Purposful Poultry
How to pick the best bird for the job, be it for eggs, meat or both.
Pick the best bird for the job, be it for eggs, meat or both.
Whether you keep chickens for pleasure or for profit, chances are you use or sell their yummy eggs. Raising chickens for meat is a sure way to know exactly what does — and does not — go into your bird before it reaches your table; you’ll know the donors were handled humanely and exactly how their eggs or flesh was processed. Homegrown poultry and eggs are infinitely fresher and tastier than anything you can buy in a store, and producing wholesome, farm-fresh meat and eggs is cost-effective and relatively easy. Want to try? Here’s how.
GETTING THE BEST EGGS
Getting the best eggs for your purposes means choosing the right breed for your purposes. You then must make sure you’re providing the hens with the best possible diet and living conditions. You need to understand what factors affect egg laying and how to circumvent possible problems.
THE RIGHT HEN FOR THE JOB
Among production poultry breeds, you could say that Leghorns are the queens of the henhouse; they lay early and often. Their compact, wiry bodies put everything they have into laying eggs. Yet they’re not many smallflock keepers’ first choice.
Leghorns are noisy and flighty, and if you eat your spent hens, there’s not much stewed chicken on those bones when a Leghorn’s laying days are through.
A slightly more substantial layer is the Red Star sex-link hen, a reddish brown bird accented with flecks of white. The product of a Rhode Island Red rooster and a Leghorn hen, the Red Star sex-link lays handsome brown eggs and is far less flaky than a Leghorn. Another benefit: pullets are red and cockerels are white, so you can tell hatchlings apart — hence the “sex-link” part of the name.
A close cousin is the gold-accented Black Star sex-link hen (cockerels are black with white barring), whose mama was a Plymouth Rock and daddy was a Rhode Island Red. The Black Star lays bigger eggs, though slightly fewer, than the Red Star. Like the Red Star, she can be pretty easygoing.
Old-time layers and dual-purpose chickens, such as Brahmas, Dominiques, Cochins and Wyandottes, have a place in today’s henhouse, too. They begin laying later and don’t lay as
many eggs, but they keep it up longer than production-breed hens.
Bantams for eggs? Sure, why not? Bantam eggs are tiny — smaller than peewee eggs from the store! But fanciers claim they’re the tastiest of all hens’ eggs, and bantam layers require very little feed and space.
Though color is purely a matter of aesthetics, not taste, if you plan to sell extra eggs when you start your flock, choose a breed that lays the color most popular in your locale (see “Pick a Color” at right).
EGG-LAYING TIMETABLE
When your home-raised pullets are six weeks old and ready to leave the brooder, move them to their own safe haven, away from aggressive older chickens. Switch their feed to a 15 to 16 percent protein grower ration and optional supplements such as “big girl” scratch and greens. Don’t forget to set out a free-choice grit container.
Around 20 weeks of age, upgrade to a 16 to 18 percent layer ration and add calcium-boosting, free-choice oyster shell alongside their grit. Never let feeders or waterers run dry. Keeping fresh drinking water in front of your hens is a must! Even a few hours without water affects their lay. If your hens are super-layers, such as Black or Red Star sex-links, or from fastmaturing production Leghorn strains, they’ll begin laying between 20 and 24 weeks of age.
A pullet’s first eggs will be teensy treasures. New layers rarely grasp the concept of nest boxes, so you’ll find eggs wherever they land. Tuck an artificial egg, such as a wooden or marble one, a sand-filled plastic Easter egg or a golf ball, in each nest. Pretty soon your hens will understand and begin laying in the nesting boxes.
By week 32, most hens will be up to form. They’ll continue laying full bore for at least two years and can continue laying for up to 12 years. As they age, hens’ eggs will increase in size but decrease in number.
Remember that hens don’t lay while brooding or raising chickies, and they may stop laying as winter days grow short. Hens require 14 hours of daylight to keep producing, so in northern climes, lighting the henhouse is an absolute must. Add extra hours of light pre-sunrise so your chickens will naturally go to roost at dusk. Use a timer so you don’t forget; it’s important to be consistent. Just one or two days without additional lighting can throw their production out of whack. Or give your hens a winter break; they’ll ultimately last longer if you do.
Each year, your girls will molt; they’ll shed and regrow their feathers a few at a time. Molting generally begins as summer winds down and extends for 12 to 18 weeks, through early fall. A fast molt is a fine chicken trait indeed, because egg production slows or ceases as Ms. Hen molts. The sooner she’s finished, the sooner she’ll lay.
Stressed hens lay fewer eggs. A whole passel of things can stress chickens: extreme heat or cold, fright (don’t let kids, pets or predators harass them), illness, parasites, adding new chickens to the flock or taking away familiar friends. Business as usual keeps stress down and is good for laying. Strive for peace and serenity in the henhouse if you love fresh eggs.
WHO’S BEEN EATING MY EGGS?
Everyone loves fresh eggs. Even hens. Egg eating begins innocently enough, when an egg is accidentally cracked or shattered and a curious hen takes a nibble. Mmm-mmm, good! She keeps her eyes peeled for more golden goodness, and when she tucks in, her sisters’ curiosity is piqued. They sample, too. Yummy! One fine day, someone notices that if you peck really hard, you can sometimes serve yourself. Pretty soon, your flock is eating more eggs than you are.
WHAT TO DO?
Revamp your coop’s nesting area. Provide more nests for the flock so there is less traffic and, ultimately, fewer broken eggs. After all, a single broken egg can trigger this hard-to-zap habit. Relocate nesting boxes away from the fast lane. Install them at least 24 inches from the floor in a secluded corner of the coop. Keep plenty of clean, cushiony litter in each box. Protective padding saves eggs. Ban broodies from the henhouse. They’re happier off by themselves, and the nest they’re setting in is one less for the rest of the hens to use, resulting in higher traffic in the remaining cubicles. Strive for stronger shells. Feed highcalcium commercial layer ration with oyster shell served up free-choice.
