How To Breed Chickens At The Dacha Of Layers And Broilers, In PM In The Summer (where To Start, Breeds, Pros And Cons, Etc.)

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Tips for raising chickens in the country

The dacha is not only a great place to stay, it can provide you with all the food you need. It can be fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and eggs. Today we will talk about raising chickens in the country. It turns out that this is not at all a difficult task that will be within the reach of anyone who wants to get down to business seriously. You can breed laying hens that will supply you with fresh eggs for a long time, or meat breeds. The main thing is to provide the bird with good living and proper feeding.

Content

• 1 Choosing the right breed
• 2 Breeds of chickens that are easy to breed in their summer cottage
• 3 Content features
• 4 How to feed hens properly
• 5 Wintering of egg-laying birds
• 6 Growing meat breeds
• 7 Features of feed for chicken breeds
• 8 Video about raising chickens in the country

Choosing the right breed

The choice of breed depends on whether you want your chickens to eat or whether you want a lot of meat. In the first case, you need to choose layers, in the second - broilers.

When purchasing layers, pay attention to the following breeds:

• minorks;
• Italian partridge;
• leghorns;
• Loman Brown;
• Hisex;
• Calico Livonian (this breed belongs to meat and egg).

These breeds have proven themselves best in our latitudes, as resilient, not picky and well performing their functions.

It is better to buy pullets aged 4-6 months - they either have already begun to rush, or are about to be brought in. The first eggs in such birds are very small, but after about the fifth they become large, of the usual size for us. If you are not going to breed the offspring of your layers, then it is not necessary to start a rooster. Chickens lay without male intervention, which is necessary only for fertilization of eggs and subsequent hatching of chickens. Although, a beautiful cockerel, singing songs in the morning, will not be superfluous at the dacha.

If you decide to have egg-laying chickens, the rooster will perform a decorative function.

Among meat breeds in our latitudes, the most common are:

• broilers;
• cornish;
• brama;
• Cochinchins.

It is preferable to buy chickens aged 60-70 days. Such chickens do not rush well, but they gain weight very quickly. If you decide to breed meat chickens, then the choice between females and males is not fundamental. Roosters are by nature larger, so it will be better if there are more of them. On the other hand, chickens, due to their low wear, do not spend a lot of energy, and they also gain mass.

Breeds of chickens that are easy to breed at their summer cottage

Features of the content

You need to start by choosing a place for walking and arranging a bird's home. For this, an open area is optimal, well lit and provided with shade in case of hot days. If you plan to keep chickens only in the summer, then you should not worry about a capital chicken coop. A building consisting of three walls and a roof is enough, where birds will spend the night and hide from the weather.

In such a makeshift chicken coop, caring for the birds will be reduced to adding feed and collecting eggs. It is enough to purchase feeders and drinkers in a special store and place them in certain places. However, it is easy to make them yourself or to use improvised means as such - old bowls, basins, boxes.

You can release chickens for free range on the site, without limiting them to an aviary. But in this case, you may run into some trouble.

1. Chickens will constantly rake your beds and flower beds. You cannot explain to them that you can walk here, but it is forbidden to manage here - these birds cannot be trained.
2. You will be surprised to find that the chicken is a free and freedom-loving bird. Neighbors will probably not like that your wards behave in other people's beds, as at home, simply by flying over the fence or sneaking into a hole in the fence. Therefore, check the quality of the fencing, or cut the wings of the chickens.
3. The hen will choose a nesting place for eggs according to one known scheme. Sometimes it is very difficult to find it in bushes, in weeds or in a barn, among garden tools.

Still, it is better to restrict the freedom of the chicken brotherhood in order to avoid possible problems. Now on sale there are many models of ready-made chicken coops, adapted for keeping poultry in summer cottages. If you think this is an expensive pleasure, then you can easily arrange such a place of residence yourself.

Portable chicken enclosure available from the store

When you start construction, take into account the following features: the size of the enclosure should proceed from the required space - at least 1 sq. for 1 chicken; perch length - at the rate of 30 cm for each chicken

The larger the space, the less likely the birds are to develop disease, aggression and stress. In addition, chickens must be provided with fresh grass at all times.

How to feed hens properly

Fresh grass is an optimal source of vitamins and minerals for chickens. Therefore, set up the enclosure to provide hens with enough weeds. A portable aviary will handle this very well. But in this case, you will need a lot of space, which is not very convenient in a small area of the site and the presence of beds on it. But this is not a problem either: constantly weeding the beds from weeds, pour the grass into the poultry pen. It'll be enough.

A feed specially formulated for laying hens will help increase potential. You do not need additional feeding, because this food is perfectly balanced and nutritious.

Buy cereals for your layers: wheat, oats, barley. These crops can be used individually or as mixtures. In some cases, vitamin and mineral supplements will be needed, but usually there is enough grain for proper growth and good wear.

