How many eggs does a free-range chicken lay in a year, and how can egg production be increased?
Eggs are a food rich in protein, amino acids and fat, and are also one of the foods people commonly eat; they are the ova laid by the hen, a type of poultry.So how many eggs does an ordinary free-range chicken lay in a year? How do you make it lay more eggs?
1. How many eggs does an ordinary free-range chicken lay in a year?
1. Free-range chickens differ from chickens raised in cages; their meat is more flavorful and more nutritious, and both their meat and eggs are green, pollution-free foods. Generally, free-range chickens reach sexual maturity later and are greatly affected by the season: free-range chickens raised in spring reach sexual maturity early, while those raised in autumn start laying late. Each year, spring and autumn are the periods when free-range chickens have a higher laying rate, and the annual egg production is usually 100-130 eggs.
2. At present, the free-range chicken breeds that are raised in greater numbers on the market and have higher laying rates include Gushi free-range chicken, Atucai free-range chicken, Yifeng free-range chicken, Quanlin free-range chicken, and so on. You can choose the most suitable breed according to your different needs.
2. How do you make free-range chickens lay more eggs?
Besides selling the meat, selling eggs is also one of the sources of income from free-range chickens, so how to make them lay more eggs is also one of the concerns of farmers. Below are some management points for the reference of farmers.
1. Increase the nutritional content of the hens' feed
Scientific feed formulation and increasing the protein content of the feed are important measures for raising the egg production of free-range chickens. So generally, farmers with the means to do so feed each chicken 105-110 grams of feed per day when the laying rate is 50-60%; when the laying rate is above 80%, the chickens should be allowed to eat without limit. You can let the chickens eat without limit: feed them a little in the morning and let them range freely in the hills and woodlands to feed themselves; at noon, provide plenty of feed and water in a shaded shed; when the sun sets, bring the chickens back to the coop and feed them until they are full.
A recommended feed formula is: cornmeal 62, wheat flour 17, soybean cake meal 12, fish meal 4, talcum powder 1, shell powder 2.6, auxin 0.5, multivitamin 0.5, salt 0.4. You can also buy concentrated feed from a feed manufacturer and mix it with corn at a ratio of 4:6.
2. Create a suitable raising environment
Free-range chickens at 15-25°C will not have their laying performance affected. In summer, prevent heatstroke and cool them down, maintain good hygiene, and provide plenty of drinking water; in winter, keep them warm and protect them from the cold, and do not let them drink cold water. Light should reach 14-16 hours per day, with a brightness of 10 watts per square meter. The raising environment should be kept quiet, and in particular, disturbances by birds and animals should be prevented. In addition, prepare at least 1 laying nest for every 5 chickens to avoid fighting over nests.
3. Regularly observe the condition of the flock
For the flock being raised, regularly observe their eating, drinking, egg laying, droppings and other conditions, promptly isolate and treat chickens that show signs of illness, and cull chickens that have passed one laying year or their second laying year and sell them as meat chickens.
Having introduced all this, the most important thing is still to increase the nutritional content of the flock's feed and create a good raising environment. Farmers can use the above content as a reference.