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Domestic chickens are popular in agriculture birds. Even a novice farmer is able to cope with their care - unpretentiousness, simple rules maintenance and good productivity gives dietary meat and eggs as a reward for work.

Requirements for premises for keeping laying hens

In order for chickens to be healthy and highly productive, it is necessary to comply with the basic requirements for their maintenance. The first condition is the presence of a chicken coop, which can be a warm barn or any other room made of wood, brick or blocks. The size is determined by the number of chickens and the chosen method of keeping them. It is also important that the room for laying hens meets the following requirements:

Correct planting density. The best stocking density for chickens is from 2 to 5 birds per 1 square meter. If chickens are housed too closely, they will live a stressful and uncomfortable life, leading to illness and reduced productivity. If the stocking density is low, a significant area of the chicken coop may be unused.
Normal air humidity. 60 or 70% is the ideal relative humidity in the coop. If the humidity level drops below, the mucous membrane respiratory tract the chicken dries out, and this leads to inflammation. In addition, dry air causes itchy skin and loss of a pen. On the other hand, high humidity also creates conditions for the development of diseases. When heat is added to high humidity, it causes heatstroke. And when the room is damp and cold, the chickens become hypothermic. To normalize humidity, it is extremely important to provide the chicken coop with sufficient ventilation. An outlet pipe installed in a hole in the wall is ideal for this.

Poultry house equipment

It is important to equip the chicken coop with equipment that is easy to clean and disinfect. These should be:

Feeders. The bird-friendly design of the feeder plays a very important role. It is important that it does not allow food to be scattered and is easy to clean. Wooden feeders are ideal for dry food, and metal feeders are ideal for wet “mash”. You will also need another feeder made of any material for mineral feed.
Drinking bowls. Cellular housing requires built-in water containers. When kept on the floor, drinking bowls can be very diverse. When chickens are free-range, an ordinary basin with water is suitable for drinking. And the best solution for a chicken coop is automatic or trough drinkers.
Perches are a favorite place for resting and sleeping. It is important to place the perches at a height of 0.6 to 1 m - all on the same level. The optimal diameter of the bar for making a perch is from 5 to 7 cm. It is important that its edges are rounded.
Nests are places where laying hens lay eggs. They should be installed in a darkened part of the room. Nests can be located directly on the floor or at a height of no more than 0.6 m. The required number is determined as follows - 1 nest for 4 or 5 chickens.
A manure shield under the roost to keep the floor of the coop clean and to collect droppings at night.
Lazy. In order for chickens to be able to go out into the pen or free range on their own, you need to provide the chicken coop with manholes. They should be located at a height of 5 cm from the floor and be no more than 40 by 40 cm in size.

Poultry care equipment

To successfully care for birds, you need to acquire the following equipment:

a jigging cage used to catch sick chickens;
a catch cage, which is placed next to the hole, and on the other side a chicken is driven into it;
scrapers for cleaning perches, litter boards and floors;
litter engine;
garden shovel;
shovel;
rakes for grooming;
forks for removing old litter;
broom for cleaning litter;
a box for dead birds and their research;
box for temporary storage of litter;
water dispenser;
a disinfectant mat that disinfects shoes when entering and exiting the poultry house;
bucket for cleaning equipment;
hand sprayer for disinfection;
hook and net for catching chickens;
boxes for storing consumable feed supplies;
a tub for storing a 2-day supply of water;
table scales for measuring the volume of feed;
mixing trough wet food;
buckets for carrying feed and water;
wire bucket for collecting eggs.

Laying nests

If all the nests are occupied, the hen will lay the egg directly on the floor, which increases the risk of infection or crushing of the egg. To prevent this from happening, you need to provide one nest for every five chickens.

The optimal height for the nests is 0.5 or 0.6 m from the floor. If the nests are higher, the risk of eggs with meat or blood specks increases.

It is best to make nests from plywood or plank. The optimal dimensions of the nest are 30x35x35 cm. The nests should be placed in the form of a cabinet or one or two lines in a place protected from direct sunlight.

