Keeping chickens in the winter at the dacha or at home

Chickens are heat-loving people and rather flimsy. Winter, especially in cold regions, always becomes a serious test for them, and if the chicken coop is not properly insulated, wintering becomes especially difficult. Ice water in the drinking bowl, drafts, constant darkness - you should not expect either eggs or good health from birds that live in such harsh conditions.

Kansei

In the village, our chickens lived in a plank shed, without any insulation; the temperature there was slightly higher than outside. The chickens did not freeze, although the rooster's comb sometimes froze. The downside is that under such conditions, chickens almost never lay eggs in winter, and if they lay eggs and you didn’t keep track, the eggs freeze and burst.

In this article we will tell you how FORUMHOUSE members insulate their poultry houses for the winter.

Home farm

The most common way to earn money for poultry farmers is by selling their own, environmentally friendly products.
You can set up keeping and breeding chickens as a business and make a profit from the feathered family even if the farm is small and kept on your own plot. Such farmers usually sell their products in their own or nearby settlements, or sell in bulk to grocery stores. Even if it’s small, you can earn income even from the most ordinary poultry farm.

Thanks to this, the costs of feed and maintenance will be paid off. In order for the feathered workers to be able to bring profit to their owner, the business must be properly organized and calculated.

Success and prosperity to you!

See modern products for poultry and livestock farmers that improve the health of pets and make our work easier.

What is the difference between a winter chicken coop and a summer one: which one is better?

In the warm season, an ordinary healthy chicken needs the sun, which provides light and warmth, a sufficient amount of food and a perch to which it climbs as soon as it begins to get dark. Theoretically, all this can be provided under a canopy on the street. The presence of walls in a permanent structure is not necessary.

But with the onset of autumn, when daylight and natural solar heat become scarce, at least two important problems arise:

• How to extend daylight hours?
• How to keep chickens warm?

The main difference between a winter chicken coop and a summer one is the ability to heat the room, protect it from wind and precipitation, as well as the presence of artificial lighting.

How to build a shed garage is detailed in this article.

You can see what a change house and a toilet in a summer cottage will look like in the contents of this article.

Balanced daily diet

for laying hens based on 1 bird/day. in grams:

1. Any grain (oats, wheat, barley, etc.) – 50;
2. Flour mixture – 50;
3. Hay flour – 10;
4. Juicy feed – 30-50;
5. Protein feed of plant and animal origin – 10-15;
6. Shell – 5;
7. Bone meal – 2;
8. Table salt – 5.
9. corn 5 kg;
10. wheat 1.5 kg;
11. barley 1 kg;
12. peas 0.5 kg;
13. sunflower cake 0.8 kg;
14. fish or meat and bone meal 0.8 kg;
15. feed yeast 0.3 kg;
16. grass flour (chopped hay of legumes or nettles, fresh grass in summer) 0.5 kg;
17. premix (vitamin and mineral supplement) 0.15 kg;

On average, one laying hen can produce about 250 eggs per year. Thus, a flock of 100 chickens can produce 2,500 eggs per year. With an average cost of eggs of 60-70 rubles for 10 pieces, the annual profit can be 150,000-175,000 rubles.

Territory

Garage (own or rented).

Approximately 35% of people have a car and, accordingly, have their own or rented garage, why not equip it as a premises for your small business. Here you must take into account that your business will depend on the size of the garage and if the size is not large, then obviously you should not hope for a large income.

However, even with a small garage size, you can get the hang of it and move to a larger area or even build a network of such premises. Such a business can be the starting point to financial independence.

How to convert a garage into a chicken coop? Watch the video tips.

To create this business you will need the following costs:

• registration number;
• cost item;
• herd and care costs.

Cages for laying hens

The number of cells depends on the size of the room (garage). One cage per 1 m2, which can accommodate 4 chickens, will cost approximately 3,000 rubles. If you have a garage of approximately 10 m2, you can buy 6 cages, so you can fit 24 chickens and need 18,000 rubles.

You can either make the cages yourself or buy ready-made ones in a specialized store.

Creating conditions

It is necessary to convert the garage into favorable conditions for poultry.

When keeping chickens, lighting is of great importance, therefore, in order to increase the egg production of chickens, you need to install a rheostat that will control the light in brightness - from yellow to bright orange and to night light.

By gradually increasing or decreasing the rheostat lever, the birds will receive a signal that it is time to go to the perches before dark.

The microclimate needs to be adjusted. The normal temperature for keeping chickens ranges up to +20 degrees. Chickens tolerate low temperatures worse than high temperatures. However, if the air temperature is above +20 degrees, the thickness of the egg shells will be thinner.

Air humidity must be maintained at a level of 60% to 70%, otherwise the laying hens will feel uncomfortable.

Provide good ventilation. Good air is as important for chickens as good food. The better and cleaner the air, the higher the bird's appetite and the higher the egg production.

Install ash baths. To fight parasites, you need to install flutters. They should be placed in a wooden box. Make up a mixture in a 1:1 ratio of ash and sand with the addition of pyrethrum. Bathtubs need to be refilled periodically and, of course, keep the area around them clean.

Bird

It is enough to have 1 rooster in the chicken coop so that they do not fight and spoil the psyche of the laying hens, this can have a bad effect on their egg production. It is better to buy young chickens, 3-4 months old. One laying hen costs about 250 rubles, and one rooster costs about 300 rubles.

That is, based on our approximate data, for 6 cells you will need 23 hens and 1 rooster. That is about 6050 rubles.

Care products

Feed, water and nutritional supplements.

Income from this activity is calculated using very rough indicators, since it is difficult to predict how many eggs each chicken will lay. Approximate income:

1 hen of the common Russian White breed lays about 250 eggs per year, which means 23 hens will lay 5,500 eggs per year. How many eggs there will be in the end depends on your attitude towards the bird (care and finding ways to improve their performance).

Signs of chicken diseases

Raising chickens at home for beginners requires knowledge of the main signs of chicken diseases. Even under good hygienic conditions, poultry can become ill. The disease can be carried by pigeons and rodents that steal food. Sick birds become lethargic. They do not stand up, do not eat food, and may experience convulsions. A sick chicken must be immediately separated from other birds.

Lethargy and lack of appetite may be signs of vitamin deficiency. In this case, you will need to increase the greens in the food, give fish oil, and irradiate with ultraviolet lamps. Cannibalism is more difficult to deal with

A wound on a bird's body can attract the attention of its companions. To hide the wounds, the light in the chicken coop should be dim and muted.

