Keeping Chickens In The Country In Winter

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

The process of keeping chickens in the country in winter will not be difficult if you approach its organization correctly. In winter, unlike summer, when chickens can live in the open air or under a shed, chickens in the country are usually raised in household premises: sheds or poultry houses. It is impossible to argue with the fact that natural fresh meat for the table and homemade eggs are many times superior in quality to products purchased on the market. However, chickens require much more attention in winter than in summer

What should be a winter house

The house must be warm, as poultry do not tolerate drafts. Also, the room should be not only light, but also spacious. Special slats are attached to the windows of the poultry house or a metal mesh is put on - this is done so that the birds cannot break the glass. The door in the poultry house is well insulated so that the difference between the temperature indoors and outdoors does not lead to freezing.

In the event that, in addition to chickens, there are other animals in the country house, chickens can be kept in the same room with these animals, having previously built a cage with a wooden floor for them (a wooden floor is needed so that feathered droppings do not fall on the heads of the other residents of the barn). A roost for chickens will also be very useful, however, the rods should correspond to the thickness of the coverage of the bird's paws so that the chickens do not get injured when falling from the roost. On sunny and not very frosty days, chickens can even be allowed to walk outside.

Bed for birds in a winter cottage

Litter in a poultry house or in a bird cage must be mandatory: it can be shallow or deep. Shallow litter changes as it gets dirty, and deep litter twice a year. Also, the litter needs to be changed if the chickens break it too much or it becomes dirty and damp. In this case, you can only replace the top layer of the litter, simply adding a fresh one. Keeping chickens will also require germicidal lamps to maintain a healthy environment at all times.

How to feed chickens in the country in winter

The diet of chickens requires special attention. In order for chickens to lay eggs all year round, it is necessary to monitor what they are given to eat. The chances of getting an impressive number of eggs are almost zero if you feed the chickens only with vegetables or herbs. Moreover, with such a diet, chickens may not even survive. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to plan their diet. Chicken food should contain a sufficient amount of protein and other substances that contribute to the formation of energy. The fact is that more than 80% of the nutrients that come with food are spent by chickens to maintain their own standard of living, and only the remaining 20% go to the formation of eggs and meat. Therefore, if these birds are undersupplied with the prescribed feed rate, one should expect that their productivity will significantly decrease.

So that the chickens do not get sick and carry well, they are fed with wheat or compound feed; for greater efficiency, these feeds can be alternated. For example, if only wheat is offered to chickens, it is possible that they will be deprived of essential micronutrients as a result. When buying compound feed, you should pay attention to the manufacturer and the recipe.

Laying hens are also usually fed large amounts of protein-rich feed. Green juicy forages are replaced with cabbage, root crops, etc. Protein-enriched food in the form of blood meal or meat meal is also added to the main grain feed. And during the growth of new feathers, it will be useful to give chickens flaxseed meal, flaxseed cake or sunflower seed in moderation.

For the winter, you need to prepare bunches of well-leafy hay. These bundles are tied at a height of approximately 40 centimeters from the floor at the bottom of the wall. And in separate feeders it is also necessary to pour crushed chalk and fine gravel.

Why chickens fly worse in winter and how to deal with it

The fact that chickens fly little in the winter season is due to the period of molting lasting up to four months. Accordingly, the energy that was previously spent on the formation of eggs begins to go to the restoration of feathers. In order to reduce this period to a minimum, you need to take more care of the birds: reduce their "bright" day to six hours if possible and increase the amount of feed. It is also important to know that chickens are extremely sensitive to a change in environment, which in turn is reflected in the laying.