The nests need to be filled with soft shavings or straw, which need to be updated as they become dirty. A threshold in front of the entrance to the nest will prevent abrasion of the litter, and a take-off bar will prevent injury. Eggs should be collected every two hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and somewhat more often in winter.

Bird walking

With the free-range method of keeping chickens, they need at least a minimum area for walking - a solarium or an aviary. As a rule, it is arranged on the south side of the poultry house. The area of the walking yard should be at least half the area of the chicken coop. You can also arrange additional perches in the walking yard.

The enclosure must be fenced with galvanized mesh, the height of the fence is from 1.8 to 2 m. A shadow canopy must be installed on top of the enclosure. It is highly desirable that a mesh be stretched over the top of the solarium - this will protect against visits to the aviary by wild birds that can cause infection.

If there is an opportunity and desire to provide laying hens limited area for walking, a vegetable garden, orchard, berry garden or vineyard is ideal for these purposes. Chickens not only actively feed themselves during such walks, but also help vegetable gardens and orchards - laying hens destroy seeds and sprouts of weeds, and also eat large quantities of worms, larvae and slugs. You should not allow chickens into the garden only during the period when garden crops are sprouting in order to protect the young greenery. In winter, chickens can be released daily for walking provided there is no wind and the temperature is not lower than -15 °C.

Temperature and light conditions

The most important conditions for keeping laying hens are:

Comfortable air temperature is from 10 to 20 °C, but chickens feel best at 12 - 18 °C. Despite the ability of chickens to survive even at -25°C, it is extremely important to avoid such extreme conditions. After all temperature regime forms the most important thing in the chicken coop - the microclimate. It should be constant and without sudden changes in temperature, which lead to a lack of egg laying. It is important to remember that more low temperature leads to high costs of feed needed by chickens to keep warm. On the other hand, heat leads to a decrease in bird fertility.
The correct light mode, with which you can regulate the egg production of laying hens. The ideal length of daylight is from 12 to 15 hours. In summer, as a rule, birds have enough sunlight, and in winter it is necessary to use artificial lighting. If this is not done, too short winter daylight hours will negatively affect the results of chicken “labor”. However, backlighting must be used with great care, keeping in mind the sensitivity of birds to artificial lighting. The light intensity should not exceed 5 watts per 1 square meter of area. You need to increase or decrease daylight hours gradually. It should not be increased to 16 or 17 hours - this will lead to overwork of the chickens and a decrease in their fertility.

How to keep laying hens at home

There are two main ways of keeping laying hens: floor (walking) and intensive (no-walking).

When raising chickens in a small household plot for the needs of one family, it is best to choose the first method - floor-based. That is, laying hens live in a poultry house on litter or mesh floors. If the birds are also free-range, their maintenance will be very economical, and their nutrition will be healthy and balanced.

In the case of breeding birds for sale and profit, intensive keeping will be the most effective. By constantly living in cages, chickens are housed more compactly, and, therefore, their total number increases. With this method, chickens are practically never outside and spend all their time indoors with deep bedding or on mesh floors.

The use of permanent deep litter with a layer of up to 0.5 m is justified in many cases. A thick layer of litter perfectly absorbs moisture and droppings. This bedding allows you not to heat the room - thanks to the vital activity of microorganisms inside the filler, the temperature is constantly maintained at 32 °C or even more. Material for bedding is prepared in the dry season. It is very important to store bedding supplies in a dry place, preventing them from becoming moldy.
Valentina Kravchenko, expert

When using deep litter, you need to remember that it should be:

loose;
dry;
absorb moisture well;
poor conduction of heat.

The following can be used as bedding:

dry tree leaves;
sawdust and shavings;
straw cutting;
sunflower, rice, buckwheat or millet husks;
crushed corn cobs;
peat in pure form or mixed with other materials;
coarse sand in a layer of 15 to 20 cm (in warm areas).

