Why chickens don't rush - reasons and methods of solution
Why don't chickens lay, because when it comes to laying hens, a picture is presented in my head in which a bird sits on a roost and incubates eggs, especially since chickens lay eggs all year round, 12 months a year. However, those who have been working in the poultry industry for several years have more than once faced a problem when the hen does not lay at all or stops laying eggs. How to save the situation and what to do during such a period of bird life?
Why laying hens do not rush
Naturally, such a situation can baffle everyone, especially since he, like you, will have two tasks at once:
- Find the reason that influenced the lack of eggs
- Eliminate it as soon as possible so that the chickens lay eggs again
In this article, we will try to talk about all the events that could cause the laying hen to stop bearing offspring, and, therefore, violated your expectations for the constant arrival of fresh chicken eggs and what needs to be done to eliminate this problem.
Why does a chicken stop laying
chicken eggs, like many years ago, as now, are included in the set of essential products, standing in the same line with bread and milk. This is due to the fact that this product has a rich composition, which contains a lot of minerals, trace elements, vitamins and, of course, protein and yolk. Moreover, many signs are built on chicken eggs, they are used both in black and white magic, they are used as a folk remedy for all kinds of diseases, they also became an element of symbolism, for example, eggs for Easter.
Many farmers are building a fairly profitable business on the sale of eggs, since the chicken product has always been in extraordinary demand. Of course, in such a situation, when the hohlushka stops laying eggs or chickens do not lay in a rainy summer, this is very negative for the implementation of the business plan, which was originally formed by the owner of the poultry farm and which he is used to following. Experienced poultry farmers have found out why it can fall egg production rate:
- Inaccuracies in feeding and feeding patterns prevent birds from laying eggs
- Stress due to sudden changes in conditions of detention after purchase, inappropriate handling of birds, i.e. cruelty between two individuals
- Diseases of poultry which prevent them from dreaming
- Incorrectly created conditions of detention in aviariessuch as humidity, temperature or insufficient lighting, disturbance of the daily routine
Depending on what caused the chicken not to rush, the ways to solve the problem will differ. If we are talking about a small household, then most often, those chickens that have changed the place of laying of eggs suffer from the lack of egg production.Usually, the situation resolves itself, just for this a certain period of time must pass 2 or 3 days for the chicken to find a new comfortable place for future laying, especially if a young hen is rushing. Moreover, the bird itself will choose it, only it will decide whether this place will be under the bush or a heap of wooden sawdust near the chicken coop will be better, this can happen anywhere and the owner almost does not need to do anything. However, this case applies only to small farms where they can deviate from the norm when chickens are kept only for their own use. Now let's consider other reasons that chickens do not lay, examining each of them in as much detail as possible.
The laying hen has changed her diet
Chicken is not the most finicky poultry, but it can react quite sharply to changes in the composition of its diet or its insufficient saturation. If the diet is designed in such a way that it lacks any necessary components, you should not expect productive perches from the chicken. Consider what requirements are imposed on the diet of chickens:
- The poultry menu should include grains, oats, millet and a variety of greens, especially in spring and throughout the day. During the period when the chicken cannot walk on the street on its own, that is, in winter and autumn, you need to add red boiled vegetables to the diet. However, it is important to adhere to the nutritional requirements that the hen needs in accordance with the age. It is also important to ensure that the chicken does not become fat, that is, it does not become overweight;
- In order for the quality of the eggs to be high, namely the eggshell (the shell should not be soft, the irregular shape is not allowed) and the yolk (bright yellow, without admixture of blood and red inclusions), you need to ensure that the chicken's diet contains calcium. What foods have this trace element in their composition? These are, first of all, such products as shell rock, chalk, ground bones of animals and fish, cleansed of blood. A well-groomed hen will produce a large egg with a hard shell. You probably have the opportunity to compare how the eggs bought in the store will look like those that were laid by your hazel grouse - the difference is visible to the naked eye;
- If the bird suffers from an appetite disorder, it is necessary to introduce into its diet salt, which contains such a necessary for the body of the layer, chloride and sodium;
- Gravel must be present in the chicken menu, it is needed so that the feeling of satiety persists for as long as possible;
- Do not forget that poultry, including chicken and chickens, should have unhindered access to water 12 months a year, especially in the summer months, when the weather is hot and dry. The hohlushka experiences the greatest thirst when she lays eggs, as well as just before going to bed.
Chicken keeping mistakes
Often the reason that you cannot wait for the eggs from the hens may be errors in the temperature regime, although few people think about this, which is very bad. It is worth knowing that chickens love and value comfort, and if they live comfortably, then they pay for it with a large, good harvest of eggs.
