How to choose the right laying hen
Chickens lay from 120 to 260 eggs per year, depending on the breed. Therefore, many summer residents buy half-year-old laying hens and keep them in the summer season. On average, over the summer, you can get from 70 to 90 eggs from one chicken. Due to the high demand for laying hens in the summer, their prices are increasing. The cost of a high-quality laying hen ranges from 300 to 550 rubles.
However, in the spring there are many advertisements for the sale of egg-laying chickens at low prices. As a rule, in such an ad the price is from 150 to 200 rubles. She should alert the buyer, but some gardeners and summer residents buy chickens for such ads. Often, unscrupulous sellers pass off two-year-old chickens for young chickens whose egg production has already dropped. There are also times when resellers sell laying hens from the poultry farm. Such a culling hen will be able to enter only if the food supply is preserved and the primary conditions of detention are recreated, which is impossible at home.
Growing in poultry farms
In poultry farms, in industrial premises, the temperature is maintained from 25ABOUTFrom to 27ABOUTC depending on laying hen breeds... To increase egg production, the birds are given special feed with a high chalk content.
Calcium is very important for laying hens, but if given in excess, then the pelvic bones of the laying hen will be deformed, which will lead to a decrease in egg production, so shell rock is used in poultry farms instead of chalk as a food additive.
To prevent pecking of eggs, laying hens at the age of 7 months are cauterized with a beak. After this procedure, the chicken's beak fades, white stripes appear on it.
To prevent chickens from getting sick, antibiotics are specially sprayed into the air. Over time, artificial antibiotics suppress the immune system of the laying hen. If such a chicken is moved to a natural environment or aviary, its egg production will suffer due to viral diseases.
The appearance of a good layer
Therefore, when choosing a laying hen, you need to pay attention to its appearance. A good laying hen should have a voluminous soft belly. If the skin under the wings is elastic, then the chicken is young and carries well. Also, look at the hen's pelvic bones, if they are strong and wide, the hen will lay. The most important sign of good egg production is the temperature of the chicken scallop and catkins. A young chicken has a raised comb, its temperature can reach 45ABOUTFROM.