When the litter becomes contaminated with droppings, you need to stir it with a pitchfork and replenish it with fresh litter. Thoroughly mix new bedding material with old so that even distribution promotes proper maturation of the litter. By the end of winter, the litter should have a thickness of 20 to 25 cm. It is necessary to completely replace the litter with new litter once a year when changing the number of chickens. For one year, an adult bird needs from 8 to 15 kg of dry litter.

Advantages and disadvantages of cage-free chickens

a large number of chickens fits into a very small area;
droppings are collected strictly under the chickens, without polluting the entire chicken coop;
eggs are kept safe and clean;
convenient to collect eggs - the inclined floor of the cage directs the egg into a special container for collecting eggs;
chickens do not scatter food from feeders that are attached to the outside of the cages;
nipple drinkers in cages provide chickens with only clean water;
in cages, chickens are isolated from other birds and domestic animals, which protects laying hens from infections;
the presence of a rooster is not at all necessary - often without one, chickens in cages lay much better.

You should remember the following disadvantages of keeping chickens in cages:

the costs of manufacturing or purchasing cells, which pay off over time;
higher than with free-range keeping, the cost of feeding chickens and the responsibility for the completeness of their diet, because the birds are deprived of food from greens and worms;
costs for artificial lighting of the chicken coop;
less nutrients, movement and fresh air in the life of chickens - which means less nutrients in eggs and meat.

Mesh or slatted floors are stretched over frames with a width of 1 to 1.5 m and a length of about 2 m. Galvanized mesh with large cells or wooden slats are installed on the frames. The mesh is supported from below by strips installed lengthwise and crosswise at a distance of 40 cm from each other. Frames should be installed on stands with a height of 40 to 80 cm from the floor. Metal trays must be installed on the wooden floor under the frames to collect droppings.

Cage keeping of laying hens at home

An intensive or cage system for keeping chickens requires the same microclimate conditions in the chicken coop. However, some features of keeping birds in cages can be highlighted.

Conditions for intensive chicken keeping

It is important to comply with the following requirements:

the floor under the cages should consist of metal rods;
cages can be made partly of wood and metal;
a slight slope in the floor is required;
The egg collection chute is installed with outside cells;
metal trays should be placed under the cages to collect droppings;
the feeder and drinking bowl are placed on the front part in front of the cage door;
there can be one drinking bowl for several cells;
the poultry house must all year round very well ventilated;
there should be no drafts in the room;
in winter the chicken coop should be heated;
The optimal temperature in the cages in summer is 18 °C, and in winter - 16 °C.

Types of cages for laying hens

The cells can be single, several floors, or in the form of a small house with a solarium. Main types:

cage for laying hens - plenty of space, little light, comfortable perch, protection from drafts;
broiler cage - minimum space, lots of light, ventilation.

Diet of chickens in cages

The chickens' diet should contain the following components:

crumbly food made from wheat grains, sunflower cake, calcium carbonate, vegetable fats, salt and vitamins without drugs or dyes;
feeding from vegetables, fruits and herbs: finely chopped grass from the lawn, kitchen waste, skins from vegetables and fruits, weeds. Laying hens especially love different types of cabbage, apples, pumpkin, and green salad;
A very important component is mineral supplementation. It can be shell rock or a mixture of feed chalk and shells in equal parts;
water - 0.5 liters per chicken per day.

Cage maintenance and cleaning

Cleanliness and hygiene - the most important conditions proper keeping of chickens. Caring for them is not only work for results, but also an interesting activity. If there are not many chickens, you can involve children in caring for them. Such an exciting pastime can unite children and adults around them. It is important not to forget that:

after feeding, it is necessary to remove any remaining food so that it does not spoil in the feeder;
cleaning of cages and the entire poultry house should be regular;
You need to wipe the bars of the cages and wash the feeders every day. After green or wet food, feeders are washed immediately;
the droppings that fall onto the trays under the cages must be scraped off from time to time and sent for processing in order to make excellent fertilizer from it.

Ash baths for laying hens

Which breeds of laying hens are suitable for cages?

