Valued by many farmers for their unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention. However, if you want to get the maximum egg production from them, then you still have to think about organizing the most acceptable conditions for their life. In our article, we will consider the possibility of keeping poultry on the floor, the features of the organization of the chicken regimen and the preparation of the premises itself.
Even indoors, there are several common types of content. poultry: for example, if there is additional space outside the chicken coop, you can arrange a paddock, and if this is not possible, deep bedding indoors is also suitable. Let's take a closer look at the most popular options.
paddling
This is ideal for those farmers who keep a small number of chickens. In a chicken coop, it is very easy to equip nests and perches for laying eggs, and a fenced small area on the sunny side of the building will be an excellent place for walking laying hens. The floor in such poultry houses can be either concrete or earthen, but it is imperative to organize a hole in the wall to the street.
This type of laying hens cannot be called humane, since the bird is not only limited in movement along open area, but also often contained in cells during the entire period of egg production. Of course, caring for her in this case is greatly simplified, and less feed is spent, but the period of productivity of such chickens will also be reduced. In addition, birds have reduced immunity to various diseases, they quickly gain weight and may suffer from paw diseases associated with insufficient activity. 
SOI cell battery For 20 heads of chickens, you can make a kind of battery of cages, divided into four sections. Each of them will contain 5 chickens. The optimal width of this design is 183 cm, depth - 63 cm, height - 60 cm. The frame part can be made from a metal corner, and the sides can be covered with a mesh. Feeders should be installed at the front of each cage, with a trough-like drinker at the top, along the entire length of the cage space.
Some farmers make the floor slightly sloping in the front so that all the eggs that are laid will roll in the right direction. Pallets installed under the cages will help solve the problem with litter, and if there are several tiers with cages, they are placed on the roof of the lower cages.
Of course, from the point of view of humanity, this version of the content is the most inappropriate, but in large farms it is practiced more often than other ways of keeping laying hens.
On a deep bed
Typically, this method of keeping birds is characteristic of a non-walking system. The floor in the poultry house is simply covered with bedding (such as straw, husks, sawdust, peat or leaves collected from the garden), which, when mixed with chicken manure, can form a loose surface. 
The initial bedding layer should be about 10 cm, and for the entire period of keeping, about 8-10 kg per 1 chicken is consumed. When a dense crust forms on the floor surface, the top layer is cleaned off and replaced with a new one. Pathogenic organisms should not be allowed to develop in the litter.
On mesh floors
The arrangement of mesh floors, like the previous version, refers to the non-walking method of keeping laying hens. To build such a foundation, stands are installed in the house, reaching a height of 50-70 cm. Then mesh frames are placed on them, the size of which is mainly 1-1.5x2 cm. 
Alternatively, instead of mesh covering, frames can be nailed wooden planks, in which case the floors will be called slatted. If the base of the floor in the chicken coop is already wooden, it makes sense to install additional pallets for collecting litter - otherwise the boards may rot over time.
Did you know? On the issue of egg production, chickens are somewhat different from other birds, in particular, in that they can use other people's nests for laying eggs. It doesn't matter to them where they go.
Advantages and disadvantages of this method
- a more comfortable existence of birds due to free movement around the poultry house, which in turn reduces the likelihood of developing various ailments of the musculoskeletal system;
- no need for arrangement of cages and ventilation system;
- free access to chickens at any time, which makes it easier to care for them (thanks to the free space, it is easier for the farmer to clean or feed).
Concerning shortcomings floor content, then the main ones will be:
- a large area of the chicken coop and the associated costs for its heating and lighting;
- greater feed consumption (grain and other dry products are trampled into the litter);
- the possibility of eating manure by laying hens during irregular cleaning of the poultry house;
- the need for large time and physical costs for caring for a bird;
- while maintaining a large number chickens in a limited area, the spread of infectious diseases is possible.
