Why chickens do not lay in winter - what to feed for good egg production

Good egg production in chickens depends on many factors throughout the calendar year. However, it is most difficult to create the necessary conditions for laying eggs in winter. At this time, in addition to an unbalanced feed ration, breed and age of chickens, factors such as reduced daylight hours, low ambient temperatures, insufficient light levels or excessive humidity in the chicken coop affect their ability to lay. To identify and eliminate the reasons that caused the absence of egg laying in chickens in winter, it is necessary to check for compliance with the value of the recommended keeping parameters and consistently exclude factors that correspond to the standard indicators. The values ​​of the parameters with deviations must be changed to the recommended optimal values.

Do courses run in winter? Features and subtleties of the process in the winter

Providing normal conditions and age of layers corresponding to the period of fertility, chickens can be carried in the winter. However, for this, it is necessary to create a number of conditions that ensure the comfortable maintenance of the bird population. In addition, an important factor is breed of chickens, depending on it, layers can:

1. reach the age of laying at an earlier period of time after birth;
2. have a greater survival rate;
3. lay a greater number of eggs with a large mass.

Farmers choose the breed of chickens for breeding taking into account the need for meat or eggs, in the first case, they prefer egg chickens, in the second, meat and egg breed. In some cases, despite the name, meat and egg breeds provide a longer clutch of eggs with a weight of each egg in the range of 65-70 g.

Important! Provided the correct breed is chosen, fatigue can affect the lack of ability to lay in the winter season.

Beginning to lay at the age of 4-7 months, many breeds provide a good laying of eggs for 2 years, after which the aging of the body begins and a decrease or complete cessation of egg laying occurs. In order to eliminate the factor of fatigue as a reason for the termination of laying, it is necessary to regularly exercise rotation of birds in the livestock.

Note! The presence of a young rooster in the bird population can increase the number and duration of clutches, however, this effect lasts for a very short period of time.

As one of the important factors affecting the laying of eggs, experts call improper nest organization. Their number should be based on no less than one nest for five chickens. The nest should not be located on the floor; it is better to place it in less illuminated areas of the chicken coop and insulate it with a bedding, periodically checking the degree of its dryness and replacing it as necessary.

Worth knowing! Stressful situations are one of the factors that provoke a decrease or complete disappearance of egg production.

Such factors can be nstrangers within the chicken coop, loud music, the appearance of other animals in the territory of their residence or accumulation of an excessive number of chickens on a small unit of area. The optimal layout of the chicken coop area is considered, in which 30-40 individuals are located no less than 10m².

Note! A good solution would be to organize a container with a shell and sand, as well as a separate box with ash.

In addition to the fact that this will provide chickens with the opportunity to row their paws on the listed materials, nibbling on the shell and ash, the bird ensures the intake of necessary trace elements into the body.

One of the possible reasons for the termination of egg laying is illness, arising, as a rule, in the winter period of the year due to hypothermia. Among the most common ailments, farmers name pathologies such as frostbite, laryngotracheitis and bronchopneumonia. To prevent their appearance, it is necessary to provide a full-fledged diet of the bird and optimal microclimate conditions in the chicken coop.

Why don't chickens fly in winter? Reasons for poor egg production

One of the important reasons for the lack of clutch in the winter period, experts say, is the impossibility or limited ability to walk birds. Farmers note that daily free-range exposure prevents birds from becoming obese and increases clutch size, compared to keeping them within the coop even in summer. Many owners are wary of allowing the birds to exercise in winter because of the high risk of disease, however, with a properly prepared area for winter walking chickens, the risk of disease is minimized. Among other factors that influence the absence or decrease of egg production in winter, farmers name:

• Unbalanced feeding, as a result of which the necessary vitamins and minerals do not enter the chicken's body. For example, a lack of salt in the diet of birds provokes a shortage of sodium and chlorine in the body, as a result of which, in addition to the deterioration of the taste of food, there is a decrease in the appetite of chickens. What is necessary to feed the chickens in winter so that they lay eggs? This will be discussed in more detail later.

Note! It is necessary to add exclusively table salt to the diet of chickens in the form of a solution of sodium chloride in water, or in the form of sand, which has a small fraction size.

• Low drinking water temperature in winter may reduce clutch numbers as chickens consume liquid after laying and before resting at night. An excessively low temperature of drinking water will lead to neglect of the liquid and the associated decrease in egg production. The lack of water in the drinker in the absence of automatic drinkers should also be attributed to the same group of problems.
• Reduced daylight hours is one of the dominant factors determining the absence of clutches. According to biological cycles, chickens are animals that are highly dependent on the natural cycles of solar activity. Therefore, a decrease in the duration of daylight hours in winter, and even more so when you are in a closed chicken coop, below 12-14 hours, should be compensated for by artificial lighting.