Loman Brown is a very productive, unpretentious, friendly and docile breed that produces excellent eggs and meat;
Kuchinskaya Yubileinaya is a very undemanding, time-tested, “classical” breed that has proven itself excellent in egg production and meat production at home.

As you can see, keeping laying hens is fraught with certain difficulties, but all of them can be easily overcome if you approach them wisely. Optimal conditions and time-tested tricks are the secret to success.

How do you keep your laying hens? What breeds do you prefer? Share your experience in the comments!

Breeding chickens in closed premises with limited space is typical not only for large poultry farms. This option is suitable for farmers and private owners who own several dozen birds. The main reason is the inability to organize free range due to chronic lack of space. Placing them in cages will increase the number of chickens and their productivity. The advantages include:

simplification of care, reduction of maintenance costs;
possibility to place a large number of birds in a confined space;
increase in fattening speed, speed dial weight;
saving feed with precise portion dosage for each chicken;
simplified collection of eggs and elimination of their pecking;
protection from predators and theft;
accelerated fattening with limited mobility.

Interesting fact! According to statistics, one person consumes about 300 eggs per year. Thus, one chicken of a highly productive breed will fully meet his needs.

Poultry cages are usually placed in an insulated barn. But several containers can be installed even on the balcony of a city apartment. Usually chickens are kept for 1-2 seasons, then the stock is changed. Quick change allows you to save high level egg production and reduces the risk of spreading infections.

Despite the significant advantages, there are also disadvantages to keeping chickens in cages. Among the main ones:

Poor quality of life for birds. Chickens deprived of the ability to move freely live shorter lives, they develop osteoporosis, and various tumor diseases and heart attacks are possible.
Crowded contents provoke the spread of infections. Chickens are susceptible to epidemics; frequent disinfection and vaccinations are needed to maintain the health of the flock.
Reduced taste of meat. With improper nutrition, the poultry turns out to be too fatty, and the eggs become smaller.
The need for constant mineral and vitamin supplements.
Flaw daylight, poor insolation.

Important! In a confined space without walking, you can keep broilers and regular laying hens, subject to quick culling. However, such conditions are not suitable for breeding roosters and chickens.

Selection of chicken breeds

The best choice is egg-laying or combined crosses (laying hens suitable for fattening). They gain weight well, grow quickly, are unpretentious, and are less susceptible to infections. When purchasing, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the breed and recommendations for growing.

Breed	Direction	Description	Egg production (pieces per year)	Egg weight (g)	Peculiarities
Leghorn	Egg	The predominant color is white, but other options are possible. Small, delicately built chickens small head with a yellow beak and a bright red crest, the plumage is abundant and dense. The shell of eggs is predominantly white.	200-250	up to 60	Champion in egg production, but after a year of laying hens' life, the readings decrease. Suitable for short-term maintenance. Good chick survival rate. They fatten up well, but the carcasses are small.
Kuchin anniversary	Meat-egg	The roosters are large, showy, with reddish-brown plumage with a dark tail and collar. Females are round, with golden-brown plumage. The ridges are bright red and straight. The carcasses are massive, eggs with light brown shells.	180-250	60	Prone to obesity, they need a carefully composed and dosed diet. The eggs are selective and uniform; egg production decreases over time. Chickens grow fast good weight are recruited by the age of twenty weeks.
Hisex Brown	Meat-egg	A promising hybrid (cross) with lush golden-brown plumage and a bright red crest hanging to one side. The age of females can be determined by their legs; in pullets they are light yellow. Very dense and abundant feather.	350 - 360	70	Very high egg production; laying hens retain their qualities for several seasons. They gain weight quickly and are suitable for fattening. They need larger cages and good lighting. They are susceptible to stress and require a balanced diet and careful care.
Loman Brown	Egg	Compact chickens with beautiful plumage, combining brown, beige, and white shades. The comb is large, leaf-shaped. Leg muscles are weak.	310-320	50-65	High productivity (including in winter), excellent taste of eggs. Chickens are kept on the farm for 2-3 years, then the stock is changed. Calm, non-aggressive character, suitable for fattening.
Russian white	Egg	Bred by crossing ordinary farm chickens with Leghorns. Color white, medium size. A distinctive feature is a large red erect crest. The eggs are medium-sized, with white or cream-colored shells.	200	60	Very unpretentious, not prone to incubation of eggs. Almost omnivorous, the meat is tasty and lean. With age, egg production decreases significantly.