As you can see, the list of negative points somewhat exceeds the advantages of laying hens on the floor, but all these disadvantages are more related to farmlands with hundreds and thousands of birds. When breeding laying hens for personal use, especially if you are a beginner poultry farmer, the floor method of placing them with or without additional paddock will be the best solution.
Feeding and watering when placing chickens on the floor
The described bird placement provides at least 10 cm of feeding space for each hen and 2.5 cm of free access to the drinker. In addition, chicken bowls should be made so that the feed is not scattered or trampled by birds into the litter, and droppings from the floor do not fall into. 
For these purposes, ordinary wooden boxes size 110x25 cm. The minimum height of the side is 13 cm, that is, when the laying hen pecks at the feed, the side of the feed container should be at the level of her back. When organizing two-way access to feeders, it is possible to simultaneously feed 20-25 individuals, but it is impossible to completely fill the container, otherwise the birds will simply scatter food (the optimal amount of poured feed is 1/3 of the total capacity of the feeder).
Important!Any chickens need mineral feed, so it is worth preparing a separate place for them. Limestone, gravel or chalk is usually placed in such a box.
For greenery, a special one is suitable, V-shaped feeder with mesh as a front wall. You can place it on the wall, but so that the chickens can freely reach the grass. 
V-shaped greenery feeder As for drinkers, a variety of containers are used here, although you can also use the option in the form gutters connected to the water supply system. You can protect the litter from moisture by using a tin tray installed at the place of drinking.
How to equip perches and nests
Not a single chicken coop will be complete without perches and nests, especially when it comes to laying hens. On average, one chicken should have about 18-20 cm of perch, made of a wooden beam with a cross section of 5x5 cm. From above, it can be slightly rounded, which will provide a more comfortable fit for the bird. Such bars are mainly placed along the walls in a horizontal direction while maintaining a distance of 60 cm from the floor.
In some cases, poultry farmers organize perches in the form of horizontally placed lines with a distance between adjacent crossbars of 30-35 cm. The installation is carried out so that, if necessary, the structure can be easily raised. 
The number of nests should be calculated taking into account the number of chickens in the poultry house. No more than five laying hens can fall on one such place. Nests are made from wooden boxes 35x35 cm in size, and placed at a distance of 50 cm from the floor. Sawdust, straw or any other soft material is used as a filler for boxes, and a take-off board can be installed in their front part.
How to make a walk
If you have the opportunity, it's worth it. As we mentioned earlier, its place can be fenced around the perimeter with a net or completely free, that is, the chickens will walk throughout the territory available to them. Walking a bird is not difficult: with the first morning rays, you just need to open the door in the wall of the chicken coop, and your wards will go out into the yard on their own.
In the evening, the bird is either driven back into the barn, or they wait until all the layers themselves go to the roost, after which it remains only to lock the door.
The main parameters of the floor content of chickens
Achieving good performance from laying hens is possible only if the bird is comfortable in the hen house. For outdoor content The livestock density rate is 4 chickens per 1 sq. m, and when organizing perches, it is worth remembering that all wards should be placed on them, and even with the remaining space between neighbors (about 10 cm). For free access of the bird to the perch, intermediate sticks or poles should be provided. 
Floor maintenance in industrial environments
In the conditions of large domestic poultry farms, floor keeping of laying hens is practiced extremely rarely, since more profitable option placement (from an economic point of view) will be the installation of cells. Only breeding hens can be kept “on the floor”, which reduces the possibility of their injuries and increases the weight gain of the males of the parent flock. In addition, floor maintenance in this case reduces the likelihood of problems with, however, the planting density should be lower than in industrial environment content.
In breeding farms, chicks are first placed in separate broiler houses and then transferred to adult hen houses with a floor watering system, automatic system feed distribution and supply and exhaust ventilation. Also on an industrial scale, gas heating and a microclimate control system are often equipped. Eggs from nests in such poultry houses are rolled out onto an egg-collecting belt, and then fall into the conveyor. Only a small number of testicles are harvested by hand.