It is necessary to carefully observe the birds and understand the cause of the disease:

• If chickens peck their fingers into blood, they are hungry;
• Inflammation leads to pecking of the cloaca, the cause is improper feeding;
• pecking the head - a hierarchy is established;
• if chickens pluck feathers, there are not enough minerals in the feed;

The most common diseases associated with poor diet are:

• inflammation of the goiter: limited mobility, weakness, sluggish appetite, enlargement of the goiter sac;
• pasteurellosis: rapid, hoarse breathing, nasal discharge, high fever, blue combs and ruffled feathers;
• salpingitis: chickens lose activity and stop laying eggs, or they appear without shells;
• gastritis: diarrhea, disheveled feathers, apathy;
• gout: problems with leg function, bloating, loss of appetite, goiter inflammation;
• alopecia: feather loss, skin damage, itching.

Keeping chickens: cages for laying hens

In the finished chicken coop, the birds should not only be warm and well-fed. They still need something to do. Straw and hay are used not only for bedding, but also for the birds to row.

• In the winter chicken coop you still need to give them dry baths of sand and ash. Such bathing will allow the birds to defeat parasites on their own.
• Overhead light (it is better to use wide lamps) will create a feeling of the presence of the sun, which, in the presence of heat, stimulates the chickens to become more active.
• A variety of food in the required quantity will allow them to lay eggs and accumulate strength for spring.

What to consider when drawing up a business plan for creating a poultry farm

Business on a farm with laying hens or meat breeds can be very profitable, but only with a skillful and thoughtful approach to raising poultry. Fortunately, raising chickens is not that difficult; there are many on sale; even a beginner can handle it. First, you need to decide where the birds will be raised, since birds require a certain area and if it doesn’t exist, then you need to look for it. Although they say that you can raise chickens at home, a city apartment is not suitable for these purposes. You need at least a small area where the flock will live, then you can say for sure whether it is profitable to keep laying hens as a business. After this, you need to think about building a chicken coop. There are many options here, each of which can be very convenient in certain conditions. When birds are raised in an area where there is a threat of flooding, the chicken coop is placed on poles or stilts. Some farmers prefer to save money and not make a foundation for their poultry house, but this is only permissible if the soil is not subject to erosion, otherwise such savings can result in big expenses in the future.

When a drawing has already been selected and a general plan for the chicken coop has been drawn up, you need to select the material for construction. The profitability of a poultry farm also depends on how much it costs to build. Where should you start when choosing building materials? The first step is to find out the price lists of local suppliers in order to know what prices are charged for a particular resource. Then you should go through local forums and ask for advice. Even those who are not very familiar with the concepts of various words, such as the word showtopic, can find the right forum.

Breeding young animals

The profitability of the farm as a whole depends on how well the little chickens are cared for. Without understatement, this is the most important part of chicken breeding. And it doesn’t matter whether the farmer raises broilers, laying hens, meat-egg breeds or grilled poultry. In any case, you will have to raise chickens and ensure that they are provided with decent living conditions. It should be taken into account that purebred chicks have worse survivability than hybrids of any two breeds.

The first thing you need to think about is whether the farm needs an incubator. Perhaps the farmer plans to buy chicks already hatched or entrust the breeding of the offspring to hens selected for this purpose. If an incubator is a necessary unit on a farm, it’s worth looking at how quickly it will pay for itself, based on the cost of eggs and chicks. It is likely that profitability will be higher if the incubator is assembled by hand. It is advisable to take care of the calculations in advance in order to think through all possible expenses.

Then you should think about such a thing as a brooder. This is a miniature chicken coop in which the farmer will raise chickens. Even a small business breeding these birds is impossible without a simple brooder. Anyone starting from scratch can get by with a small homemade box made from old furniture or wooden packaging. A finished brooder often costs unreasonably high, so it is more convenient and cheaper to make it yourself at home.

Breeding chickens in the garage - winter and summer

So, let's highlight the basic principles thanks to which our business idea for breeding poultry will bring the desired income. Animals should be provided with the following conditions:

• Constant maintenance of cleanliness. The cages need to be cleaned every day, but if you raise chickens in a garage without cages, you will have to clean the entire room weekly, as well as change the flooring made of straw, grass and sawdust.
• Proper feeding using supplements that stimulate calcium recovery.
• Maintaining temperature conditions at a level comfortable for birds.
• Walking, if the location of the garage allows it.

When the weather is warm and dry, you can clean a little less frequently, especially if you often take your hens out for a walk. But if the weather is dirty and humid, then, on the contrary, you will have to clean the garage more often. The floor must be dry, this is justified by the fact that, despite their resistance to various diseases, chickens very often suffer from respiratory infections.

In the cold season, birds need additional lighting, because laying eggs is a daily process. For good yields, it is necessary to install lighting from six in the morning to seven in the evening. The bird's winter diet is also a little different. They must eat grains before going to bed. By digesting food, their body warms up, making it easier to fight frost. The rest of the food remains the same, but since there is simply no special amount of greens, fruits and vegetables for the birds, a large proportion of the food is made up of pre-prepared combined food.

Raising chickens is a profitable business. Later it could even become a business. But first, everyone raises chickens for personal use. Such animals are not particularly demanding in terms of maintenance and feed - they are able to get used to any conditions.

But this does not mean that they can be completely abandoned, and the process of growing and reproduction will happen by itself. Such an activity constantly requires attention and small expenses.

Costs and profits

First of all, it’s worth talking about the costs of setting up a chicken farm.

Main costs:

• Chicken coop equipment;
• Purchase of young animals and an incubator for further breeding of chickens at home;
• Feed costs.

Profit from business in breeding laying hens

Breeding and raising laying hens involves receiving the main profit from the sale of eggs. On average, a laying hen can lay about 200 eggs per year. The average price for a dozen domestic eggs on the market is about 50 rubles. On average, a small farm consists of 100–200 birds. Thus, a farm of 100 chickens will bring you about 20,000 eggs per year. On average, you sell them for 100,000 rubles. This is how much you will earn if you only sell eggs. But you can also start breeding broiler chickens as a business and make even greater profits just by breeding poultry at home.

Where is it acceptable to raise chickens?

A special poultry house is made for raising chickens. It must be dry and also clean. Do not forget that all birds love to be free, so the conditions should be spacious. Be sure to have a place outside where chickens can roam. This could be lawns and grass.

Now it’s worth talking about the internal structure of the poultry house. You should definitely create nests and perches in which the hens will place their eggs. They love to swim in baths with ash and sand, cleansing their plumage of parasites.

Can it be grown in SNT?