Content Features

To ensure good egg production and minimize the risk of disease, it is important to comply with certain conditions:

Good lighting. The ideal option is a seventeen-hour daylight hours; warm spectrum light is preferable. The cages are placed so that all birds have enough light; shadow areas should be avoided.
Fresh air. The chicken coop is ventilated 2-3 times a day, but direct exposure of the birds to cold air is unacceptable.
Stable temperature throughout the day. The optimal mode is 20-25 degrees.
Moderate air humidity. The hygrometer should show 50-70%; a sharp increase in humidity is unacceptable.

Forced molting can extend the period of bird productivity. Organizing the process is not difficult. For half a day the bird is left in the dark, while food portions are reduced. Then the lighting turns on again, and vitamin components are included in the menu. Short-term switches renew the chickens' body, they begin to actively change feathers, eat with greater appetite, and the number of eggs increases.

The dimensions of a standard room for chickens are depth 0.5-0.7 m, width – up to 1.4 m, height – 0.7 m. This cage can accommodate 5-8 laying hens.

The best material is thick steel mesh with not too small cells. This material provides good air exchange, the bird does not suffer from stuffiness and high humidity. The mesh is stretched over metal or wooden bars. Feeders and drinkers should not be too deep and easy to remove. At the same time, they need to be fastened tightly and securely so that the chicken does not accidentally turn the container over. The mesh bottom should have a slope, and a retractable metal or plastic tray should be placed under it to collect droppings.

Still spending a ton of money on chicken cages? In vain! It’s more than possible to make a “house” for chickens with your own hands. Step by step instructions on the manufacture of cells, as well as detailed design drawings, you will find in the article -

Rooms for egg crosses can be relatively small; one bird needs at least 0.06 square meters. m. Meat breeds need more space, they need at least 0.08 sq. m on the head. One cage can contain from 2 to 12 chickens. It is important to remember that overcrowded housing favors the spread of infections.

Cage placement and additional equipment

Many owners, limited in space, place cages in tiers. However, this method worsens illumination, and birds reduce egg production. It is better to arrange the cages in a single layer or place them on racks with large gaps. It all depends on the size of the chicken coop, its height, and the number of birds.

For ease of maintenance, all cages are connected by an egg receptacle. Drinkers and feeders are attached to the outside. Uniform lighting is ensured by rheostats; they turn on the light gradually so as not to frighten the bird. The device is capable of independently adjusting the brightness of the lighting and changing its spectrum. Lamps with yellow, red, orange filters have a positive effect on egg production.

If there are a lot of chickens, it is worth automating the process of supplying water and feed. The most convenient are vacuum drinkers connected in unified system. A common tank made of plastic or metal is installed on a raised platform, and flexible tubes leading to drinking bowls are taken from it. To keep them filled to the brim but not overflow, the tank is equipped with a sealed lid.

Provide Fresh air A fan system will help. They are placed in different corners of the chicken coop and turned on at least 3 times a day. LED or energy-saving lamps are used for lighting. Conventional incandescent lamps are very short-lived and do not withstand a seventeen-hour light cycle. In addition, such devices consume much more electricity and can cause network overload.

Carefully! Energy-saving lamps in the form of a spiral can accidentally break and contaminate the room with mercury vapor. LED devices do not have this disadvantage.

Lighting standard – 12-diode LED lamp for every 2 square meters premises. The lamps need to be distributed evenly; with tiered lighting, they should be installed above each row of cells.

Video - Keeping chickens in cages at home

Features of feeding

From the right choice The diet depends on the well-being of chickens, their egg production and fattening speed. It is important to maintain the correct balance of nutrients. Some novice poultry farmers focus on carbohydrates, which the bird quickly gains weight by consuming. However, this approach contributes to the accumulation of fat, the meat becomes less tasty, and the productivity of laying hens decreases. The menu must contain animals and vegetable proteins(at least 10, and preferably 15%), fats (up to 6%), minerals and vitamins.

