To raise egg-laying chickens, one must understand their habits. The physiological traits of chickens include the following points:

     (1) Chickens are easily frightened and have poor resistance to threats. Sudden noises inside or outside the chicken coop, or the presence of cats, mice, snakes, and other creatures can easily trigger a 'stress response' in the flock, affecting their production performance. Therefore, it's essential to maintain a quiet environment for raising them.

     (2) Chickens undergo age-related molting rather than seasonal molting: Chicks lose their fluff and grow wing feathers, but only show occasional feather loss before they start laying eggs. Chickens do not molt during the same year, but they will molt the following year. The natural molting period is 80-100 days, and farmers should implement forced molting during this time to shorten the egg-laying hiatus.

     (3) Chicks are sensitive to cold while adult chickens are sensitive to heat: Newly hatched chicks have poor insulation abilities and their normal body temperature is lower than that of adult chickens by 3°C. Hence, during colder periods, chicks tend to huddle for warmth, and proper heating measures for brooders must be taken. As they mature, their body temperature stabilizes and they are covered in feathers with no sweat glands, making adult chickens sensitive to heat, which requires measures to prevent overheating. Also, since the normal body temperature of chickens is higher than that of pigs and cows, diseases are less likely to spread between them.

     (4) Chickens are very sensitive to light: If there is no light in the chicken coop, they stop eating. Therefore, feed control during the growing period must be coordinated with light control to prevent overweight chickens. Starting from the beginning of egg-laying, the light exposure time should gradually be increased to stimulate the brain's pituitary gland and promote ovarian function, benefiting the egg-laying rate. However, both light control and supplementation must be planned carefully and should not be chaotic; using strong light stimuli is counterproductive.

     (5) The specific nature of chicken digestion: Chickens lack teeth and a soft palate, hence they tilt their heads back to eat feed and drink water. Therefore, feed troughs and water troughs should be set up properly to prevent overflow. Digestion relies on the strong contractions of the gizzard to crush food, so sand particles should be regularly supplemented. The intestinal contents of chickens are slightly acidic, which is conducive to the reproduction of beneficial microorganisms; thus, feed should be protected from mold and decay, which would inhibit proper digestion and absorption. Feed remains in the chicken's body for a short period, and combined with the beneficial effects of microorganisms in the intestine, chicken manure protein content actually exceeds that of the original feed.