You have every right to do this. However, you should know about the requirements of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, as well as Rospotrebnadzor. Manure should not slide into the nearby river, and chickens should roam as far as possible from neighbors' fences. Animals should not disturb anyone.

Is private construction allowed on the site?

Carrying out economic activities related to the breeding of domestic breeds is not allowed on private housing plots. Responsibility for violation is provided for under the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. Failure to comply with this requirement may require payment of a fine in the amount of 5,000 rubles .

How to create a farm in the garage?

To raise chickens in the garage you do not need to have any special knowledge. In the process of arranging a room for chickens, you should learn about how to feed and water them, how to properly care for them and create favorable conditions for reproduction.

In what conditions should laying hens be kept - a free enclosure?

Is it profitable to keep laying hens? These birds are quite unpretentious, so keeping them is quite a profitable business. To keep birds year-round you need:

• warm room (for the cold season);
• walking area.

Free keeping is considered more preferable, as it allows birds to roam and feel free. The livestock spends the night in the chicken coop, and during the day is where it is more comfortable - either also indoors in the chicken coop, or in an open-air enclosure.

A chicken coop is a room for birds where they will lay eggs. The fertility of birds depends on how well it is organized. In principle, this is not difficult: birds need a perch, a feeder, a drinking bowl, and a ladder between the levels of the perch. The chicken coop should be covered, warm and draft-free.

The best material for a perch is wood. It needs to be installed at a height of 60-70 centimeters. It should be comfortable for chickens to hold onto it with their paws. The length of the perch is determined by the number of birds: one individual needs about 30 centimeters for comfortable placement. At the same time, in winter the chickens sit more closely (for warmth), and in the summer, on the contrary, they sit more spaciously.

The enclosure can be covered, but this is not necessary. Chickens fly poorly and even a small barrier becomes a significant obstacle for them.

In this case, it is important to make a rain shelter or provide constant access to the chicken coop so that in case of bad weather the birds can hide. There should be no poisonous plants growing in the aviary that can harm the birds - they will definitely taste them

Chickens fly poorly and even a small barrier becomes a significant obstacle for them.

Keeping livestock in cages - what are the advantages?

However, another option is also possible - permanently keeping birds in cages. This method is considered even more profitable, since chickens lay eggs better in cages and gain weight faster. By the way, it is not worth combining housing options, since birds get used to certain conditions, and changing them causes stress, or rather, has a bad effect on weight and egg production.

When keeping in cages, up to 8 birds are placed in cages per 1 square meter of room. If the population is large, the cages are placed in tiers. Of course, funds will also have to be allocated for the purchase of cells and their installation.

Construction according to drawings, area and number of birds

Distinctive features of the construction of poultry houses based on the number of birds.

Scheme for an insulated building for 5 birds or a ready-made warm chicken coop

Even for such a small number of laying hens you need a full-fledged house for chickens. 5 chickens will live quite comfortably in a space of 3 m2. So their winter home can be 1.5 meters long and 2 meters wide.

How to properly build a chicken coop is described here.

Here it is quite appropriate to place perches on the sides of the chicken coop.

Place cages near the longest wall, and install feeders near the opposite one. It is best to go out into the enclosure here.

For such purposes, a ready-made chicken coop according to Dodonov’s design may be quite suitable, or you can build a simple foam block one.

Layout of a barn for 10 chickens for the winter

It is enough for 10 birds to stay in a room whose width is 1 meter, length 2 and height from 1.5 meters.

The layout can be as follows: install perches on the sides of the chicken coop, and feeders near the longest wall. Residents can enter the chicken coop from the enclosure through a small door above the floor.

It is advisable to place the door on the south side of the building. Next to it you can make an entrance for a person.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a house for a well with your own hands are outlined here.

It is no more difficult to properly organize space for a larger number of birds.

Chicken coop layout for 20 to 50 birds

Two dozen laying hens is quite a large number. Among them there may be birds of different breeds.

In this case, the winter chicken coop could look like this:

1. A length of 4 meters or more is divided into sections. If there are three of them, then you can keep 6-7 chickens in each.
2. The door from each section will open into a common corridor. Its length is equal to the length of the entire chicken coop. The entrance to a person's chicken coop should be through this corridor.
3. In sections on the walls adjacent to the corridor, install cages with nests. This will make it easier to get eggs without going into the section.
4. On the opposite wall you can allocate space for ash baths.
5. You can feed chickens in cages, but you can also install feeders on the floor.
6. The bird's exit into the enclosure can be from the doors located on the smallest wall (its length is sufficiently 1.5-2 meters).

With this layout, the chickens will have the opportunity to walk and rest in separate cages.

The optimal area for comfortably keeping 20 chickens should be from 10 m2. In such a space, the bird is not cramped, and a person will have the opportunity to fully care for it.

Following the recommendations will allow you to build a full-fledged winter chicken coop.

What and how to feed correctly?

To achieve high egg production, proper feeding and a balanced diet are important. Overfeeding and underfeeding chickens should not be allowed

Feeding chickens at different times will also have a negative impact. Feeding in the morning and evening should be different in composition, but always strictly at a certain time.

Birds should regularly have fresh grass in their diet, as it contains many vitamins and microelements. To make chickens lay eggs even better, you can use special food that perfectly combines all the nutrients. To feed laying hens, cereal crops are necessary:

• barley;
• oats;
• wheat.

They can be added to the diet either together or separately. In some cases, it is necessary to add vitamins and minerals to the feed, but, more often than not, grain is enough for good growth and egg production of chickens. The amount of feed consumed per day depends on the breed, age of the chicken and time of year. On average, each bird eats 100 grams of food per day.

Drinking water must be fresh and changed daily. Meat chickens require cleanliness when eating. They trample on food; to avoid difficulties, you should purchase special feeders and drinkers for them.

In the first weeks of life of broiler chickens, it is recommended to feed them with crushed grains of wheat, barley and corn. Cereals must be thoroughly ground with cottage cheese so that the chickens do not choke. Later, you can transfer broilers to feed from dry mixtures, grass, grain, and vegetable peelings.

Walking in the cold season

Beginning poultry farmers are often interested in whether it is possible to let chickens outside in winter. Indeed, they should at least sometimes leave the warm chicken coop and take a walk. This significantly improves their well-being, which means egg production increases.

Chickens for a walk

It is advisable that they have the opportunity to leave the coop themselves. In such a case, you need to provide a hole covered with a piece of polyethylene that protects the room from the cold. It is also desirable to have a door - it needs to be closed at night so that a rat, hungry cat or other predator does not sneak into the chicken coop.

