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Winter has always been a serious challenge for the household, especially for the poultry industry. Successful keeping of poultry during the cold season depends not only on feed, but also on properly created conditions. How to provide warmth, protect from draughts and at the same time maintain the productivity of chickens, ducks, geese? Timely preparation for winter will help not only to preserve the health of your feathered animals, but also to avoid unpredictable losses in the farm. In this article we will tell you how to make your hen house an ideal winter shelter.
Basic requirements for winter housing of poultry
Poultry, especially chickens, ducks and turkeys, are very sensitive to low temperatures. Overcooling can reduce egg production and even provoke diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the conditions for chickens in winter. What should be taken into account? The optimum temperature for hens is +10-15°C, for turkeys +15°C and for ducks +5°C. Infrared lamps, electric heaters can be used to keep them warm. In addition, care should be taken to insulate the room. It is important to analyze the condition of the walls, doors and floor before insulating the house. This will reduce heat loss. For this, you can use foam, mineral wool and wooden panels.
Cover the floor with a thick layer of straw or sawdust, which will retain heat and absorb moisture.
Remember the importance of ventilation: for small chicken coops, simple hoods or vents located at different levels that have flaps to regulate the air flow are suitable. The optimum air humidity is 60-70%.
Among the main factors in keeping chickens in winter is lighting. It directly affects their hormonal system and egg production. The conditions of keeping laying hens in winter are somewhat different from the summer season. Here you need to take into account the length of the daylight hours, which should be 12-14 hours a day. For this purpose, you can use energy-saving lamps or LEDs, which create a warm light similar to natural light.
Poultry diet in winter: what is important to consider?
Winter requires changes in the diet of poultry, which provides additional calories to keep them warm, healthy and productive. It is good to feed chickens with grain (wheat, barley, oats, corn), adding oilcake, meal, meat and bone meal, as well as vegetables - grated carrots, pumpkin, beets. It is useful to include crushed egg shells or chalk in the diet.
The main components of the diet of ducks are grain mixtures of corn, oats, wheat; root vegetables - boiled potatoes, pumpkin and carrots; and protein supplements - fish waste, yeast.
The diet of geese is somewhat different from that of ducks and chickens. It includes coarse fodder - alfalfa and clover hay; root crops - beets, pumpkin, boiled potatoes; grains - barley, wheat, corn.
To improve immunity, vitamin complexes can be added to the water.
Water as an important element of feeding should be relatively warm (+10°C), so as not to cool the body. It should be changed twice or three times a day. It is possible to add a weak solution of manganese or infusion of pine needles to the water to prevent diseases.
Feeding birds in winter is an important aspect of keeping birds, which should not be neglected. Following these recommendations, you will have healthy chickens, ducks, geese.
Care for poultry in the cold season
In winter, poultry becomes vulnerable to colds, joint inflammation, avitaminosis and infections. Regular inspection and preventive care can help avoid various problems. If you notice your bird lethargic, with poor appetite, ruffled feathers, uncharacteristic discharge from the eyes or beak, changed color of the comb (pale or blue) - consult a veterinarian and adjust the diet or microclimate in the coop.
In general, feathers and legs of poultry need special care in winter, because they perform the functions of protection and thermoregulation. For this purpose, there should always be dry bedding in the coop. In case of redness or cracks on the paws, it is better to lubricate them with petroleum jelly or glycerin. As you can see, care for the bird in winter is somewhat special.
Tips from Vada.ua for successful winter keeping of poultry
You can equip your chicken coop on your own, reading various information on the Internet, and you can turn to professionals who will recommend and select the necessary equipment for effective poultry keeping. VADA company specializes in various equipment for animal husbandry. One of the directions of its activity is poultry farming. More than one farm has already been equipped by experienced specialists of the company.
For example, to maintain optimal temperature in the hen house VADA managers advise to use various heaters, for example, gas and electric Winterwarm.
Since proper ventilation is critical for the health of birds, specialists offer various systems that will control the microclimate in the premises, remove excess moisture, carbon dioxide, ammonia.
The company also has a wide range of equipment for feeding poultry: feeders of various types and sizes, for large farms - feed feeding systems with uniform distribution, feed storage bins.
A sensible investment always pays off. Because you choose only what you need, taking into account the needs and peculiarities of your farm. And with experienced specialists, this is easier, faster and more efficient.
10/01/2025
