How to Raise Chickens
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JBSlemmer.com         How to Raise Chickens
The best guide to practical information that you'll use every day!
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How to Raise Chickens
The best guide to practical information that you'll use every day!
Home Up Handling eggs

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How to Raise Chickens
The best guide to practical information that you'll use every day!
Home Up Handling eggs

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Job resources    Website design resources 

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Chicken information

Below on this page:

Related pages:

Suppliers

Types of chickens

 


Management of Egg Producing Hens

(source: http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_care.html )

The housing and management of layer hens can be carried out using one of two methods, caged layer production or floor production. Use of either method can keep the hens in production throughout the year if proper environmental and nutritional needs are met.

The poultry house should be located away from other farm structures. The ground should allow good water drainage. Adequate light fixtures are needed to provide proper light intensity. Adequate light is present if the water and feed levels in the troughs can be seen after allowing enough time for your eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Fresh, clean water should be available at all times.

The house should allow for plenty of ventilation and sunlight. Place 1 inch, poultry wire netting over all openings to separate the hens from other birds and animals, both wild and domestic. Removable curtains or doors are recommended so the openings can be opened or closed as the weather changes. Keep the house dry and comfortable by ventilating from all sides in the summer and closing most openings in winter.

The caged layer production method consists of placing the hens in wire cages with feed and water being provided to each cage. The birds are housed at a capacity of two to three hens in each cage, which measures approximately 12"x16"18". The cages are arranged in rows which are placed on leg supports or suspended from the ceiling so the floors of the cages are about 2 to 3 feet above the ground. Water is supplied by individual cup waterers or a long trough outside the cages that extends the length of the row of cages. The feed trough is also located outside the cages and runs parallel to the water trough on the opposite side of each cage. The cages are designed so the eggs will roll out of the cage to a holding area by means of a slanted wire floor. This method of housing is used primarily with egg-type layers kept for infertile egg production.

The floor production method is designed for either egg-type or broiler-type birds kept for fertile or infertile eggs. In commercial flocks this method is used when fertile eggs for hatching are needed. The birds are maintained in the house on a litter covered floor, giving the term floor production.

One nest 14 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 16 inches deep is needed for each four hens. A mash hopper 5 feet long and open on both sides is adequate for 25 hens. Three 3-gallon pans provide adequate watering space for 30 hens. Clean, scrub and disinfect the house and equipment thoroughly before placing the pullets in the laying house after it has dried. Put 3 inches of litter material in the nests and 4 to 6 inches of litter on the floor.

Regardless of which production method is used, the 22-week old pullets should be given an increasing daily light schedule after being placed in the laying house. The length of daily light should be increased 15 minutes each week after the birds enter the laying house. The increased light will stimulate egg production and help maintain production throughout the year. The day length increases should continue until the birds are receiving 16-18 hours of light each day. The day length should remain the same for the rest of the laying period. After the birds begin to produce eggs, the total duration of light, including both natural and artificial, should not be reduced.

The birds should be fed a nutritionally balanced commercial laying mash containing 16 percent protein. Use a special breeder ration if the eggs are being saved for hatching purposes. These breeder diets contain higher levels of vitamins that help produce higher hatchability and healthier chicks. Poultry older than 16-18 weeks do not require a ration containing a coccidiostat unless a coccidiosis outbreak occurs. If a commercially produced layer ration is provided, additional oyster shell, grit or grain is not needed.

Broodiness is often a problem in floor production housing. It is characterized by a hen wanting to build a permanent nest and begin "setting." The problem can be solved by removing the hen from the flock and placing her in a wire-floored cage for 3 to 4 days. Ample feed and water should be supplied to the affected hen. The hen can then usually be returned to the flock with no further problem. The treatment can be repeated if the hen continues to be broody.

Additional information for managing the egg flock for maximum productivity is found in The Home Flock and Culling Hens.


Chicken Feed Information

Based on: http://www.poultryhelp.com/ourfeed.html

All birds are fed "free choice".  This means that food is available to them at all times and they eat what they want.  Chickens will not over-eat like some pets and livestock will. According to Evergreen Feed Mill's feed sack labels, they indicate an appropriate daily quantity of layer ration is 3.5 ounces per bird or 22 pounds per 100 birds. READ your feed labels.