Financial side of business

For example, if you plan to start your own business with 50 chickens, then you will need 5,000 rubles to purchase them. Next, you will need to stock up on food, and if you consider that one chicken eats 36 kg of grain or feed per year, which costs 10 kg per 1 kg, then for the entire livestock you will need approximately 18,000 rubles, and approximately 2,000 rubles. will be spent on purchasing premixes and vitamin supplements.

As for profit, everything will depend on the number of eggs laid. On average, 50 chickens can lay 1,250 eggs, costing 60-100 rubles, which means the annual profit will be in the range of 55-105 thousand rubles. In addition to this, you can sell chicks, chicken meat and manure. The profitability of such a business is 200%, and it pays for itself in less than a year.

Requirements for a chicken house

In order for the design and construction work to go as correctly as possible, you should follow the instructions on how to build a chicken coop correctly. Otherwise, due to an incorrectly thought out design, as well as due to unfavorable conditions, breeding the bird cannot bring good results and will only become a loss.

Design documentation for the planned construction of a chicken coop should be drawn up after thinking through the following points:

• Ensuring complete safety of living creatures from the penetration of predators who love to feast on eggs and even fresh chicken meat;
• No drafts in the chicken coop, as the bird can catch a cold;
• Providing the house with good thermal insulation;
• Arrangement of a ventilation system, since the lack of fresh air negatively affects the health of birds;
• It is important to install high-quality lighting, since the poultry house will be illuminated for a certain number of hours during the day, otherwise the chickens may not lay eggs.

Popular breeds of laying hens

The first egg crosses were bred using folk methods in Ancient Egypt. Since the 19th century, breeders have been working to produce productive chickens, which has led to the achievement of 300 eggs per year. Now the breed diversity that existed in the early and mid-20th century has practically disappeared, as the industry uses effective subspecies and ignores others.

Leghorn

A popular breed for home breeding and in industry. Productivity is 280 eggs per year; chickens begin laying eggs at 4.5–5 months. The remaining characteristics, with the exception of meat mass, are also at the same level. The bird is unpretentious to climatic conditions, lays fertilized eggs, and is distinguished by its resistance to disease and the survival of young and adult birds.

This breed is suitable for breeding and is recommended for beginning farmers.

Araucana

One of the few egg breeds that have survived to this day in a large population. Despite the low productivity (180 eggs per year), chickens adapt well to the household and have lower requirements for free space and the availability of space for walking. Their eggs are valued and in demand due to the bluish or greenish color of the shell. Birds are also raised for decorative purposes.

Fayumi

A folk breed of Egyptian chickens, which is rarely used in industrial breeding due to insufficient egg production (up to 170 pieces per year). But thanks to its unpretentiousness, ease of maintenance and nutrition, it is a suitable option for households in the absence of the opportunity to purchase high-quality feed and incubators. But the bird easily runs wild, accustomed to a dry and hot climate.

Lohmann Brown

An inferior stable breed, but a type of cross (hybrid) of chickens after a generation. To obtain one representative of the Lohmann Brown, two hybrids of the other four breeds are crossed in the correct way. The efficiency indicators of chickens are not passed on to offspring, so independent breeding is impossible. However, high egg production (at least 300 eggs per year), large mass of product, survival rate and disease resistance make the cross popular. For breeding, incubation material or day-old chicks are purchased. They are easy to distinguish by gender - the hens are brown, and the cockerels are white.

Which breed is the best?

The following breeds can be called the best:

• Egg. They have a strong body and are distinguished by the fact that they are quite active. The best breeds produce 300 eggs per year. These include the Russian White, Leghorn, and Ukrainian Ushanka. It is worth noting that they are hardy and do not require a lot of food.
• Meat. The weight of such a bird is 4.5 kg. Such chickens are characterized by unusual plumage, which can extend to the paws. They do well in dry climates. The best can be called Brahma, Cochin, Dorking.
• Meat and egg. These chickens are universal, so they are found in almost all household plots. It is easy to keep such a bird because it is not whimsical. It is better to choose New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Orlington.
• Poltava. This breed has become widespread among business owners. The weight of chickens is 2 kg, and that of roosters is 3 kg.

Breeding chickens for beginners Beginners need to know that chickens love to walk in the fresh air. Therefore, set aside a grassy area for them where they can warm up their feathers. You need to feed them 2 or 3 times a day and each time you need to wash the feeders from any leftover food and water.

To prevent chickens from getting sick, in winter you need to lengthen daylight hours using infrared lamps.

Chicken farm as a business

When opening a chicken farm as a business, you need to take into account that there are a lot of competitors in the market. These are large poultry farms and entrepreneurs like you. It is necessary to find distribution channels for products in advance. At the initial stage, you can offer “homemade” eggs to friends and place ads on various Internet sites.

In this business, recommendations and word of mouth are especially important. If the products are of excellent quality, there will always be customers who will appreciate it.

In addition to eggs, in the future you will sell meat from chickens removed from the technological cycle. Bird droppings, which are bought as fertilizer, are also in demand. This will become additional income for your company. You can also sell products through eco-product stores.

Business advantages:

• high growth rate of poultry - chicken begins to lay eggs from 5-6 months of age;
• lack of seasonality of demand - eggs are in demand throughout the year;
• ease of mastering the technology;
• low costs of starting a business and maintaining a poultry population;
• there is always the opportunity to expand the business;
• production can be considered waste-free (eggs, meat, feathers, manure - everything can be sold);
• You can get a subsidy from the state for the development of the area.

Experienced poultry farmers note only a few disadvantages:

Premises requirements

To raise chickens for eggs, you will need to build a warm, light chicken coop. The most suitable materials are brick, wood, foam blocks.

Poultry can be kept in cages or on the floor. When keeping cages, the stocking density of chickens depends on the breed. For example, for leghorns you need 0.04 sq.m. area, and for Rhode Island - 0.05.

When laying hens are kept on floors, their egg production increases, since they are more active than meat chickens. The planting density is no more than 4-5 birds per square meter of floor.

Near the chicken coop, a walking area with a canopy from rain and sun is fenced off with a net. The height of the pen should be at least 1.5-1.8 m so that the birds cannot fly over it.

In winter, the room requires maintaining heat at 15 degrees using a stove, infrared, gas or electric heaters.

There is not enough natural light for continuous egg laying in winter, so the barn is equipped with fluorescent lamps and the daylight hours are extended to 14-15 hours.

In addition to these factors, poultry productivity is affected by air purity and humidity. When manure and bedding decompose in a chicken coop, gases that are harmful to chickens are formed. This can lead to a lack of appetite in birds, lethargy, weakness, and ultimately to a decrease in productivity. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure good ventilation, avoiding drafts.

