Today in our country quite a lot of people are engaged in breeding domestic animals, which include chickens, geese, turkeys, rabbits, nutria. Someone does this for themselves, and for many this is a source of income. To livestock does not hurt, it must be provided with proper care.
Breeding egg-laying chickens is a very profitable business, which can not only provide food, but also bring a steady income. However, such an activity is fraught with a lot of problems. The largest of these is the laying of chickens. It often happens that a bird shows high productivity, which decreases very much over time for unknown reasons, as a result of which farmers begin to not only earn less, but also to incur losses. Therefore, many poultry farmers are wondering why the chicken is not carried. Let's try to understand this in more detail and find out how to increase the productivity of laying hens.
Dependence of egg production and conditions
Living conditions are one of the most important aspects of farming. For high productivity of chickens it is necessary to maintain comfortable living conditions in the house. The thing is that laying hens are sensitive to ambient temperature. The optimal indicator is 24 degrees Celsius. Even small fluctuations can lead to a decrease in egg production. A striking example of this is the seasonal factor. According to statistics, the productivity of hens in winter, spring, summer and autumn is different. Therefore, if you want to build a profitable business on eggs, then be sure to hang a thermometer in the chicken coop so that you can monitor this and maintain the air temperature at the optimal level. It is worth noting that if the house is cold, then in the winter it is recommended to move the layers to a warmer room, and in the hot summer months it should be regularly aired.
The next important criterion is the level of illumination in the room in which the bird is kept. The daylight hours for laying hens should be at least 17 hours a day. And if in the summer there is no problem with this, then what about winter, when the sun rises late and sets early? Here a lamp comes to the rescue to heat the chicken coop. Firstly, it will provide the bird with the necessary amount of light, and secondly, with its help it is possible to maintain the optimum temperature in the room. However, it is important to understand that too bright lighting devices make chickens very aggressive, as a result of which they can begin to fight among themselves, so the lamps should be of medium power.
Egg production of chickens may decrease due to too high accuracy of birds. As prescribed by the standards, per 1 square. m should be no more than five goals. In addition, for one perch should be the same number of housewives. If there are more, then laying hens can peck eggs from their neighbors.
In addition, it is very important that an aviary is attached to the chicken coop for free-range laying hens, since walks in the fresh air significantly increase their productivity. If there is no opportunity to build a fence, then it is advisable to release birds from the chicken coop at least for a short time. In addition, you need to ensure that there are not too many cocks with layers. One male should have at least ten females.
The last, but no less important nuance, is to protect the eggs from various pests. Rats, martens, ferrets or foxes can enter the chicken coop, who do not mind eating delicious. In addition, the layers themselves, if one day they try the egg to taste, will constantly eat them.
Physiological characteristics and age of laying hens
Chickens begin to lay eggs at about 21-22 weeks of life, when it comes to laying hens, and at 7 months, when it comes to meat breeds. Certain dates depend on the specific species of bird, as well as the diet and conditions of detention. The very first eggs have small size and weight, but over time, these figures increase. It is also worthwhile to understand that as chickens age, their productivity decreases. The highest egg production is observed during the first three years of life. Therefore, if you notice that the old chickens do not rush, then this is not surprising.
What productivity can one chicken show?
As mentioned earlier, many factors influence egg production.
The average productivity indicators by breed are as follows:
- meat-and-egg and domestic hens can produce up to 200 eggs per year if comfortable conditions are maintained in the house;
- in laying hens, for example Leghorn or Brackel breeds, the productivity index reaches 300 eggs in 12 months;
- as far as meat breeds are concerned, they lay no more than a hundred eggs in a year, but their dignity lies elsewhere, so expecting more from them is pointless.
Since high egg production in laying hens is observed during the first three years of life, each farmer should try to use this time to the maximum. Chickens lay eggs once a day and not every day, and in order to get a stable profit from the farm, it is very important to maintain its productivity at a high level. Periodically, it is necessary to rejuvenate the livestock, and if young hens do not rush, then the cause due to which this happens should be identified and eliminated.
Key mistakes of novice farmers
As a rule, laying hens are not carried due to the fact that novice poultry breeders make certain mistakes when leaving and keeping. In most cases, this happens because of the desire to get the maximum result with minimal financial investment. The bird is kept in very small rooms, the chicken coop is not equipped with good lighting, there is no room for free-range laying hens on the farm. All this leads to a strong decrease in productivity.
Placement of perches should be thought out so that the chickens were as comfortable as possible to lay their eggs, and the clutch did not fall out of the nest. After all, eggs can not only break, but can also be tasted by a bird, as a result of which in the future it will no longer be able to stop eating a delicious delicacy.
Another big mistake that underlies the question of why the chicken is not carried is the inattention of the farmers themselves. Many poultry farmers constantly transfer chickens for maintenance to various rooms, as a result of which the birds experience stress, which significantly reduces productivity. This also applies to the timely collection of eggs. If there is clutch in the perch, then the chicken can lay them in a new place, which the farmer will not even know about.
An increased concern for laying hens is another factor that significantly reduces egg production. Some poultry farmers pay absolutely no attention to the habits of laying hens, which may behave differently than usual. For example, if they pluck feathers, then this is a clear sign that they have got parasites.