Feed available at most neighborhood feed stores is locally produced and there are thousands of local feed mills, so don't be too concerned with "brand names".  Check the ingredient labels of the feeds locally available to you. 

Click on the feed name (below) to see the labels showing Guaranteed Analysis, Ingredients, and Feeding Directions for Evergreen brand feed sacks.
 


 

 
COST PER 50 lb BAG
 
FEED PROTEIN CONTENT 06/29/02
 
03/01/04 03/18/05
 
Chick Starter/Grower 20% $7.00 $8.30 $7.75
 
Layer Crumbles 15% $5.85 $7.25 $6.70
 
Layer Pellets 15% $5.85 $7.25 $6.70
 
Gamebird Starter/Grower 28.5% $8.60 $10.60 $9.10
 
Hen Scratch 9% $4.80 $5.95 $5.70
 
Vitamins/Electrolytes n/a (8 oz package)
$4.25
 
$4.75 $3.85
 
     21 February 2005 (NICE to see prices drop for a change!!)

 

Chicks:

First week: gamebird starter crumbles - 28% - 30% protein
2nd week until 4 ½ months (or first egg) - Medicated chick starter - 20% protein

We feed all our newly hatched babies (chicks, keets, poults and quail) medicated gamebird starter for the first week because it has extra protein to get the babies off to a good start.  With chicks, we switch to medicated Chick Starter after the first week.  This contains Amprolium to prevent and build immunity to Coccidiosis, which is a common illness that chicks are susceptible to.  They stay on this feed until they're about 4 months old or they lay the first egg, whichever comes first.  Many people switch from chick starter to grower ration at 5 weeks, but our local feed stores don't carry it, and the chick starter we use is formulated to incorporate the grower ingredients.

Chickens and Bantams:

At about 4-5 months of age (or when they lay the first egg), we switch them to a complete layer ration which includes the extra calcium necessary for good egg shell production.  Most Layer Rations are formulated to include all the calcium needed, so there's really no need to feed oyster shell separately, but it certainly doesn't hurt to provide a small container in the chickens' pen to allow them to get more if they decide they need it.

Our Bantam breeds are fed Layer Crumbles and Large breeds get Layer Pellets.  This helps cut down on waste.  Crumbles strewn around while feeding get mixed with dirt or litter and are wasted, while pellets can still be detected and eaten if dropped on the floor.  However the pellets are too large for many of the smaller bantam breeds to swallow.

Hen Scratch:

Regardless of what some old farmers may tell you, hen scratch is NOT sufficient as the only feed source for any poultry.  We throw out a couple of scoops of hen scratch (about 3 pounds) in front of the barn for our free range Barred Rock flock and Beavis and Butthead, our pet turkeys, to keep them busy.  It's a good idea to provide more hen scratch during the winter months, since the carbohydrates it provides will develop more "fat" and help them to better withstand the cold.

Never mix hen scratch together in the same feeder with prepared poultry ration.  The birds will instinctively dig through the layer ration looking for the scratch grains and waste the expensive stuff!  They're just like kids, they don't know what's good for them.

Vitamins/Electrolytes:

We add vitamins/electrolytes to the drinking water about 3 times per week when the high temperatures climb much over 90° f. in the summer.  We use it daily if the temp gets over 100° f.  It helps keep all the birds from becoming dehydrated in the extremely hot weather we have here some summers.  It has hit 112° a couple of times.

Vitamins/Electrolytes also give birds that aren't 'acting right' a little boost to overcome stress or an illness.

How We Feed:

Cages (Bantam breeders and Quail):

We have installed "through the cage" feeders on all our bantam breeder cages.  It makes it easy to feed them because we don't have to open the cage to fill the feeders.  They can be filled from the outside.  On our Quail cages, we use 18 inch trough feeders manufactured by GQF that hang on the outside of the cage and the quail can put their heads through the cage wire to eat.