Equipment

When you are arranging a chicken coop, think about the location of the perches, nests, vestibule and walking area. If you are going to keep laying hens in cages, make a mesh bottom with a tray - this will make it more convenient to remove droppings.

Provide feeders and water bowls. There are automatic models on sale, but you can make them yourself - the design is simple.

To raise chickens from eggs, you will need an incubator and a brooder - a special heated box for keeping young animals up to two weeks of age.

To renew the population, it is advisable to keep a parent herd, where the best specimens are selected.

How to build the right all-season project with your own hands

When you have decided on the project, it is important to adhere to the established drawings, otherwise the construction plan for the building may be violated, which will subsequently lead to an uncomfortable stay for the birds in the chicken coop. Features that should be considered before starting construction:

• It is best to make it not wide, but long;
• you need enough perches, feeders and drinkers to allow all the birds to eat together;
• the longer the chicken coop, the more ceiling lamps it should have, so choose construction schemes with an elongated building;
• doors should be positioned in such a way as to minimize the entry of cold air when they are opened.

How to build and what a shed with a woodshed will look like is described in detail in this article.

What a plastic garden shed looks like and how to assemble it is detailed in the article.

How to make a metal shed at your dacha with your own hands is detailed in the article: https://2gazon.ru/postroiki/xozyajstvennye-postrojki/metallicheskie-sarai.html

Foundation and floor options

Like any permanent structure, a winter chicken coop needs a foundation. If we are not talking about a poultry farm, then it is quite enough to make a ditch up to half a meter deep. After the concrete solution has hardened here, roofing material needs to be laid on top. Floors can be made in at least two options.

1. Lay a substrate , a pipe for a water-heated floor on top of it, and then fill this structure with a 3-centimeter layer of concrete. Such a floor will need to be covered with straw and hay and, if calculated correctly, it will provide warmth throughout the chicken coop.
2. On top of the foundation , covered with roofing felt, lay logs around the perimeter of the room . They will need to lay a wooden covering. By itself, such a floor will be warm enough, but, of course, it is incapable of heating the room.

You may also be interested in the material about canopies over metal porches.

If there is no stove or some other heating source in the winter chicken coop, then there is no point in abandoning the installation of a heated floor. The egg production of chickens depends 40% on how warm it is in the room where they are located. If it is not possible to install water heating, it is quite possible to install an electric heated floor.

If the room temperature drops to +7 °C, then it is already very cold for chickens. This chicken coop needs to be heated. Therefore, in order not to have to worry about heating it every winter, it is better to install a heating system once and be glad that the birds are warm here.

Winter building walls

Such a room does not need special beauty. Any option for which there is money would be appropriate here. The walls of a winter chicken coop can be made of:

Each of these building materials is best insulated from the outside. This, firstly, will save energy costs. Secondly, it will protect the building from cold and wind.

You can also familiarize yourself with the features of a chicken coop for 100 chickens.

The minimum height of the walls in the chicken coop should be slightly higher than human height, namely 2-2.2 meters. The outside of the building can be clad in any available way. But the inside walls need to be plastered and whitewashed.

How to make a roof

After the walls are erected, before the last row of masonry, you need to lay the logs. Wooden flooring can be laid on top of them. It can also be made of any material containing wood (OSB, chipboard).

It is best to make the roof itself pitched. Firstly, it will be possible to equip an attic here. Secondly, there will not be a lot of snow on such a roof and the chances that it will fail are much less.

If there is an enclosure, the roof must be made so that it at least partially extends above it. The aviary can be equipped near any wall of the chicken coop or even along its entire perimeter. In the chicken coop itself, you need to think about a ventilation and lighting system.

This link will tell you how to make a birdhouse with your own hands.

Starting a business

Like any other business, chicken farming should start with developing a business plan. Working from a business plan, you can anticipate possible problems, costs and opportunities in advance. If the business plan is drawn up correctly, then you can not only calculate your expenses, but also approximately know when the business will pay for itself and begin to make a profit.

The location for raising chickens does not matter. It could be a village or a city. Because chicken coops do not take up too much space. In the village, the advantage will be that chickens can be walked in large areas.

You should not start a business with a large number of livestock. It is better to have a few, and then gradually increase the number of birds. If you decide to seriously get into this business, then you should immediately settle some paperwork. Register yourself as an individual entrepreneur and register a farm. This will then have a positive impact on the procedure for obtaining certificates and on the products of your farm.

It is very important to think in advance about how the chickens will be kept. There are two methods for keeping them:

• Cellular. In this case, racks are installed throughout the chicken coop where the cages are located. It is necessary to carefully consider the water and feed supply system, and of course, monitor the cleanliness of the cages. In general, such maintenance requires considerable funds to purchase cells and provide all the systems.
• Floor-standing. When chickens are kept in cages, their movement is limited, which negatively affects their ability to lay eggs. Cage housing is more often used when keeping broiler breeds. It is better to keep laying hens on the floor and walk them regularly, which will have a positive effect on the quality and quantity of eggs.

When the maintenance method is chosen, you need to calculate all the costs that are necessary for equipping the chicken coop. Purchased cages, feeders and drinkers are additional costs that are quite noticeable. A more budget-friendly option would be to make all the necessary things yourself.

Chicken coop foundation

All massive buildings must have a foundation and a chicken coop is no exception. The foundation will not allow the building to settle. The type of foundation for the chicken coop is chosen based on the number of floors in the room. It is possible that you will want to build a two-story poultry house and will keep not only chickens, but also geese, ducks, guinea fowl and quails.

The foundation of the poultry house should protrude 30-40 cm above the soil level and be waterproofed from the walls. In any case, the greatest attention when building a poultry house should be given to the floors.

The floor must be constructed in such a way that mice, rats, ferrets or foxes cannot enter the house. To strengthen and protect against these “freeloaders,” a special fine-mesh metal mesh is often placed in the floors. Previously, craftsmen poured concrete floors with the addition of glass to protect them from mice and rats.

When installing concrete floors, they are made with a slight slope to one side in order to make it easier to carry out general cleaning of the poultry house. The floor in the chicken coop should be located at least 20 cm above ground level.

Diseases - diagnosis and treatment

Inexperienced breeders, as well as professionals, have problems associated with chicken diseases.

To avoid the negative consequences that infectious, parasitic and other diseases can cause, it is necessary to promptly identify the symptoms, identify the sick bird under quarantine conditions and begin treatment.

