Pros and cons of keeping chickens in cages

Based on the nutritional standards, one average person should consume about 290 eggs per year. Laying hens is the only source of this product, so breeding and raising laying hens is not only a popular occupation among summer residents, but also a source of profit for many farmers. Now, for more convenient and effective management of such an economy, cages are increasingly used, therefore, there is a growing interest in the problems of keeping birds in them.

Basic laws of cell content

First of all, you should familiarize yourself with the standard conditions of laying hens in cages:

• One chicken should be about 10 cm feeder.
• The watering front is 5 birds for one nipple, or 2 cm for one hen.
• In one hour, the air in the hen house should change at least three times. To do this, use special fans with the ability to adjust the flow of fresh air.
• Temperature - + 16 ... +18 ° С.
• In one cage must be kept chickens of the same age and one breed.

Advantages and disadvantages

It is known that farming can be intensive or extensive. In the first case, all production is mechanized as much as possible with the goal of the greatest return of eggs and meat. This requires a lot of money, but it pays off quickly. In the second case, the cost of mechanization of production is minimal, and the return is small. Eggs for sale are obtained only when the housing of the hens.

Among the advantages of such poultry farming:

• the ability to mechanize everything from feeding to collecting eggs;
• no need for a large number of staff;
• the ability to contain a large number of birds in a small area;
• control over feed consumption;
• the ability to create optimal conditions for the livestock: light, the right temperature, etc .;
• facilitating bird health control.

The use of cages is the best choice for producing not high-grade cheap eggs and meat. But it is worth considering that in small farms, where there are up to 1000 chickens, the cost of production mechanization may exceed the profit from it. Besides the fact that the maintenance of chickens in cages requires the investment of a considerable amount of money, which is not always returned, this method of poultry farming has other disadvantages:

• animal trauma, antihumanity;
• such production is not environmentally friendly;
• Chickens, which are regularly walked, and not kept constantly in cages, give meat and eggs of the best quality. The demand for such products is greater, even though their price is higher.

If we talk about domestic poultry farming, then the best option here is floor or walking stock population, since the content of hens in cages, in this case, has a number of other disadvantages:

• the need for financial investment to purchase equipment;
• costs of cell maintenance, electricity, veterinary examinations, disease prevention;
• the need to use expensive food (otherwise there is no sense in the cellular content);
• drop in bird immunity due to lack of sun and air, excessive concentration of chickens in the room.

Choice of breed

As a rule, cages often contain rocks adapted for the release of eggs, less often - those that are grown for meat. Breeds of chickens for cage and their characteristics:

• "Loman Brown". High productivity (about 310 eggs per year), which does not fall if the bird spends all the time in a cage. Large eggs. Small period of ripening (4 months). Productivity - one and a half years.

• Leghorn. Good adaptation to any living conditions. High performance (250-300 eggs per year, each weighs about 60 g). Ripening - on the 5th month, but after some time, productivity drops significantly.

• "Hisex Brown". Rush about 80 weeks. Productivity - up to 350 eggs per year, the weight of each - about 75 g. Low cholesterol in eggs.

• "Kuchinsky anniversary" hen. Good adaptability. Capacity - up to 180-250 eggs per year depending on the conditions of detention.

Cell requirements

The cage for laying hens is a skeleton of bars. The material of the bars is metal or wood. The walls are made of metal mesh (all or only one where there will be feeders,the other three walls can be made of another material). An egg groove is also required in each cage. The bottom of the cage should be with a slope, under which should be placed retractable litter tray.

Dimensions

The parameters of the cage depend on the estimated number of birds that they want to put into it. The number of birds per square. m should not exceed 10 goals. Thus, for one hen it is necessary to allocate about 0.1 square meters. m. If the contain one chicken in a cage, it should be enough 0.5 square meters. m. In general, it depends on the weight of the bird. Average standard size: 80 * 50 * 120 cm.

Place to stay

The cells should be placed in the coop so that the light hits them evenly. They can be folded into several floors to save space. However, it is better that the cells form a single layer.Some owners place cages with birds even on the balconies.

Arranging a Cell Coop

In each cage, feeders and drinkers must be provided, which, as a rule, are mounted on the front side near the door. They are connected and mechanized so as not to sprinkle food or pour water separately for each cell. In winter, the chicken coop must be heated and its temperature should be optimal for birds, on average it is about +16 ° C, in summer - about +18 ° C. It is important to ensure proper uniform lighting of the coop, since the birds do not feel the sun’s effects, and the lighting affects their health and productivity. Making the plots too lighted or too dark in the coop is dangerous for the livestock.

As a rule, uniform illumination is created with the help of rheostats, which gradually switch on the light (so that the birds do not have the stress of sudden inclusion) and regulate its brightness. It is believed that the productivity of chickens is increasing if the range of red, orange and yellow colors alternates indoors.

What to feed chickens in cages?

Since the birds in the cages cannot find their own food, they need careful choice of food and ration.Not only the health of chickens depends on this, but also the quantity and quality of eggs laid by them.

Crumbly feed and water

As a rule, the basis of the ration of birds on almost every farm is a specialized feed for laying hens, which include wheat grains, sunflower meal, vegetable fats, calcium carbonate, vitamins and salt. Special feed for birds is introduced into the diet, when they begin the period of puberty.

In addition to carbohydrates in the diet of chickens must be: 10-15% of proteins, about 6% of fat and fiber, minerals. A shell is also sometimes added to the feeders. The feeders are automated, must be at the level of the back of the bird. Chickens should also have constant access to water, so it is necessary to provide for the availability of automated drinkers. The necessary components of the water supply system are the gutter, fasteners, valve, drain pipes. The average amount of water that one layer per day should drink is 500 ml.

Add greens

For normal life of laying hens it is necessary to ensure their feeding with vegetables, grass and fruits. Green bird food must necessarily include: pre-crushed grass, food waste, vegetable skins and various weeds. At the request of the owners, you can also include pumpkin, cabbage, apples in the ration of laying hens.

Risks and possible diseases

Here are the main risks that the cellular content of birds carries:

1. Lack of vitamins due to the fact that the birds do not spend time on the street.
2. Cellular fatigue and hysteria from low mobility, which develops into panic and ends with fractures of the wings.
3. Improper lighting can cause rickets, reduced egg production, and other diseases.

In order to avoid deteriorating the health of the birds and reducing the number of eggs that they carry, it is also necessary to regularly and regularly remove the cages and the entire chicken coop. Cleaning includes wiping rods, washing feeders and drinkers, cleaning pallets with droppings. The cellular content of layers can cause various diseases, especially infectious ones.Therefore, it is necessary to regularly prevent such diseases through vaccination. To prevent parasites from getting divorced in bird cages and ashes, ash baths are installed (boxes made of wood filled with ash, dust and sand). After taking such baths on the hens, lice and ticks disappear.

Thus, keeping hens in cages can become a good business, since there is always a demand for egg product, and with the help of cell content it is easy to set up production and collection of eggs. Apply this method on large farms. For small households, the best option would be to keep the birds on the floor, since cell-based mechanization requires considerable financial investments that may not pay off.

In order for production to be productive, and for poultry to be healthy, it is important to choose the right breed, build cages, mechanize lighting, ventilation, feeding and watering of the livestock.