The best choice is industrial feed with a balanced composition, including grains of wheat, barley, cake, vegetable fats And vitamin complexes. Loose feeds are easier to feed, they are readily eaten by chickens and stimulate digestion.

Grain mixtures are nutritious, but not too rich in protein. Adding legumes, corn, bone meal or fish meal will help increase its amount. Be sure to combine plant and animal protein. Calcium supplements will help strengthen the shell. Some owners add crushed eggshells, is a cheap alternative to industrial calcium complexes.

Crushed shells are a great alternative special additives from calcium

Birds should always have access to pure water. The drinking bowls are filled daily and need to be washed and disinfected from time to time. A chicken needs about 0.5 liters of water per day. A bird deprived of a free range cannot peck pebbles, sand, insects, or fresh grass, so the farm owner must take care of fiber and mineral supplements. Fresh chopped vegetables, garden tops, weeded weeds, and freshly cut grass are regularly placed in the feeders. Peeling vegetables and leftover food from your own table are also suitable. Such regular supplements improve the quality of life of chickens, stimulate egg production and improve the taste of meat.

Adult chickens eat 2 times a day, the average portion is 120-160 grams of grain mixture or other feed. After the meal, the feeders must be cleaned of residues to avoid food spoilage and poisoning of the laying hens.

Diseases and prevention

Among the dangers that await chickens:

ticks and lice beetles;
helminths;
staphylococcus;
brucellosis;
salmonellosis;
pullorosis.

Malaise can be determined by appearance and the behavior of chickens. lethargy, poor appetite, weight loss, unkempt, dull feathers and pale combs are a clear indication of illness. Even more striking signs: sore throat, difficulty breathing, cough, spasms of the respiratory tract. For preventive purposes, all livestock receive a portion of the antibiotic along with the feed. Obviously sick birds must be promptly removed and quarantined.

Note! After contact with unhealthy chickens, you should thoroughly wash your hands and wipe them with alcohol.

Helps avoid infections frequent washing cells disinfectant solution, change of bedding. It is worth adding a little dust to the ashes for bathing; the mixture in bathing baths is changed weekly. Periodic quartzing of the chicken coop can destroy the infection. Do not allow other pets near chickens, or allow dogs or cats to drink or eat from feeders. Rodents, which can spoil grain feed, also pose a danger.

When infectious disease and the death of a large number of chickens, all cages need to be replaced; it is better to burn the old ones. The room is treated with bleach and thoroughly ventilated.

Caring for chickens in cages

The day in the chicken coop begins with the gradual switching on of the lights. Then comes feeding. If there are a large number of cells, the feed distribution process should be mechanized. Eggs are collected from the trays, and the trays are cleared of droppings. Once every 2 days you need to clean the cages, clean the feeders and drinkers, wipe the bars, thoroughly rinse the bottom of the cages and trays. Thorough cleaning with a bleach solution is necessary every 2-3 weeks. Before feeding, it is useful to ventilate the chicken coop, making sure that cold air currents do not hit the birds.

Important! The owner must constantly monitor the condition of the livestock. Lethargy, poor appetite, decreased egg production are a signal that it is necessary to make adjustments to the content: review the size of the cells, change the diet or increase lighting.

Cages for laying hens have long ceased to be found exclusively in industrial agricultural complexes. They can now be seen quite often in private yards. The main reason for this is the large number of livestock and not sufficient quantity free space, forcing the breeder to keep the birds in the same room with cows or pigs. Let's figure out together how important it is to keep laying hens in cages at home, and consider all the features.

There are only two ways to keep domestic chickens - free-range and intensive. The second option assumes that the chicken is placed on cage batteries or on deep litter. The walking method assumes that the bird will still leave the chicken coop for walks. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but let's take a closer look at the cellular type of content poultry.