It is important to examine birds daily for warning signs. At the initial stages of the disease, the following signs appear:

• the bird is lethargic;
• rarely gets off the perch;
• inactive and sitting with eyes closed;
• sudden changes from a state of calm to excitement;
• heavy breathing, atypical sounds.

If the following symptoms are present, treatment should be started immediately:

• mucous discharge;
• inflammatory processes near the organs of vision or from the respiratory system;
• the condition of the feathers deteriorates;
• the functioning of the digestive system is disrupted.

It is important to identify the problem in time, establish a diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment with medications, and it is also necessary to strictly adhere to the prescribed hygiene and sanitary requirements.

Insulation methods

Insulation of a chicken coop is usually carried out as a complex, that is, the floor, walls and ceiling are insulated, windows and doors are tightly fitted. The main requirement is that there are no gaps left.

Mineral wool, two-layer shingles, and thermal insulation devices are used as wall materials. Typically, polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam are used. The technology is no different from that used to insulate a private home.

Description of work stages:

1. Installation of sheathing.
2. Laying insulation.
3. Sheathing with plywood or clapboard.

Advice. When insulating a room, do not forget about windproof films to prevent the chickens from blowing.

Insulation methods are divided depending on what material or what device is used.

Natural

Natural materials at hand are used as insulation: tow, straw, sawdust, wood shavings, pine needles. Tow is used to seal the cracks between boards or logs, and bulk materials are laid on the floor.

Peat moss makes an excellent flooring. Its peculiarity is that this material is applied in two layers. First, pour a layer 20 cm thick, and as it gets dirty, add ½ of this layer on top. The litter should be loosened from time to time to achieve its uniformity and heat conservation. Practice shows that these methods are not enough and heating is often needed.

Electrical

This method involves the use of electrical heating. Conventional heaters are not suitable for chicken coops, as their heated surfaces can harm the birds.

It is recommended to purchase IR heaters equipped with a special thermostat. Once the required temperature level is reached, such devices turn off by themselves.

Stove insulation

A boiler or stove that runs on solid or liquid fuel is installed in the bird room. Heating the old fashioned way is, on the one hand, simple, but on the other hand, it is fraught with large heat losses if taps are made from the heating system of the house. In this case, pipe insulation or digging into the ground will be required.

Advice. Since chickens tend to peck plaster in winter (due to a deficiency of microelements), it is recommended to additionally line the walls from the inside with rolled materials.

Business registration

If in the future you plan to expand your business and increase the number of birds, it is worth registering your business as a peasant farm (KFK) or obtaining the status of an individual entrepreneur. This will require assembling a minimum package of documents - an application for registration of a peasant farm, an agreement on the creation of a peasant farm, a receipt for payment of state duty, a copy of the passport, an application for the transition to a special tax regime. The tax will be about 6%, but will significantly simplify the further process of obtaining product certificates. You will also need permission from the fire department and documents from veterinarians.

Chicken farm: nuances of opening from business registration to purchasing birds and calculating profitability Read

How to properly organize a broiler business? Is this activity profitable and what needs to be taken into account? More details

Top 10 most productive egg breeds and crosses for breeding. Factors to consider when choosing poultry for the farm View

Alternative Content Methods

Birds are known for their unpretentiousness. Chickens in winter, or rather their keeping if there is no warm room, are placed either in a garage or a greenhouse.

Is it possible to keep chickens in a garage?

The optimal temperature in the chicken coop in winter can drop to less than +10 degrees, and therefore the utility room requires increased heating.

The following devices are used:

• gas heat gun;
• potbelly stove;
• electric heater;
• infrared lamps.

Particular attention should be paid to protecting chicken feet from cold. For this purpose, lay straw or lay a layer of sawdust. The thickness of the layer is 5 cm. Caution: such bedding for chickens in winter can absorb moisture, so it needs to be changed regularly.

In addition, the place should be cleaned more often, since bacteria, once in such a suitable environment, actively multiply. And ammonia is also released during the life of chickens. To protect birds from toxic emissions from their own droppings, ventilation of the chicken coop is required.

When installing a ventilation structure, it is necessary to use a control valve. This device controls the incoming air flow.

Greenhouse like a chicken coop

In winter, you can create very comfortable conditions in a greenhouse if you insulate it according to all the rules and arrange the flooring. If a greenhouse is used for wintering birds, then a layer of snow is also placed along the perimeter along the walls. To automate the heating of the chicken coop, safe IR heaters are used.

Where to start raising chickens at home?

The easiest way is to buy chickens, but then they will have to be raised without a hen, and this is not easy. To save all the livestock, you will have to build a brooder cage, take care of temperature conditions, and feed.

Any village housewife will tell you that it is most convenient to keep chickens with a hen. She will take care of everything, she just needs help with food. You can hatch chickens yourself using an incubator.

If you don’t have your own chickens, it is better to buy eggs for these purposes from a private farm. Just be warned about the purpose of the eggs, because they should not have been stored in the refrigerator.

How to select eggs for hatching chickens

In order for the eggs to be complete, they must be laid by hens with whom roosters live (one per 10-12). Size matters in this case: medium eggs are suitable. Their shape should also be standard: sharp ends and those that are too round are rejected. The shell is subject to requirements for smoothness and strength.

Eggs with two yolks are strongly rejected. If you collect eggs from your own chickens, you need to feed them fully. The problem solves itself if the chickens roam freely. They themselves will find everything they need. The quality of bird nutrition is checked by a boiled egg: a bright yellow or orange yolk indicates a diet rich in vitamins.

Incubation

You can put up to 15 eggs under the chicken. They say that a number must be odd. The place for incubation is chosen to be warm and dark. A box with a lid and a door is convenient for this. Hay is laid at the bottom. The door must be closed to prevent other chickens from laying additional eggs.

The door is opened several times a day so that the hen can peck, drink, and clean herself. The higher the temperature outside, the more often you need to release the hen so that the eggs do not overheat. If it is not possible to monitor the open box, it is better to mark the eggs with a marker.

Then you can remove fresh eggs from the nest. If the hen is placed in a separate room, then next to the nest you need to place a feeder, a drinker and a container with ash and sand so that the hen can “bathe”.

mother hen

Domestic chickens themselves begin to cluck in the spring, and the extra ones even have to be “cooled down.” If the “maternal instinct” does not awaken in chickens, it is allowed to push it.

The bird can be placed for three days under a basket, in a box, with several eggs. Of course, feeding breaks are necessary. When clucking appears, eggs are laid for incubation.

Chick care

After 20-22 days, the chicks begin to hatch.

