Peloquin Homestead

Caring for chickens

Optimal conditions
For normal wintering, chickens need warmth (from +10 to +18 degrees Celsius), long daylight hours (12–14 hours), enhanced nutrition, and a well-ventilated, not damp, and fairly spacious chicken coop (one chicken per square meter).

Heating
The best heater for a chicken coop is a convector with an electronic thermostat: it allows you to set the right temperature and save electricity. The recommended power is 1 kW per 10 sq.m of chicken coop.

Lighting
It is optimal for daylight to last 14 hours. It is enough to turn on the light twice a day: in the morning – from 6 to 9 o’clock; in the evening – from 18 to 21 o’clock. It is necessary that the lighting is not too bright. Domestic chickens respond best to infrared lamps in winter but prefer to lay eggs in dark corners. This is where nests should be built.

Feeding
Domestic hens should receive mash twice a day in winter, and it is recommended to give grain at night. You cannot replace water with snow in winter – laying hens must drink. And you cannot overfeed hens – obesity reduces egg production.