Provide feed and drink containers for birds

In any case, you need to constantly monitor the condition of the chickens and their fatness. Low weight and overweight can equally lead to a decrease in egg production and the development of diseases. The optimal amount of feed for each hen is no more than 150 g per day. And don't forget to add fresh water every day.

Small chickens need special feed. It should include:

• ground corn;
• semolina;
• millet;
• finely chopped boiled chicken eggs;
• ground carrots;
• finely chopped greens: cabbage, lettuce, dandelion, etc.

For chickens 1 month old or more, grain, compound feed, potato peelings and other food waste with the addition of crushed chalk - a source of the necessary calcium - will serve as feed.

Overwintering of egg-laying birds

The optimum temperature for laying hens is from -2 to + 27 degrees Celsius. At lower or higher temperatures, egg production can not only decrease, but also completely stop. If you decide to breed layers only in the summer, then they should be slaughtered in late September - early October. Even if the layers do not differ in the meatiness of the carcasses, they are very good and fragrant in the broth.

You may decide to keep chickens in the winter. In this case, you will have to equip an insulated chicken coop and equip it with automatic drinkers and bunker-type feeders, if you do not live in a country house in winter. It will be enough to come to the dacha once a week to add food and drink, to monitor the growth and health of the bird.

And now let's talk about how to equip a winter home for laying hens. When building a full-fledged chicken coop, it is easiest to use available materials, for example, cinder blocks, logs, boards and slate.

1. Cinder blocks are a rather expensive material, but they are more durable than other options. Such a structure will stand for a long time and firmly, and almost does not require additional processing.
2. If you decide to use lumber and slate in construction, then you need to take care of insulation. Straw, dry leaves, sawdust can serve as a heater. To prevent rodents from getting into the insulating layer, mix the material with lime.
3. You can also use mineral wool as a heater, laying it in an even layer and insulating it with layers of drywall.
4. An important condition is good ventilation of the room in which the layers are kept. A constant supply of fresh air will eliminate the development of diseases and ensure regular wear of birds.
5. To avoid bird diseases, disinfect the premises approximately once every 2-3 months. Cover walls, perches and floors with a mortar of 2 kg quicklime per 10 liters of water.

We grow meat breeds

When buying chickens of meat breeds, first of all, pay attention to their appearance. Signs of chick health are:

• activity;
• soft tummy;
• inconspicuous umbilical cord;
• lush shiny fluff.

With good maintenance and adequate feeding, chickens reach a three-kilogram weight by two months of age.

When buying meat breeds, pay attention to their condition

The chick room should be well ventilated and well-lit. Fence the territory so that cats and rodents do not have access to it, otherwise you risk being left without a bird. A strong net around the entire perimeter will help to keep cats away, and in order to get rid of rodents, you need to pickle the area before you start chickens.

Before placing the chicks, sprinkle the floors of the room with fluff lime at the rate of 0.5 kg per 1 sq. M., And lay wood shavings on top. In winter, the layer should be no more than 20 cm, and in summer - about 10 cm. During the first period of keeping, provide the purchased chickens with a temperature of 28-30 degrees, reducing it by a couple of units every week.

If you have a room that is large enough for chicks, install a heater in it to keep the chicks from wandering away from the heat source. during the early growth period, they will also need round-the-clock lighting. Over time, it can be reduced and left only near the feeders and drinkers, and when the chickens reach four weeks of age, get stronger and gain strength - release them into fresh air.

In order for your chickens to grow at the right pace, use special compound feed: the first 4 days - pre-start, before reaching one month of age - starting, after - finishing.

Features of feed for chicken breeds

The pre-start type compound feed contains the highest concentration of nutrients. It includes ground corn, barley, wheat with additions of dry skim milk and sunflower meal.

The starter compound feed contains the same elements with the addition of fish meal, grass meal, feed yeast, crushed chalk, feed fat and minerals.

The final compound feed provides the chicks with the substances necessary for intensive growth. Thoroughly chopped vegetables and herbs can be added to this compound feed.

For broiler chickens raised at home in the first weeks of life, you can use cereals made from detailed grains of barley, wheat, corn, mixed with boiled eggs and cottage cheese as food. Be sure to grind the mixture into a homogeneous mass, otherwise the chickens may choke.

Proper nutrition will ensure good growth and weight gain

After the chicks are old, switch them to a simpler dry mix feed. Over time, the grown chicks will feed on grass, grain and vegetable peels.

Be sure to ask your nearest veterinary pharmacy what vitamins and medications you may need to grow chickens. Means may be different, depending on the breed, keeping conditions and the general condition of the brood or each chick separately.

Video about raising chickens in the country

As you can see, raising chickens at their summer cottage is quite simple. In addition, this activity can become a regular source of income for you. The main thing is to approach it with all seriousness. Surely you have experience in breeding poultry. We will be glad to learn something new from you and answer your questions.