They are left in place to dry. Then the chicks are placed in a box, with something warm placed on the bottom. When all the chicks are born, they are returned to their mother. For feeding, trays are first used; after 10 days, troughs are installed.

Small chickens are fed steep porridge made from ground grain, then from crushed grain. Add fishmeal, cottage cheese, chalk, and herbs (if they do not roam freely). You can give wheat bran and cake. It is useful for young animals to mix feed on the reverse side.

Chicken coop

Chickens winter well in a barn if it is dry and clean. To keep the birds warm in the cold, bedding is laid at the end of summer. Dry leaves, sunflower and rice husks, and sphagnum peat are suitable for it. The accumulated droppings are mixed with the litter. As it thickens, it will release heat. The litter must be loosened regularly.

Chickens spend the night on the roost. It is made from poles or bars. They are fixed above the floor at a height of 60 to 80 cm at the same level.

You can build special structures for nests or use boxes that are hung in places where the sun's rays do not fall. Chickens prefer to lay eggs on soft bedding and where dummy eggs lie. For this, any object similar to an egg in shape and volume will be useful.

Chicken feed

You can feed chickens with a mash of grain, boiled potatoes (crushed), food waste, chopped raw root vegetables. Like other birds, chickens need to drink. And in winter, dried nettle is very useful for them, which should be taken care of in spring and early summer.

One last thing: chickens do not tolerate fear well. All actions that are performed around these poultry must be calm.

How to insulate a chicken coop with foam plastic

Overwintering chickens in a garage can be a fun one-time experience, but people who are serious about raising poultry are wondering how to build a permanent chicken coop.

A member of our portal 1974Sopa1974, on the eve of winter, urgently built a small poultry house from cinder block 4x2.5 meters, 2.2 m high. The ceiling is insulated, lined with fiberboard and painted. Broilers and quails will winter in the poultry house, and the task is to insulate it from the inside without greatly reducing the area.

1974Sopa1974

I think I can allow 5cm on each wall.

Despite the fact that many participants on our portal believe that a chicken coop should only be insulated from the inside, internal insulation with foam plastic shows good results. It does not get wet, although it has two disadvantages:

1. The chickens peck at him.
2. Mice live in it.

Therefore, the foam is either plastered or protected in some other way.

Plaster does not stick well to cement, so a member of our portal Plotnikkk suggests the following plan of action:

• put the foam on the ground, prime it with any primer;
• immediately apply a layer of cement plaster;
• after three days we fix the plastered foam plastic to the wall of the chicken coop with “mushrooms”;
• We fill the gaps between the sheets of polystyrene foam with polyurethane foam;
• Once again we plaster everything well, leveling the walls and closing the joints;
• We whitewash the walls of the chicken coop with lime.

Chickens will not be able to peck at the foam protected by plaster, and mice will not get into it.

And here is the composition of a chicken coop wall sandwich using polystyrene foam, which was made by FORUMHOUSE aib participant. From inside to outside: plywood painted with oil paint (3 mm), polystyrene foam (10 pieces), edged board (20 pieces). The outside of the chicken coop is covered with galvanized iron. The chicken coop has been in service since 1991, the heater is turned on only in severe frosts, below -25 degrees.

Antondr FORUMHOUSE Member

My house is insulated with 5 cm polystyrene foam over the well, one meter by meter and one and a half high. One 250 W IR lamp was on all winter. There was a plus.

The most important thing is that there are no cracks in the walls: chickens are afraid of drafts more than cold weather.

Having insulated the walls of the chicken coop with polystyrene foam, many chicken owners begin to worry that the result is a thermos: there will definitely be no drafts, but there will be dampness. Therefore, in such chicken coops it is impossible to do without ventilation.

Velem FORUMHOUSE Member

A hood is a must! And minimal heating, occasionally turning on “Veterok” in the coldest weather. Although I don't think there will be that much condensation.

Marketing strategy

The sales market for chicken products is extremely large: from simple bazaars to fashionable restaurants and workshops for the production of semi-finished products. Considering the fact that there is now a trend in the food industry to use only natural, non-GMO products, finding distribution channels will not be difficult. However, competition in this business is very high, and in order to attract a potential client, you need to make some effort. After passing the product quality examination, you should offer your product to shops and cafes, always presenting a quality certificate. Eggs should also be sold independently on the market. Let's consider mandatory marketing activities:

As necessary and effective, you can extend some activities (advertising on billboards and renting space in the market).

Launch schedule

Since the field of activity is not seasonal, it is better to begin activities to launch the project in the spring in order to open safely by winter.

Organization of walking

Laying hens should be provided with the proper amount of physical activity. No matter how cool it is outside, the bird needs sunbathing.

While walking, birds receive vitamin D, which helps them absorb calcium. Therefore, experienced owners strive to provide daily walks lasting 10-15 minutes.

The best place for walking is an enclosure, which serves as a defensive barrier against any incidents. To make walking as optimal as possible, wooden flooring and straw are laid in the enclosure. This protects the bird's feet from the cold.

Important! If the external temperature drops to -10 degrees, then walking birds is not recommended at all - to avoid frostbite. The best time for a walk is when it thaws.

Financial plan

Capital Investment

Monthly expenses

• Utility costs – 15,000 rubles.
• Fuel and lubricants – 15,000 rubles.
• Salary with deductions – 111,972 rubles.
• Food and medicine – 175,000 rubles.
• Veterinary support – 7,000 rubles.
• Other consumables (cleaning products, packaging material) – 5,000 rubles.
• Unforeseen expenses - 5,000 rubles.
• Advertising – 81,000 rubles.
• Taxes – 22,335 rubles.

Monthly expenses will be 437,307 rubles.

Profit will consist of the following factors:

Thus, the profitability will be 307,193 rubles. Profitability is 41.3%. The initial investment will pay off in 6-7 months.

Sample business plan for raising laying hens

Write your own step-by-step business plan for raising and breeding laying hens at home:

• Map out how you plan to run your farm and what your long-term goals will be over the next 3-5 years.
• Include information such as business organizational structure, goals, vision, products, target demographics and marketing strategy.
• For example, include in your plans for raising and breeding laying hens the achievement of income in the first year, sales of products, customers, etc.
• Chicken farming business plans are useful for attracting qualified investors or business partners in the future.

Equipment

The type of poultry farm equipment you have will depend on whether you are an egg farm or a meat farm.

Necessary equipment for raising egg-laying chickens at home, which may include:

• Brooders.
• Lighting.
• Nests.
• Perches.
• Heaters.
• Waste disposal system.