In addition to all of the above, to obtain maximum productivity, you must use high-quality chicken feed, rich in nutrients, vitamins and macronutrients. For molting, which is a seasonal phenomenon, all cereals should be excluded from the diet of the bird. This will speed up the process of the formation of new plumage and the return of the bird to its usual way of life.
Feeding guidelines
Layers are omnivorous, so almost any chicken feed is suitable for them. In addition to the main diet, the bird receives food during free range. As a result of this, it can overeat, which will lead to obesity, which, in turn, reduces egg production, and can also contribute to various health problems. Therefore, farmers should be very serious about feeding hens and give them food strictly in accordance with the developed regime.
The number of meals depends on the particular breed, but on average it is 2-3 times a day. In summer, chickens are given fresh grass, which is replaced by hay in winter. Combined feeds may also be used. They can be purchased in specialized stores or prepared independently. In the latter case, it is important to take into account the needs and physiological characteristics of the layers.
The feeding schedule also depends on the age of the bird. Young animals need more nutritious food than adults, because they need energy not only for laying eggs, but also for growth. Seasonal factors also play a role here. Increasing the egg production of chickens in winter is a must if you want to get high productivity. It involves the introduction into the daily diet of combined feeds, which will provide the hens with the nutrients and macronutrients necessary for their normal growth, development and high productivity.
A few words about the diet
So, the chickens are not racing, what to do? First of all, their diet should be reviewed. This is especially true in cases where laying hens are not released for free range. On the street, the bird finds itself feeding, so its nutrition is more diverse, because there it can find worms or beetles.
But in the chicken coop they don’t have such an opportunity, so it is recommended that the laying hens give the following products:
- corn;
- wheat;
- oats;
- oat bran;
- buckwheat;
- rye;
- millet.
All of these crops are an excellent source of carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins. But do not forget that it is impossible to provide a full-fledged diet to chickens with cereal mixtures alone, so they need to be given other foods, for example, legumes, chalk, salt. In summer, the bird should be provided with a sufficient amount of green food, namely grass and foliage. It should be a fifth of the daily diet. Nettle is an excellent option, since it contains many vitamins of groups A, B and K, fiber and ascorbic acid. Also required is bone and fish meal. It is considered a good source of calcium, essential for high egg production. Among garden crops, you can use turnips, carrots, boiled potatoes, green onions, dill, radishes and lettuce for feeding. They contain a large amount of vitamins, which need laying hens. If the farmer feeds the bird correctly, but the domestic chickens do not rush, then it is worth looking for another reason for low productivity. For example, these can be various diseases, which will be discussed later.
Infections and Diseases
If ideal conditions for keeping birds were created in the chicken coop, the room has sufficient area, a lamp for heating the chicken coop and a drinking bowl with clean water is installed, and an enclosure for free walking is built near the building, but the productivity of laying hens is at a very low level, then perhaps the livestock struck by any infection or illness. At the same time, one part of the ailments is quickly cured, and the other can lead to the extinction of the entire livestock. All diseases are divided into two categories - infectious and helminth infections.
The first includes:
- pseudo-plague;
- pullorosis;
- salmonellosis;
- tuberculosis;
- smallpox
- flu.
The second category includes:
- amidostomosis;
- ascariasis;
- Drepanidoteniosis.
Each disease manifests itself in different ways, so making an accurate diagnosis yourself is almost impossible. If even the slightest suspicion arises that the bird was infected, it is recommended to call a veterinarian. He will definitely be able to answer the question of why the chicken does not rush and what illness it suffers from. If a qualified specialist does not inspect the livestock in time, then you can completely lose the entire population.
The main methods of increasing egg production
Each novice farmer is interested in the answer to the question of what to do to make the hens rush. First of all, it is necessary to establish the reason for the decrease in egg production, so that the necessary measures can be taken.
The most common among them are the following:
- illnesses;
- poor conditions of detention;
- malnutrition;
- layers did not have time to adapt to a new place;
- seasonality;
- stock obsolescence.
The productivity of the layers depends on all these factors. Therefore, in order for the egg production to always remain high, it is necessary to provide the bird with proper nutrition, take measures to prevent diseases, and also update the livestock in a timely manner by purchasing young animals.
Why chickens do not immediately begin to lay eggs after purchase
So, you bought layers, arranged a poultry house with an aviary for them, but several weeks have already passed, and the hens are not racing. What to do in this situation? Should I panic? No measures should be taken, but you just have to wait a bit until the bird gets used to the new habitat. During transport, the layers are exposed to tremendous stress, from which they need to move. On average, the rehabilitation period and getting used to the new conditions of detention takes 2-3 weeks, after which the hens begin to lay eggs.
Conclusion
This article answered the question of why the chicken is not carried. If you adhere to the tips and recommendations discussed earlier, even a novice farmer will be able to achieve maximum productivity from laying hens. The main thing is to take your business seriously, because poultry farming is a very difficult task, requiring full commitment. Create good conditions for chickens, monitor the temperature in the house, provide good nutrition and carefully monitor the health of the bird, and you will certainly succeed.