opportunity at any time to drink water of an acceptable temperature, a special system should be organized in the chicken coop, which will supply water to the drinker as necessary.
- To insulate the chicken coop, it is enough to cover the floor with any warm litter - cardboard or straw, and for the walls usually use a plastic film and polystyrene. It is also important to check the room for drafts.
- In order for the hens to rush, a favorable temperature should be maintained in the chicken coop. It should not fall below ten degrees. And also provide individuals with constant light in the daytime. At night, it is recommended to let them rest in the dark.
- In addition, if you ask experienced farmers why the chickens are not racing and what to do to correct the situation, many of them will answer: add a large number of nettles to the layers. And it doesn’t matter, fresh or dry. The effect will be anyway! Because it contains special tannins, vitamins and proteins. In need of laying hens, especially in winter.