Chicken coop equipment

Hiring employees

Determine whether you need to hire workers for your farm. How much labor you will need depends on the size of your poultry farm. If you have less than 200-500 birds, you should be able to manage the farm yourself. Otherwise, additional help may be needed.

Start with a mini poultry farm. This way, you won’t have to pay employees until the business of raising laying hens at home is successful.

Keeping and feeding chickens

• Chickens need shelter from the weather and predators. Buy or build a chicken coop or cage on your farm with dimensions based on the number of chickens you have.
• The dimensions of the chicken coop or cage are approximately 0.30 m2) per chicken.
• Clean your coop or cage regularly to prevent the spread of disease.
• Once you have acquired the equipment, purchase chicks from a breeder or farm store. If you are new to raising chickens, buy no more than 500 units. As the farm grows, the number of birds can be increased.
• It is better to buy chicken feed in specialized agricultural stores. To prevent malnutrition and keep chickens healthy, 100 g is enough. feed for one bird per day.
• You can also give corn, grapes or cabbage as a treat. But don't feed them these foods more than a few times a week. Because they are less nutritious than chicken feed.

Business profitability

Record your sales and production data. To ensure you have a profitable business, keep a log of your sales, business growth, and financial losses in a spreadsheet. Determine whether you are making or losing money.

For example, if you notice that you are spending too much on feed, find a reputable wholesale supplier.

Effective marketing, especially during the first few years, is critical to securing more customers and generating more revenue:

• To increase visibility, create advertisements, make business cards, create a website, and create newsletters (print or online) to promote your company.
• Creating a poultry farm logo can also provide visibility for your brand.
• Connect with other farm businesses. Meeting other farmers can help spread the word about your farm and attract investors. Attend agricultural conferences and reach out to other companies (especially poultry farms) in your area to build positive and lasting connections.
• If you need to hire more workers, try hiring those who have years of experience in poultry farming for better stability.

Features of the diet and rules for feeding laying hens in winter

The summer diet of poultry is very rich and varied. The abundance of plant and protein foods, vegetables and fruits, being a good supplement, fully meets the chicken's needs for nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. In late autumn, this wealth begins to fade, and the poultry house is required to diversify and saturate the feed with everything necessary as much as possible. Let's talk in more detail about the diet of laying hens in winter.

What is the best way to feed laying hens in winter?

Practical tips for feeding laying hens in winter:

1. Increase the number of feedings , bringing the minimum amount to 3 times a day. At low temperatures, the chicken’s body needs heating and spends significantly more energy on this, the consumption and intake of which should be carried out evenly throughout the day. Juicy food and mash should be given in the morning and lunchtime, and dry food should be used in the evening. Rough food, taking longer to digest, provides the bird with the necessary energy at night.
2. Diversify the diet as much as possible , introduce mash, grain porridge, vegetables and melons. Combine different feeds.
3. Try to add more fresh, green food to your diet. Provide laying hens with hay harvested in the summer, preferably from deciduous plants. It is advisable to hang the hay above the floor. It is useful to give dried nettles and branches of coniferous trees.
4. Supplement your diet with sprouted oats and wheat. Sunflower seeds and cake are very useful.
5. Good feeding is fish and bone meal, mineral and vitamin supplements , offered in a wide range by manufacturers. Fish oil, added in small quantities to roughage, has a good effect on the body of poultry.
6. Feeding birds with proteins of plant origin significantly increases egg production. Skim milk, whey, and cottage cheese are used.
7. The bird's body must be fully saturated with calcium and foods rich in calcium. The chicken coop must have a container with sand, small pebbles, and shell rock. You need to give crushed eggshells and chalk.
8. Poultry drinking bowls Chickens are susceptible to colds, so they need to drink water at room temperature. The poultry owner needs to control this issue by adding warm water to the drinking bowl in winter. You can even make a special winter waterer for chickens.

When choosing a balanced diet and setting the daily amount of food, you need to remember that excess nutrition has a bad effect on the egg production of laying hens, including in winter. They gain excess weight, become less active, and lose weight.

One bird consumes about 150 grams of food per day. Based on this, the daily volume required for the entire livestock is determined. The correct indicator is if by the next feeding there is almost no food left in the feeders.

Each poultry house sets its own feeding schedule and accustoms the poultry to it. Usually the first visit to the chicken coop takes place from 6 to 8 am. For lunch, chickens are fed at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, at night between 5 and 6 o'clock in the evening. In the morning and for lunch they give mash, and at night they give cereal grains. Be sure to add fresh, warm water each time. Add fresh hay. Remove low-quality food residues.

When giving laying hens food from the home table, you need to remember that sweet baked goods, brown bread, and meat are not recommended. Beets should not be given in large quantities. Potatoes in the diet of chickens should only be boiled.

Video: what to feed chickens in winter

Note! Many poultry houses grow root crops and forage vegetables specifically for feeding laying hens in the winter.

How to ensure the breeding of chickens

To minimize possible financial losses, it is preferable to buy already strong chicks. The optimal age of an individual is at least 3 months. Firstly, the sex of young chickens is practically not determined, and secondly, the risk of mortality in young birds is several times higher than in adult birds.

To avoid having to buy more chicks, you should also have roosters - at least 1 per ten hens.

The sale of chicken meat, as practice shows, is always relevant and profitable - it is not affected by the economic situation in the country or the fall in the level of income of the population. The product belongs to the low price category, at the same time it is necessary and is used almost daily in the diet of every person.

Construction of chicken coop walls. Windows, manhole

Chicken coop walls

Stone and brick walls are strong, but cold and become very damp in winter. You can also make a frame house for birds. To do this, the walls are sheathed on both sides with boards (slabs, planks), and insulation (mineral wool, glass wool, slag, sawdust or peat) is laid between them.

When choosing insulation, keep in mind that it must be protected from rodents, otherwise it will turn out that you are building a house not only for birds, but also for mice. The chicken coop can also be made of logs, but all the cracks between the logs should be well caulked. The walls inside the poultry house should be as smooth as possible. This will allow you to quickly and efficiently treat walls from lice beetles and ticks.

Windows in the chicken coop

Windows are provided in the walls in advance. The room should be light; with sufficient lighting, the bird will feel cheerful. In dimly lit chicken coops, the birds are lethargic and eat poorly. The chicken coop window must be covered with fine mesh metal mesh to prevent predators. Windows should open well, because... ventilation is necessary both in summer and winter. In cold areas, the windows in the chicken coop should be double. Window sizes for adult birds are calculated based on the floor area. The window area will be 1:12 of the floor area.