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Organic farms are the exact opposite of chicken farms. Here, chickens spend 85% of their time in freedom, they graze in the meadows and do not know either soybeans or.
They rush and grow naturally, without antibiotics and growth hormones. They constantly migrate from site to site, fertilizing the fields of local farmers.
An example of such a farm is the Stoltzfoos Layers egg farm, which was founded by 15-year-old Delmar Stoltzfoos in 2001. He bought the first chicken coops with friends of his father and put 200 laying hens there. 
These eggs were sold under the banner "Free-range eggs". From its humble beginnings, Stoltzfoos Farm has built a trusted name for delivering delicious, healthy brown eggs throughout Lancaster County and beyond.
Delmar began to engage in wholesale and retail organic eggs. Within a year, his farm had grown to 600 hens from 40 to 45 dozen eggs sold per day. The eggs are certified organic.
In 2006, Delmare, at 21, sold his business to his younger brother, Josh.
Mobile chicken coops
Josh and made them more efficient and self-sufficient. They are transported from place to place so that the chickens always have access to fresh grass, insects and worms, and evenly fertilize local fields.
Mobile chicken coops:
- are 3.5 meters wide and 7.4 meters long.
- Each poultry house accommodates up to 700 hens at night.
- Every hen has access to water and a nest
- Solar battery charges a 12 volt battery that provides light in the coop.
Every year the demand for free-range eggs has increased. And Josh designed and built more laying hen houses.
In 2009, Josh dropped the Organic label because client base was more interested in grass-fed, non-GMO, soy-free, humane treatment of laying hens than the “organic” badge on the label.
Josh officially registered his business in 2012 as a separate independent farm. And he began to live separately from his father, as it became too crowded.
Josh's brother, Clifford, joined Stoltzfoos Layers in November 2012. He helps with bookkeeping and management.
Here is a story of two brothers who make natural eggs.
What do you think about raising free-range chickens?
IN Lately under pressure from the public, mainly from developed Western countries, various alternative methods rearing poultry as opposed to cage batteries, which have firmly taken a leading position in intensive poultry farming. In this article, I want to briefly describe the main alternative ways of poultry production. Each of these systems has its pros and cons. But one should immediately note the main trend of recent years: with regard to the methods of rearing poultry, two principles must first of all be observed: bird welfare and human safety .
Traditional cage keeping of poultry : According to this system, two to four hens at the age of 19 weeks are placed in a cage with an area of 0.18 m 2 . The poultry house accommodates tens of thousands of poultry. They are added to poultry feed on an ongoing basis. In some Western countries, laws have been passed that prohibit the use of bird cages as an inhumane method that causes suffering to the bird and, accordingly, reduces the biological value of the product.
Cell free content: similar to the cage system, except that there are no cage batteries and the bird moves freely on the floor. But the bird is kept very tightly, does not have access to paddocks and feeds on the same feed as in the cellular content.
Free range content: birds in such a housing system should have access to walking for most of the year. Special perches and shelters should be equipped where the bird could rest. In terms of area allocated to poultry, this system is similar to organic poultry. It is not allowed to add antibiotics or others to the feed.
Pasture maintenance of a bird: birds under such a system are kept in small mobile chicken coops with perches and nests, which, at least once a day, must change their location, moving to a new pasture. The bird forages and receives up to 20% of its diet from fresh grass, insects, and the land on which it grazes. This system differs from the free-range system in that the bird has daily access to fresh grass where it grazes. In such a system, the bird can be kept for 6-7 months a year.
under this system, birds must be kept in special certified rearing conditions from birth. The bird must have access to the range all year round, and in the period when there is no such possibility, to be fed with sprouted grain. All feed must be certified. No antibiotics or antibiotics are allowed in the feed and each bird must have at least 0.18 m 2 of living space. Ordinary day old chicks can be bought, but from birth they must be reared according to strict rules set out in special guidelines.