This method of keeping assumes that chickens are housed in small groups, each of which contains up to six individuals, and they all live in one cage. It should be taken into account that there must be at least 100 centimeters of square space per chicken in the cage, otherwise the birds will be too crowded, which will significantly reduce their vital signs, and as a result, their productivity. If poultry are kept alone in cages, then fifty square centimeters of area will be enough for them, providing the space necessary for movement. Naturally, such a housing condition significantly limits the movement of laying hens, which is why they cannot lead an active lifestyle. Naturally, this leads to many inconveniences; for example, such a bird requires more careful care. For example, one type of microclimate must be constantly maintained in a chicken coop so that different time year, the livestock felt well and did not experience any discomfort that affected the productivity of the birds.

Advantages and disadvantages

When it comes to the pros or cons of a certain point, it’s still worth starting with the positive, so now let’s talk about the advantages that cellular contents carry. Firstly, the laying hen is always under your full control, and secondly, there is an incredible saving of territory, which allows you to place it in a small yard great amount heads, as well as saving feed, thanks to which each bird eats the required rate, and this leads us to the next one on the positive side. Thirdly, the laying hen produces eggs all year round, as she receives a sufficient amount of feed and lives in comfortable conditions, where she is provided with constant veterinary care and protection from small predators or aggressive representatives of poultry or livestock.

Ensuring a correct and balanced diet, as well as the safety of poultry and eggs, is possible only in cage housing conditions. If the bird is free-ranging, it can leave eggs in various secluded places in the yard, and you will only find them when you mow the tall grass or clean the yard. The cage also protects the bird from cats, martens and rats - those who like to feast on eggs and fresh food. chicken meat, and the food comes from wild birds and rodents that can feed in the feeder. The cell makes it possible to recreate what is necessary for comfortable life microclimate chickens, which is why the bird lays eggs not only in warm seasons, but all year round.

Due to the fact that the feeders in the cages are installed on the outside, the birds cannot trample and scatter food, which allows saving up to fifteen percent of feed, and this is a very serious figure in a household, especially if you imagine it in annual terms for the owner of a large livestock.

The main disadvantage of keeping chickens in cages is the lack of natural exercise, which, firstly, threatens the bird’s immobility. IN natural conditions keeping, assuming constant walking, the bird will never sit in one place. On the one hand, restriction in movement significantly saves the bird’s energy, which results in savings in feed per unit of egg, but, on the other hand, this often causes disruption of metabolic processes, which can lead to dire consequences - disease, depression and decreased egg-laying activity.

Secondly, the chicken does not receive enough sunlight in the cage. Under the influence of sunlight, the chicken’s body begins to actively produce vitamin D. The absence of it or its significant deficiency must be replenished artificially, but not a single drug or food product can replace the sun’s rays. Because of this, it is impossible for laying hens to get those “legendary” eggs with a rich yolk.

Thirdly, keeping them in a cage excludes from the life of chickens any opportunity to receive natural nutrition. While walking along the street, birds independently receive what they need to maintain their health and basic vital signs vitamins and minerals from beetles, worms, pebbles and various herbs. Naturally, it is possible to use artificially formulated vitamin-mineral complexes, but such supplements will never become a full-fledged replacement, which, naturally, significantly affects the general physical condition of chickens and the quality of the eggs obtained from them. If the main objective your his home grown chickens are quality eggs, then the cellular maintenance method is categorically contraindicated for you.

Many environmental organizations call the cage format inhumane. For example, in Danni, keeping chickens in cages is prohibited at the legislative level, since this would contradict the moral and ethical standards established in the country. Naturally, most often all these disadvantages relate to large-scale production, but at home the quality of life of caged birds can be significantly improved by housing them, for example, in cages only for the winter period. To maintain comfort, it is enough not to fill the cage too much, regularly change the bedding in it and add greens or grass meal to the laying hens' feed.

Video “Cage keeping of chickens”

In the video, an experienced poultry farmer talks about keeping chickens in cages: cage design, features of caring for chickens, feeding, collecting eggs, etc.