The maintenance of hens. Basics for beginners

The article is designed for those for whom the maintenance of laying hens is a completely new matter. So, we start with the basics - from the premises.

The best material for building a coop is a tree. In the villages, by the way, you can still see small sheds, made of planks and coated with clay. It's amazing - they are economical in terms of costs, and quite warm. The shed, built of bricks, will have to be additionally insulated ("lined" inside).

The dimensions of the room are taken into account based on the number of chickens that you plan to have (recommended from 0.5 to 1.00 square meters per chicken). And if you want to orientate yourself to the maximum size, then the height in the henhouse should not be more than 1.8 meters (the ceiling is higher, the room is harder to heat).

Do not give up and from the supply and exhaust ventilation system, windows and windows. However, try to arrange them so as to avoid drafts, to which the bird is quite sensitive.

If the maintenance of laying hens is planned year-round, it is necessary to take care of the insulation. The optimal option (least expensive and most efficient) is insulation with foam, and then with plywood or hardboard. Thus, you will get a semblance of a thermos, capable of "holding" temperature.

It is desirable to cover not only the walls, but also the ceiling and the floor. The maintenance of laying hens requires a serious approach to the place where the bird will live. Making a chicken coop soundly, you warn a lot of problems.

Now a few words about lighting. In the summer, as already mentioned, there will be enough windows, which, by the way, it is better to glaze not with ordinary glass, but with polycarbonate. This material is advised for three reasons:

• strength;
• durability;
• Keeping heat in cold weather.

It is better to attach the net to the inner window frame (to avoid injury to the birds).

In the case of short light days, additional lighting will be required. Here you can do without the wisdom - it is quite enough ordinary incandescent lamp of 100 W, fixed under the ceiling (in the middle). For those who plan to grow chickens in the country, it would be an ideal option. If the chicken coop adjoins the house and you have autonomous heating, you can additionally spend it in the extension. In this case, as an additional lighting, a LED type lamp, popularly called "housekeeper" (it will not be a source of heat, but energy consumption will be reduced to 90%) is suitable.

The roof is better covered with corrugated board.

In such a chicken coop in winter at an average temperature of -20 ° C on the street, the thermometer's column will rise to +15 ° C (of course, in the absence of heat leakage: an open window, a loose door, cracks, etc.).

Now about the sexes. They, as we have already found out, need to be insulated. But no less important is how comfortable they will be in the cleaning. It is better to fill the floor with shavings (suitable sawdust). You will only have to periodically change it (as far as contamination).

Nases are equipped from wooden poles and are located strictly opposite the window (it is important to avoid drafts). For light rocks, a height of 1 m from the floor is sufficient, for heavy rocks - up to 0.8 m, not more. As a nest, a simple wooden box 35x35x35 is suitable. The entrance to it is equipped with a paddle (not less than 5 cm) and shelves for take-off. One such box is usually enough for 5 hens. Inside is put hay or the same shavings (also periodically varies).

The maintenance of laying hens also requires the regulation of temperature and humidity. As for the latter, the optimal limits fit into the figures of 60-70%, but the first should not be below 0 ° C, and the highest value of +26 ° C. At a higher temperature, you risk getting eggs either with the shell very thin, or without it at all.