Recommendations for keeping laying hens in cages
Often in small farms, there is not enough space for free roaming chickens. Not so long ago, the technology of keeping laying hens in cages, which was previously used only in poultry farms, came to the rescue. This method allows for easier care and easier collection of eggs.
Keeping laying hens in cages
Method specifics
Many poultry farmers believe that special conditions are necessary for laying hens, because the number of eggs that it will produce in 1 week depends on the degree of activity of an individual. However, all this is a big mistake: a properly organized cellular maintenance of laying hens at home does not affect egg production at all. This method is great for raising laying hens at home in the absence of walking area or for owners. mini business.
In order to properly organize the cage keeping of laying hens at home, you need to know all the nuances of breeding birds. This method will not work if the cage of chickens implies cages for quads, if a decision is made to increase the number: quads cannot reproduce under cage conditions. There is an option to plant a rooster in the hens, but due to the characteristic features, the male will soon begin to show aggression. It is necessary to equip an additional place where the hens will spend time with the rooster, and then put them back in their cages.
If you have preferred the method of cage keeping chickens, you need to think about optimal temperature conditions, illumination and ventilation. It is very important to properly organize the care of individuals of different ages. Each age group needs a separate equipped cage... You can design houses for breeding domestic chickens in cages with your own hands. This will require metal and wood.
Advantages of the method
Today, more and more people who own private farms give preference to breeding that implies the cage keeping of domestic laying hens. And for good reason, because the method provides a lot of advantages:
- it becomes possible to grow a fairly large number of birds in a small-sized barn or in the same room with other living creatures;
- it becomes much easier to carry out hygiene procedures and collect eggs;
- all livestock is constantly in sight, which simplifies the examination and culling of sick chickens;
- the risk of various predators entering the barn is reduced;
- keeping individuals of different ages separately reduces the risk of infectious diseases and contributes to the preservation of offspring.
You can save a lot of space by arranging the cells in tiers. Saving feed and guaranteeing a clean drink thanks to nipple system drinking water is another of the big advantages. Based on these data, it turns out that keeping chickens in a closed way is much more profitable and easier.
There is a fly in the ointment in any barrel of honey: and this method of keeping is not without its drawbacks. The disadvantages include:
- inactivity of chickens;
- the purchase of special equipment is quite expensive;
- decrease in the protective functions of the body in birds due to the lack of natural light and fresh air;
- the genetic characteristics of some breeds do not allow them to be kept in cages;
- the period of productivity of layers is significantly reduced;
- if the cage is not properly mounted, problems with the limbs of the birds may appear.
Scientists have proven that none, even the most complete compound feed, is not able to replace natural food obtained on its own. With the cage keeping of chickens, some disadvantages can be avoided by planting chickens in houses only in the cold season. In general, keeping chickens in cages is much more profitable when there are a large number of livestock.
Optimal conditions
In order for the egg production to remain at a certain level, it is necessary to ensure that conditions are as favorable as possible when kept closed. The entire structure must be carefully planned. It is very important to choose the correct shape and size of the cells.
This method of keeping involves the arrangement of chickens in small groups: up to 6 individuals in one cage. Stocking density - 100 sq cm per individual. If the birds are cramped, their productivity will be significantly reduced. When cage keeping involves single houses, then 5 square meters is quite enough for chickens. cm per individual.
How to make pied house houses
It is quite difficult to make houses for birds with your own hands, however, this way it will initially be possible to plan the location and the structure itself for the room, as well as make houses with an orientation specifically for your breed of birds, its features. In fact, it is a frame made of dense material: metal or wood. It is best to take a mesh with small cells on the walls. Alternatively, you can make all the walls from OSB and only the front part from the mesh.
For the floor, metal rods are used, the distance between which is about 5 cm, no more. Special trays for feces will be installed under the cages. It is also important to take into account that the floor must be fastened at a slight slope, so that the egg rolls into a specially designated groove for this, and the chicken does not have access to it. A small space is left from the front of the cell to form this groove.
Trough and water containers are attached outside. Alternatively, nipple systems are used for drinking. Usually, one drinker and one feeder is placed on 2 mated cells. The scheme for the construction of houses can be viewed on the video, and there you can actually find a detailed drawing and a description of the sequence of work.
How to choose a house for pestles
Cameras should be tailored to the needs of the laying hen breed. They are mainly characterized by compact size and low activity. If you decide to buy a ready-made structure, it is important to take into account some of the nuances:
- so that the bird does not get hurt and falls out, the mesh cells should not be large;
- the most suitable material is metal, it is convenient to wash it and it is durable;
- the slope of the floor should be 7-9 °;
- the distance from the pallet to the floor of the cage should be at least 15 cm;
- stocking density should not exceed the established norms.
For each age category, it is important to choose its own design. For chickens, a 10 square meter chamber is required. cm, for grown chicks - 30 cm, and for sexually mature individuals - 60 cm. For making cameras at home, it is better to choose galvanized metal or ecological plastic on your own. Also an important criterion is the total weight of the livestock that will live in the cage and the materials used for construction.
How to properly place the livestock
Planting density is directly related to the size of the house. To create proper care and living conditions for one adult bird, it will take from 15 to 20 square meters. cm square. On average, no more than 6 animals can be kept in one chamber.
If the houses will contain birds transferred from free range, the area of the cages for keeping chickens should be twice as large. Especially the little ones experience tremendous stress: if there is not enough space, they may stop rushing altogether. Such individuals must be gradually transferred to the cellular regime. To avoid conflicts, chickens of the same age and of the same species can be planted in one cage.
Diet and drink
At home, in closed housing, birds do not have access to walking, and accordingly, they cannot collect pasture when they want to, and independently replenish the lack of vitamins with greens. Therefore, feeding is the most important aspect of this type of housing. The basis of nutrition is combined feed, which gives from the very beginning of puberty to the end of clutch.
Feeding should include cereals, meal, calcium carbonate, vegetable oils, salt, multivitamins. The compound feed should not contain drugs, for example, antibiotics or dyes, and various food additives. Ideally, the composition should be as follows:
- 15% - protein food;
- 5% fat;
- 6% - fiber;
- about 3% are minerals.
Feeding chickens is carried out through bunker feeders... Food from them goes into separate trays located at the front of the houses. Drinking circuit is a very important aspect of gated content. The daily rate of water consumption for a sexually mature individual is at least half a liter per day.
How to care for a bird house
An isolated room, in which there is a large number of birds, needs constant cleaning and disinfection. Every day, or at least once every 2 days, you need to wipe the house with a damp cloth. All food and water containers should be washed thoroughly after each meal. Several times a day, droppings must be removed from the pallets and disinfected with alcohol or potassium permanganate solution.
Keeping hens in cages requires particularly careful care of the health of the birds, because the overall resistance of the body decreases. If it is not entirely clear how to care for birds in a cage breeding system, you can watch videos that are filmed by experienced farmers who have been using this method for a long time.