• Violation of the microclimate a hen house is characterized by a critical change from the optimal values ​​of such indicators as temperature and humidity. Many owners underestimate the importance of creating optimal conditions, however, scientists state that even with minor fluctuations in parameters, productivity in chickens decreases. What should be the temperature for the chickens to rush well will be discussed later.
• One of the reasons that have a proven link with a decrease in egg production in chickens is seasonal change of feathers in birds... This process is part of the biological cycle of the animal and occurs due to insufficient intake of minerals and vitamins in the body when the seasons change throughout the year.

Worth knowing! If the room in which the chickens are kept has excessive moisture, the risk of disease among the livestock increases significantly.

In addition, an increase in humidity above the recommended optimal values ​​leads to the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms in the litter, its debate and a quick failure.

The above reasons usually explain why chickens do not lay in winter.

Video: the secrets of high egg production in chickens in winter like in summer

Methods and ways of solving the problem of egg production in winter

Possible difficulties associated with the complete or partial loss of egg production in winter are overcome by creating optimal conditions that summarize the comfort zone and contribute to an increase in bird productivity.

If the answer to the question is "Why don't chickens rush in winter?" was given earlier, now it is logical to move on to the methods and ways of solving it, in other words, to say what needs to be done so that the chickens fly in winter.

According to the indicated problems, it is possible to single out such ways of solving them as:

• Organization of an automatic water supply system into drinkers, providing a metered supply as the container is emptied.
• Carrying out insulation and ensuring the tightness of the room in the winter, for this, an additional layer of litter is laid on the floor. The place used for the winter keeping of poultry should not have drafts. The ceiling and walls of the hen house are insulated by placing hay in the attic, using cardboard and roofing material. The most commonly used insulation material is mineral wool and foam. Some farmers practice attaching plastic wrap to the walls to eliminate possible drafts in the structure.

Read more about keeping chickens in winter in this article!

• Ambient temperature in the chicken coop, in order for the chickens to rush, it must be at least 10 ° C. The optimal values ​​of temperature indicators in the range of 10-15 ° C are provided by equipping the chicken coop with additional heat sources, for example, brick-built stoves, by using infrared lamps and electric heaters. A decrease in indicators by 5 ° C from the recommended optimal values ​​leads to a loss of egg production.

Video: how to increase the egg production of laying hens in winter

Note! With the floor keeping of chickens, the best performance indicators are achieved at a temperature of 12-15 ° C, while in the case of cage breeding of layers, it is necessary to ensure the values ​​of indicators in the range of 15-19 ° C.

• To organize additional lighting, in order to increase the duration of daylight hours in winter, 100 W lamps are used for an area of ​​12 m²located at a height of 2 m. from the floor level or corresponding energy saving means. They begin to be used at dusk and continue to operate until 9 pm. The placement of the lamps is planned in such a way that the lighting covers the area where the bird feeders and drinkers are located, excluding their contact with the wiring or lamps.

Important! It is not recommended to use additional lighting throughout the day; it is necessary to provide the hens with a period of night rest. An increase in the duration of daylight hours to 15-17 hours has a negative effect on the body of layers, causes accelerated wear of the body and affects the productivity of the bird.

• In order to organize a platform for walking laying hens in winter years, you can arrange a plot under a canopy, having previously cleared it of snow and covered it with sawdust or straw. Walking chickens is carried out in the middle of the day in the absence of wind and frost, exercise at an ambient temperature below 10 ° C should be excluded.

Video: how to increase egg production in chickens in winter

• Complete and balanced chicken feed should include minerals such as shell rock, charcoal, wood ash, chalk, or bone meal, which they need to create an eggshell. In addition, the diet of chickens should include such grains as barley, oats and wheat, herbs and vegetables. To prevent loss of egg production, the winter diet of laying hens should include the use of greens in the form of dried brooms made from squid, nettle, and alfalfa.

You can read in more detail about the diet and nutrition of laying hens in winter in this article!

Video: how to feed laying hens in winter so that they lay eggs

• Humidity of ambient air should not exceed 60%, if the indicator deviates, it is recommended to use a system of natural or forced ventilation, avoiding excessive dryness of the air masses entering the hen house.

Interesting! One of the ways to increase the productivity of the livestock is to add nettle to the bird's diet, which supplies tannins to the bird's body, and a balanced protein-vitamin composition.

Video: why chickens don't rush in winter

There are many reasons for the loss of productive capacity in chickens during the winter. To prevent this, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for laying hens. As a rule, we are talking about using a balanced diet, creating artificial lighting, ensuring optimal temperature and humidity values ​​in the chicken coop. Experts say that, subject to the described conditions, the egg production rates in winter will not differ from the number of clutches in summer.