For this reason, the number of eggs in a clutch can change dramatically in winter (when it is very cold) or in summer (in hot weather). The situation can be corrected by creating the correct comfortable temperature: in the summer - make sure that the bird is in the shade, and in the winter - put house heat source... It is a mistake to think that chickens fly worse in summer, just need to create the necessary conditions for this and that all owners and farmers can do this.
It is important to follow the correct regimen, as this is extremely important for poultry. as for chickens, roosters, ducks, geese and other small and large birds, they are used to getting up with the first rays of the sun and going to bed when sunset begins. Thus, their internal biological clock is arranged.On average, daylight hours include 12-13 hours.
If the bird is free-range, then the regime will be formed as standard. Everything changes in the event that the chicken lives in a hen house where every place is occupied, when there is no access to the sun's rays, for example, in winter. In this case, a person must create lighting artificially, using ordinary incandescent lamps.
Stressful situations
The chicken is extremely sensitive to stress, it often happens that stress is the reason for the lack of eggs in chickens. in order to understand and understand whether a stressful situation really caused such a state, you need to recall all the events that happened in your house in the recent past:
- you may have acquired a new poultry
- The area for walking has changed
- You have introduced new products to the menu for layers or chickens are fat
- It also happens that even a short hunger affected the egg production rate and so on.
Banal fatigue is the reason for the lack of eggs
Usually, when novice poultry farmers hear about the possibility of such a reason, it causes, at least, a smile of bewilderment on their face and in vain. A chicken is a living organism that can exhaust its vital energy and then the pestle does not rush, requiring a certain time for a break.
Usually, the best egg-laying rates are observed in the first one and a half to two years of the laying hen's life, after which it gradually decreases due to the aging of the bird. However, a break can also occur in a young hen that is rushing recently, but this reason does not require any intervention from a person, it is resolved on its own within a few days.
If the situation is not resolved on its own after a few days, you should suspect the rooster as the culprit. Perhaps it does not cover the chicken herd well, for example, due to old age. In this case, you should think about buying a new, younger rooster so that the birds lay eggs normally.
Molting in chickens
Do not be alarmed and do not read prayers, if suddenly one day you notice bald spots in a chicken, and as a result you see it practically without feathers, this is a completely natural process, which is called molt... Do not panic and look for the reasons for such an event, this is not a symptom of any disease. Most often, the reason is the onset of a certain time of the year, during which the chicken loses its plumage and lives without it for some time. Moulting, for example, might be a logical explanation for why chickens don't fly in summer.
In addition to the fact that the appearance of the bird changes, it becomes like a puny emaciated little chicken, egg production may stop for a while. Surely, you have seen such layers in a photo or video, thinking that this is a consequence of some serious illness. Do not be afraid of this, this condition is temporary and does not require correction by the owner. The only exceptions are those conditions when, in addition to fallen feathers, there are other symptoms of the disease, for example, purulent black discharge, or bloody, the chicken constantly coughs, the temperature rises, and so on.
It is believed that after new feathers begin to appear, the chicken's body will be cleansed of toxins and toxins, the metabolism will quickly improve, so the ability to rush can return with renewed vigor. Moreover, the hen is very likely to lay more eggs than was previously. It is for this reason that some poultry farmers force the chicken to shed artificially, exerting a certain influence on it.
Prevention of poor egg production
Now you know what may be the reason why laying hens do not lay, we also talked about how to fix poor egg production or its complete absence.It is important to carry out preventive measures so that the number of eggs in a clutch is always numerous, because chickens can give their product daily. What to do to ensure that the chicken lays eggs stably? In general, it is necessary to provide the bird with a balanced diet, which will contain all the necessary trace elements and vitamins. In addition, you can introduce into the diet special supplements designed specifically for flying birds.
to prevent the development of stress in poultry, it is worth taking good care of them. If you plan to change the walking area or the chicken coop itself, it is best to do everything gradually, to give the birds the opportunity to adapt well to the changes. It will not be superfluous to introduce some delicacies into the chicken menu for the time of changes, they will help to reduce the stress level, it is best to give them after the main feeding.
as for the temperature, then you need to try to maintain a certain degree in the room all year round, no matter what time of year it is outside the window. The most optimal temperature is considered to be 17-24 degrees above zero. It is recommended to take care of the possibility of heating in winter in advance, for this, the design of the poultry house provides for heat sources that will work uninterruptedly for a long time and without which your pets can get sick.
In addition to all of the above, do not forget that you need to treat the bird with care, since they completely depend on you. If you manage to comply with all the conditions for caring for layers, be sure that every day you can collect fresh chicken product and the question of what to do will never arise.