Winter time in the chicken cage too often indicates a lack of eggs, chilled water, and cold, dissatisfied hens. But with focus on a few key aspects, your hens can continue laying through much of the winter, although egg growth might decrease a bit. Far more importantly, you'll rest easy knowing that they are at ease and warm. Listed below is a practical winter preparation guidelines:
Light source. A rooster's laying is affected by her pineal glandular, which therefore is regulated by daylight. Sixteen hours of light on a daily basis, supplemented by a 60-watt lucent light bulb or 2 on a timer, is best for maintaining birds active-- and laying eggs.
â?¢ Roosts. By nature, chickens prefer to roost during the night. This is also their way to stay warm: with feathers fluffed, they share body heat by roosting nearly each another. Ensure that your poultries have comfortable roosts along with 6-8 inches of roost spot for every bird.
â?¢ Warmed water. Depending upon how chilly it receives where you live, you might need to keep the hens' water supply from cold. Feed outlets offer heating system bases that fit underneath the regular galvanized metal hen waterers.
â?¢ Deep litter. The deep litter technique is low-maintenance, and it always keeps roosters warm through winter when the litter and manure slowly compost and produce heat into the mew. Just initiate with a cleansed coop and about 4 inches of litter (grass, straw, wooden shavings, or a mix) in the summer or earlier fall. Simply add additional litter throughout the season as required to keep the bedding quite dry and clean. By winter, the litter must be about 8 to 10 inches low. It will be composting effectively and producing heat. The poultries' scraping may keep it oxygenated and changed, particularly if you throw scratch crumbs in the coop for them, but you can bring it a hand with a pitchfork from time to time.
http://chickensdirect.co/chicken-coop-in-winter-season/
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