By Lynette Simango
Winter can be a scary time and as backyard poultry farmers you might be wondering how your chickens are keeping warm. You can’t connect a heater because electricity is now costly. The least you can do is buy charcoal and use mbaura to warm them up but this needs close monitoring and with the cold you would also want to get indoors and as well so here is what you can do
- As a farmer you need to put a nice thick layer of straw on the floor of your fowlrun, and close some large openings with a cloth, plastics or tsaga bags especially during the night. However, you must remember to leave some small openings for ventilation as this allow moisture to escape.
- Depending on the kind of flooring you have, roosting helps chickens keep warm by getting them up off the floor. A prudent farmer will construct a roost where the chickens can hurdle together and keep each other warm.
- Don’t keep them locked up all day especially if it’s free-range. Let them go out, enjoy the sun and also get some fresh air.
- Don’t leave water inside the fowrun as it just causes moisture and dampness.
Ways of keeping chickens warm are not only limited to the above points. Feel free to tell us how you are also doing it this winter. Remember we learn from each other as we grow😎.
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