It would seem that everything is quite transparent and clear, the more the conditions for keeping birds resemble natural ones, the better the welfare of the bird and the higher the quality of products. But specially designed experiments show that not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. Below I have given the results of one experiment, where they studied inthe impact of alternative rearing methods on the development of the reproductive system of laying hens.The influence of three various types growing on by evaluating the ovaries and oviducts for physiological variations. The work was carried out at North Carolina State University and the results of the study were published recently in International Journal poultry farming.
The authors studied three alternative rearing methods: free-range (FR = 60), cage-free (CF = 55) and in battery cages (BC = 50). The size and weight of the ovaries and oviducts and the number of follicles were compared. The results showed that free-range chickens had 19.4 and 13.5 percent heavier oviducts than caged and cage-free chickens, respectively.
Free-range chickens have also shown an increase in the number as well as an increase in the frequency of multiple tumors in the oviducts.
Contrary to popular belief that free-range or cage-free systems provide a healthy alternative to cages, the results of this study showed that there are no significant differences in the physiological effects of these rearing methods on the reproductive system of hens. Moreover, in terms of the health of the oviduct, caged chickens are significantly superior to free-range chickens.
In my opinion, all of the above systems of growing poultry have the right to life, and poultry products in each of them will find their consumers, since all this will be regulated by the price of products. But we need to know what we are paying for and whether this product is worth what it says on the label.
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2. What is considered a dietary egg?
3. What is the difference between eggs from free-range hens and eggs from caged hens? Why?
4. Why can't you grow a chicken from eggs bought in a store?
5. How is the price of eggs formed? Why can the prices of different manufacturers for a similar product vary by almost half?
6. How can an egg be contaminated with salmonellosis?
7. What can be dangerous about the presence of antibiotics in eggs?
8. How dangerous are eggs without a specific name, an unknown name, which are sold at a price of 40-45 rubles per dozen in budget supermarkets?
9. How to properly store eggs and how long do they last?
10. How are the eggs sanitized?
How are we deceived in stores? What tricks do sellers use to "extend" the shelf life of eggs? Is it possible to check chicken eggs for freshness at home? Read more about how to choose high-quality eggs and avoid buying low-quality ones - read the material.
Backyard chicken breeding has become very popular in recent years. Raising chickens is easy, inexpensive and profitable. Every family can afford this activity. If you want a brilliant result, check out this guide. We will teach you how to get and raise hens from mother hens or from hatching eggs. How to build your own chicken coop with inexpensive materials. We'll show you how to choose best breeds chickens. Learn how to cook the right chicken feed and how to set up a free-range chicken yard using an inexpensive portable electric fence. You are interested? Then let's go!
Benefits of raising chickens as a business
By bringing chickens to the farmstead, you get:
- Excellent eggs, which are more nutritious and delicious than store-bought. They are always fresh, with dark yellow yolks, so they are in great demand.
- Healthy foods, which can be classified as dietary. Domestic eggs obtained from free-range chickens contain compared to store-bought eggs:
- 33% less cholesterol
- 25% less saturated fat
- 66% more vitamins
- 200% more omega-3 fatty acids
- 300% more vitamin E
- 700% more beta-carotene
Other opinions of Western researchers on the nutritional value of homemade and store eggs can be found .
- Great meat taste, without chemicals and hormones. If you decide to start raising chickens for meat, you will not find anything better than chickens raised in your own backyard. The taste of the product is simply incredible, and you can be sure of its environmental friendliness.
- Chickens are the perfect pets for kids. Children love to play with the chickens, collect eggs and feed the birds. It's a wonderful experience for them, and absolutely safe. Even the youngest of children can cope with feeding chickens.
- Free organic fertilizer . High nitrogen chicken manure is a great fertilizer for your garden and flowers. Chicken manure rots fairly quickly and is ready to use in just a few months. Due to its saturation, chicken manure can turn a large mass of compost into a rich fertilizer. An average chicken will produce about 5 kilograms of manure per month.