Pulverize egg shells to feed to your hens. They’re a dandy source of calcium, and getting used to the taste won’t give a hen that “Ah-ha!” moment when she realizes she’s dining on egg. Stressed chickens pick. Keep everything in your hens’ environment as low-key as you possibly can. Avoid changes in their daily routine, and never let them run out of fresh feed and water. Don’t introduce new chickens to an established laying flock, which triggers changes in social order. Keep your chickens reasonably cool in July and warm in February. Avoid overcrowding and always handle laying hens in a quiet, compassionate manner. Don’t push hens roughly out of nest boxes when collecting eggs. If a hen breaks eggs as she hastily retreats, clean up the mess right away. Identify culprits and cull them to pet homes — or even the stew pot. You’ll know them by the dried yolk remnants decorating their beaks and heads. Don’t assume your hens are noshing all those eggs. Predators such as skunks, opossums and the occasional snake fancy chicken eggs, too.
TASTY CHICKEN
If you want to grow a lot of tasty chickens in a short time, start with meat-breed chicks. Chicken-raising newbies who spring for lowpriced Leghorn cockerels will be disappointed. Bred for laying eggs, not for making meat, light breed chickens guzzle twice the feed and never flesh out to prime eating size.
SUPER OR DUAL-PURPOSE BIRDS
Super-broilers convert feed to flesh at lightning speed. They take eight to 12 weeks from hatch to slaughter at 4 to 5 pounds live weight, or they can be slaughtered earlier (at five to six weeks as Cornish game hens) or later (at 12 to 20 weeks and 6 to 8 pounds live weight) if the raiser prefers birds of a different size.
Old-fashioned dual-purpose breed chickens make for delicious eating, too, but they mature slower and demand more feed for each pound of weight they pack onto their sturdy frames. Old standbys, such as Rhode Island Reds, White Rocks and New Hampshires, need 12 to 16 weeks to grow to broiler size, but their slower-growing ways spare them the health and structural problems that super-broilers experience during their far-shorter lives.
Old-fashioned breeds are more flavorful, too. In addition, if you’re licensed to sell dressed birds, meat from most old breeds can be labeled heritage chicken.
Most super-broilers and popular dual-purpose breeds are yellow-skinned, white-feathered chickens, simply because that’s the kind of bird Americans prefer. Brown and black semi-superbroilers can be ordered from large hatcheries.
They’re more active than white Cornish-rocks and they bloom a smidge more slowly, but like dual-purpose breed broilers, they’re less susceptible to the structural problems that plague their faster-maturing kin.
BROILER’S TIMETABLE & REQUIREMENTS
Whichever type you prefer, you must feed your meat peeps 20–22 percent protein broiler starter. Lower-protein products simply won’t do. Check with your feed store before chicks arrive because they may not keep broiler feeds in stock. Figure 100 pounds of starter per 25 chicks.
When your chicks leave the brooder at roughly six weeks old, switch to broiler finisher. They’ll remain on this ration until they’re slaughtered.
Most folks raise broilers indoors, allowing 2 square feet of floor space between 6 and 10 weeks of age, then 3 square feet until slaughter. Continuous, ultra-low lighting encourages nighttime noshing, which is especially important during sizzling summer climates. Some raisers limit feed intake, others keep feed in front of their birds all the time. Whichever method you choose, make sure that plenty of clean, cool water is available. Adding a vitamin-electrolyte product to their drinking water is a wise idea, too.
BROILER DON’TS
Unfortunately, astronomical weight gain comes at a hefty price to health. Cornishrock broilers’ broad-chested, meaty bodies mature faster than their skeletal structures can support them. Crippled legs and crooked breastbones are the norm with broilers.
Lame birds crouch to ease pain, and they develop breast blisters. Super-broilers are also prone to heart attacks. For best results with swift-maturing meat birds, heed these ploys: Stir litter often; keep it fluffy and dry. Crouching on hard-packed litter irritates broilers’ keel bones. It’s a major cause of breast blisters. Don’t give meat chickens roosts; as they hop to the floor after roosting, they’ll damage their legs. Pressing against these hard objects causes breast blisters, too. Remove anything in their environment that they could leap up on: rocks, boards, doors, ledges, protrusions of any sort. Don’t capture or carry meat fowl by their legs. Don’t startle or chase these injury-prone fowl. Keep surprises down to a minimum. Broiler stampedes equal torn muscles, slipped joints and heart attacks. Remove lame chickens from the flock. Lodge them in separate quarters with easy access to food and water. Many will recover within a week. To prevent needless suffering, cull any birds who don’t.
MAKING MEAT DOWN ON THE FARM
Butcher all of your broiler chickens at the same time or create a continuous home supply by starting a new brood when the first is four weeks old, then slaughtering one-fourth of the older group at intervals of seven, eight, nine and 10 weeks of age. Process roasters at 6 to 8 pounds of live weight. Don’t carry them much beyond that. The older they get, the less efficiently they convert feed to meat.
If you’ve never processed chickens before, have someone show you how. The process isn’t tricky, but it should be done with precision. Second-best, print or download a heavily illustrated university publication and follow its instructions to the letter. ■
Sue Weaver has written hundreds of articles, including those for Hobby Farms magazine and Chickens magazine, and nine books about livestock and poultry. She lives on a small farm in Arkansas, where she cares for sheep, goats, horses and, of course, chickens.