How to Raise Free-Range Chickens Well? A Detailed Guide to Farming Methods and Techniques

With the development of rural areas, many people are choosing to return to their villages to start businesses. When it comes to rural entrepreneurship, the first thing that may come to mind is farming and planting. Free-range chicken farming in rural areas is also a top choice for many entrepreneurs, so do you know how to raise free-range chickens well? Let's learn about free-range chicken farming techniques together below!

How to Raise Free-Range Chickens Well

1. When buying chicks, chicken farmers should first do a good job of disinfecting and cleaning the coop, and regulate the temperature and ventilation facilities inside the coop.

2. Even for free-range chickens, farmers should do a good job of disease prevention. Deworming and vaccine immunization should be carried out scientifically and reasonably, and nutritional health products and multivitamins should be given to the flock to improve their stress resistance and immunity.

3. Farmers should learn to observe the flock's feeding, drinking, droppings and activity. If there is anything abnormal, sick chickens should be isolated immediately and treated promptly according to the symptoms.

4. During routine chicken raising, feeding management should be strengthened and coop disinfection should be done well. Chicken manure and debris in the coop should be cleaned at least once a week to keep the coop clean and hygienic. In addition, fresh feed should be provided, cold protection and warmth measures should be taken, and lighting and ventilation in the coop should be ensured. Free-range release is prohibited in rain and snow.

Farming Methods and Techniques for Free-Range Chickens

1. Control the body temperature and humidity of chicks

Chicks have relatively poor temperature regulation ability. The body temperature of chicks is closely related to their drinking water, digestive absorption and the ambient temperature. If the temperature is too low, once chicks feel cold, they will huddle together to raise their temperature. This will affect the chicks' normal movement, eating and other activities, and make it very easy for chicks to freeze to death or be crushed to death. Huddling together also makes respiratory diseases more likely. Therefore, the ambient temperature should be adjusted well. Generally, an indoor temperature kept above 32 degrees and below 35 degrees is the most suitable.

2. Cleaning of chicks

As soon as the chicks hatch, they should be given clean water or cooled boiled water to drink, and their bodies should be cleaned. They should drink water first and then eat feed, and the feed should be the best quality feed.

3. Reasonable lighting

Sufficient lighting conditions are more conducive to chicks' movement, eating and drinking, and have a direct impact on their health. Ensure that daily lighting reaches 22-23h. At the same time, 24h lighting can also be used, but the lighting time should be reduced as time goes on, and normal lighting should be used only when the chicks are truly ready for market. In the brooding room for chicks, 40-50w incandescent lamps can be installed, which can make the coop look more attractive.

4. Immunization work

For free-range chicken farming, there is no specific immunization program, but there are still many diseases in free-range chickens. For example, most deaths are caused by chick pullorum disease, so corresponding drugs can be used for prevention. At the same time, air is also a way for pathogens to spread, so attention should also be paid to indoor air circulation. Clean the coop regularly to prevent the breeding of pathogens.

Precautions for Free-Range Chickens

1. Many rural free-range chicken farmers basically do no feeding management, have very poor sanitary conditions, and have never even done disinfection. This leads to the breeding and spread of a series of viruses and bacteria, making the flock prone to disease.

2. Rural free-range chickens generally lack basic infrastructure. The flock can move around freely and can easily drink domestic sewage or eat grass sprayed with pesticides in the fields, causing poisoning. In addition, the lack of infrastructure also means the flock cannot stay warm in winter, and many chickens develop respiratory diseases.

3. Free-range chicken farmers generally lack farming techniques and do not know how to treat chicken diseases. Improper medication, delayed treatment or overdose often occur.

4. Rural free-range chicken farming basically ignores nutrition and stress factors. For example, after chickens recover from illness or in hot weather, the flock's appetite decreases and they drink more water. At this time, nutrition needs to be supplemented, but many free-range chicken farmers basically have no awareness of this.

How to Tell Real Free-Range Chickens from Fake Ones

Nowadays, people say “no chicken, no banquet”, which shows the important place “chicken” holds in people's diets. In recent years, people have grown tired of feed chickens and confined chickens that lack “chicken flavor”, and instead seek woodland free-range chickens that taste good, have a strong wild flavor, high nutritional value and are pollution-free. And there are tricks to choosing woodland free-range chickens.

Woodland free-range chickens are similar to wild chickens. Their feathers are glossy and bright, and their claws have rough, hard skin. Woodland free-range chicken skin is thin, firm, with fine pores arranged in a net-like pattern. Ordinary chicken skin is relatively thin and the feathers are also relatively fine, but not as good as woodland free-range chickens. Fast-growing chickens, however, have thick, loose skin and relatively coarse pores. The most important characteristic of woodland free-range chickens is that the subcutaneous fat is evenly distributed, while fast-growing chickens have greater skin smoothness and a whiter color. After woodland free-range chicken is cooked, the broth is transparent and clear, the fat gathers on the surface of the soup, and it has a fragrant aroma, while fast-growing chicken broth is more turbid and less fat gathers on the surface.

I believe everyone has some understanding now. There are many chickens on the market that contain certain hormones, so people are more willing to spend a little more money to buy free-range chickens, because free-range chickens are not only especially delicious, but also more nutritious, and most importantly, reassuring to eat!