- Chickens are ideal “substitutes” for pesticides in the yard and garden. They will clear the entire area of ticks, grasshoppers, aphids, crickets, spiders and other insects.
- Maintenance is inexpensive and easy to propagate. Hens require very little attention, in fact they only need fresh water, food and a warm coop. Eggs only need to be collected once a day, which takes only a few minutes. You will also need to clean the coop once a week or two, depending on the number of adult birds.
Hatching chicks in an incubator
Hatching birds from hatching eggs in an incubator is more complex process than under a hen, as it requires special equipment and takes much more time and attention. The approximate period of incubation of chickens is 21 days. All this time, the incubator in which the eggs are laid must be turned on. Eggs will need to be turned on your own, unless you have an automatic mechanism, at least 3 times a day. The temperature in the incubator must be carefully monitored around the clock. Most incubators have a thermostat and a heat source, but these devices do not always work reliably.
If you decide to start your business with hatching eggs, you will need to buy special fertilized eggs at a higher price than normal ones. It is best to purchase them at special stations or in proven farms.
It is better to purchase an incubator immediately good and with sufficient capacity. It should have an automatic turn, a thermostat to control the temperature and a humidity controller. Such an incubator will allow you to get rid of unnecessary trouble, guarantees increased hatchability and healthy livestock. A good incubator pays off for chicken eggs very quickly, sometimes in the first season of use.
Chicken eggs purchased from grocery store cannot be used as incubators because they are not fertilized. Fertilized eggs can only be in the presence of roosters. Purchased special hatching eggs must be incubated within 7-10 days after purchase, as their ability to develop chickens is significantly reduced in the future.
Before laying, the testicles should be stored in cardboard boxes\. in a cool place with a relative humidity of about 75 percent. If they are to lie down for more than 2-3 days, they should be turned every day to reduce the tendency for the yolks to dry out on the shell. After purchasing the eggs, follow the instructions that come with the incubator for best results. Read more about chick incubation , but about incubators .
Buying day old or reared chicks
Young growth can be purchased in chicken incubators or on farms, this should be done in the spring. Buying young animals is the most common way to organize a poultry house.
When purchasing young animals, you will need special containers to place your pets there. The area should be large enough to hold chicks up to 4-7 weeks of age. Also, the box should be deep enough to keep the chickens out of drafts and prevent them from jumping over.
At first, the floor can be covered with grated newspapers, such a bedding will be good for the first few days. Then replace the paper with pine shavings or something similar. The chips must be large so that the birds cannot use them for food. Straw, rice husks, dry hay are also suitable, with them you will also get good fertilizer. Do not use sawdust, cedar or chemically treated wood waste.
Important points when raising chickens
- Water: The very first thing to do before releasing the chicks to the hatchery is to dip them with their beaks into the water to make them drink. Water must be provided around the clock. When the chickens grow, do not forget to change the drinkers to more voluminous ones. Regardless of the breed, it is recommended to add vitamin supplements to the water that improve health.
- Temperature: Keep the chicks warm with a lamp high enough above the hatchery so as not to burn the chicks. The finished chick house will have an automatic heat source and an adjustable thermostat to heat the air in the chick to the right temperatures. Chicks should be kept under these conditions until 4-7 weeks of age and then can be placed on permanent residence into the chicken coop. As the birds grow older, the temperature must be gradually lowered so that the chicks become accustomed to colder conditions.
- Nutrition: Use special food for the first 8 weeks. Make sure it has the correct protein levels for the specific breed. Meat chickens require a higher protein content. Fast growing breeds such as Cross Rocks also need supplementation to keep them from breaking down the bones and ligaments of their legs due to their rapid growth. On the 3rd day, a small amount of sand can be added to the feed to aid digestion.
- Square: From the very beginning, you need to provide enough space for the movement of the young. As the chicks grow up, the territory should be expanded.