Barn Pens (chickens, guineas, pheasants and Peafowl):

We use hanging feeders that hold 40-50 pounds of feed so the feeders only need to be filled about once a week.  We hang the feeders so that the feed trough is at the height of the chickens' back. This way, they can eat without a problem, but the feeder is too high for them to scratch feed out on the floor of the pen and waste it.

Free Range Layers:

We have a feeder in the pen for our free range flock which contains Layer Ration Pellets.  We also throw out about two or three (gallon sized) scoops of hen scratch grains in front of the barn to keep the birds occupied during the day.  We increase the amount during the colder winter months.  They also have access to grass and whatever bugs (grasshoppers, crickets, etc.) they can find during the day. They will spend hours chasing and fighting over an elusive grasshopper (or field mouse!).

Treats:

Keep the treats to a minimum.  Under no conditions should "treats" make up more than 10% of their nutritional intake. When we have kitchen scraps available, we share them among out breeders.  Carrot scrapings, fruit peels, tomato leftovers, lettuce, celery tops, watermelon and cantaloupe rinds, stale bread or biscuits all get gobbled up in short order.  When we mow the lawn, we rake up the grass clippings and throw some in each pen in the barn.  The birds love the fresh greens.

We also sometimes buy mealworms at WalMart (sold as fish bait in their sporting goods dept).  The birds will fight over mealworms!  You can also start your own worm farm growing earthworms or mealworms.  See the Chicken Feed & Nutrition Help page for earth worm or meal worm sources to get you started.


Pests, Insects and Treatments for Poultry Parasites

External parasites on poultry are a common problem in small flocks of birds. They often come in contact with the parasites or their eggs while foraging for food. The problems are less frequently encountered in commercial poultry flocks but treatments may also need implementing in these flocks. Several pesticides provide excellent protection against parasites. The product used and the method of administration is dependent on the parasite and type of housing conditions being used. A description of the most commonly encountered parasites can be found in the parasite section of Diseases of Poultry.

A listing of the most effective pesticides are shown in Pesticides Used for Control of Poultry Insect Pests.

 


All images and text © Copyright J Slemmer 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
email me

Other great web sites: 1. Fitness and exercise information     3. Environment, health and safety Information     4. Where to find a pick-your-own farm    5. Find Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, Hayrides and More     6. Find choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms, precut trees, etc.     8. Free resources to start your own website business.  Chastain Park:  Looking for Chastain Park Concert tickets or directions?  Click here 


All images and text © Copyright J Slemmer 2000 - 2019
email me

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Other great web sites: 1. Fitness and exercise information     3. Environment, health and safety Information     4. Where to find a pick-your-own farm    5. Find Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, Hayrides and More     6. Find choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms, precut trees, etc.     8. Free resources to start your own website business.  Chastain Park:  Looking for Chastain Park Concert tickets or directions?  Click here 


All images and text © Copyright J Slemmer 2000 - 2019
email me

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Other great web sites: 1. Fitness and exercise information     3. Environment, health and safety Information     4. Where to find a pick-your-own farm    5. Find Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, Hayrides and More     6. Find choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms, precut trees, etc.     8. Free resources to start your own website business.  Chastain Park:  Looking for Chastain Park Concert tickets or directions?  Click here 


All images and text © Copyright J Slemmer 2000 - 2019
email me

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Other great web sites: 1. Fitness and exercise information     3. Environment, health and safety Information     4. Where to find a pick-your-own farm    5. Find Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, Hayrides and More     6. Find choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms, precut trees, etc.     8. Free resources to start your own website business.  Chastain Park:  Looking for Chastain Park Concert tickets or directions?  Click here 


All images and text © Copyright J Slemmer 2000 - 2019
email me

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Other great web sites: 1. Fitness and exercise information     3. Environment, health and safety Information     4. Where to find a pick-your-own farm    5. Find Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, Hayrides and More     6. Find choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms, precut trees, etc.     8. Free resources to start your own website business.  Chastain Park:  Looking for Chastain Park Concert tickets or directions?  Click here