Grazing (free) keeping of chickens
What is the best way to keep chickens? How and where is the best place to grow them? What is free poultry keeping? The questions listed above are always controversial among those who choose to raise chickens as a business. Many experts recommend "herding the bird" as it is the most natural way to raise chickens.
When we look at commercial egg and meat farms, we must keep in mind that profit is the most important factor for them when it comes to the methods used to raise chickens. It would be very expensive to do something other than use large poultry houses where thousands of birds are kept in a very cramped room. That is why mass production eggs and meat offers less tasty and nutritious foods than farmers who allow themselves to have a slowly (naturally) growing chicken that has access to grass, insects, sunlight, exercise and fresh air. This is one of the main reasons why aspiring farmers start raising free range chickens.
Unfortunately, many people who decide to raise chickens do not perceive them as other than meat and egg producers. They buy young animals, put them in a chicken coop, not allowing them to walk. In this case, the chickens are not limited to a small cage, but they do not have freedom either. A chicken that walks around the yard has the opportunity to eat grass, seeds and other natural products, but is not protected from predators. The best way, limit the space and at the same time make the grazing free, but protected - create special pastures for the bird. To do this, it is enough to make an electric fence that prevents the exit of the bird and the ingress of foreign animals. Electric fencing can be bought ready-made or you can make your own. The electric “fence” is easy to set up and portable enough that you can move the pasture at any time if needed.
Another great method is the so-called “chicken processor”, which is a chicken coop with a handle but no bottom. It should be light enough to be dragged or may have wheels that allow the coop to be moved any distance.
Grazing chickens in a mobile home will give you the same benefits as using an electric fence, just adding a little more work to yourself, as the “chicken processor” will need to be driven every day.
Transferring chickens to a chicken coop
When your hens are of an age suitable for transfer from the hatchery, this must be done quickly, as they can get sick in crowded places. You can read about poultry diseases and the treatment of possible infections . A chicken coop, whether you plan to keep chickens in a permanent location or give them free range, should be designed to create ideal conditions for protection from the weather and predators.
There are many options for chicken coops that you can make at a low cost. One of the main conditions is that the room must be large enough to accommodate all the birds without hesitation, each will require at least 0.5 square meters of area. For example, an 8X8 chicken coop will house about 16 hens. If you have a pasture for chickens, then the footage can be halved ..
Too spacious room the best option because it will be cold there. Properly chosen area will help to keep warm.
Be sure to place or build nests and perches. This will help keep the eggs from being away from the manure. It is necessary to equip one nest for every 4-5 hens. If possible, it is desirable to make windows in the hen house. This will help add sunlight in winter and provide ventilation in summer. If you can't place windows in your coop, you'll still need to consider ventilation to allow airflow and avoid condensation.
Chicken coops come in different versions. If you plan to buy a ready-made option, then prepare about $ 500 for a small room. Building a chicken coop of the same size on your own will cost several times cheaper.
How to feed broiler chickens
We will talk about how to properly feed chickens in the next article, here we will indicate the points relating only to broiler breeds. Proper nutrition of these chicks will be of great importance to obtain an excellent result.
Initially, you should buy a mixture of feed intended for newborn chickens under the age of 3 weeks. It is usually in the form of a puree or powder and has a protein content of 18-24%. A high protein content is essential for optimal muscle development and weight gain. On the 3rd day, you can add sand to the food to help improve digestion. You can sprinkle it on food like salt or mix it with food.
If you have adopted one of the fastest growing "white broiler" breeds so common today, you will need to continue feeding them a high protein chicken feed mix for the rest of their lives. As a rule, rearing white broiler chickens continues until 6-9 weeks of age, it is unprofitable to keep fast-growing breeds longer than 9 weeks. Due to their rapid growth, white broilers are known to have weak hearts and legs, so even if you intend to provide free range you still need to provide a vitamin supplement.
