Chicken Raising

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Chicken Raising

Chickens are probably the most popularanimals on the small farm since t,hey produceboth meat and eggs and contribute a valuablemanure to the compost pile. Rai ing chickenscan be especially economical if you can raiseyour own grain for feeding; and if allowed enough room and access to range they seldomsicken or have the diseases that plague com-mercial poultry-raisers who keep thousands ofbirds in close confinement.

Breeds: In general, you can buy eggbreeds, meat breeds and what art called gen-eral-purpose breeds. This means that the birdproduces a fair number of eggs per year andalso possesses a good configuration for meatproduction-large size, a broad breast andrapid growth.

Rhode Island Reds, and White, Barredand Plymouth Rocks are popular general-pur-pose breeds for the homestead. They are goodlayers, producing large brown eggs. Otherbreeds, such as Cochins/Light Brahmas andespecially Araucanas, ar popular because theyare good setters, a t ait bred out of manymodern birds. These irds also tend to be sea-sonal layers, so you ill get a large egg produc-tion in spring which{ will slacken off as the daysget shorter and th weather gets colder.

For most efficient egg production, buyWhite Legho s or Leghorn crosses. Theseare the bre s used by professional poultrymenand thei aying ability is exceeded only by theirdisintylest in setting their eggs. Since they arebr,d-for laying, cost per dozen eggs is low but.---reghorns make poor meat birds. Any chickswill have to be purchased or raised from fertileeggs in an incubator or under a banty that willset them.

For meat production, Cornish and Cornishcrosses are best. They reach a large size quickly,have white breasts, yellow skin and white pin-feathers which make them a good market bird.Egg production is low, however, and since theyeat more, cost per dozen eggs is high.

There are numerous other fancy andunique breeds which you might like to try onyour farm. You can also buy banties or ban-tams in many breeds. These are miniaturechickens, bred for small size from larger spe-cies. They are popular on the homesteadbecause they are good insect-catchers, don'ttake up much room and are fierce setters whowill even set eggs from nonbroody hens.

You can usually find a local hatchery thatstocks White Leghorns and perhaps some otherbreeds and will sell you a few chicks. Althoughyou can occasionally buy pullet and cockereltrios (two pullets and a cock) of more exoticbreeds from local poultry fanciers, the widestselection can be found in catalogs of mail-orderpoultry houses. Addresses of these concernsare available from most farm and poultrymagazines.

Starting: Probably the best way to startis with day-old chicks, bought mail-order orlocally. Chicks are sold in either straight-runor sexed batches. Straight-run means that youtake your chances on how many pullets versuscockerels you will be sent; but remember thatyou can always slaughter extra cocks or pulletsat the end of the summer when you select yourlayers and breeders for the next season.

The area for starting chicks should have1/2 square foot of space per bird. It should bedeeply littered—use a litter that will not raisea dust, such as peanut hulls, ground corncobsor peat moss. Straw is not a good litter forchicks. Cover the litter with newspaper for afew days; if you don't, the chicks will eat it.

A heat lamp should provide warmththe chicks; the temperature two inches athe floor should be 95°F. (35°C.). Temture can be regulated by raising and lowethe light. Provide a circular enclosure for Ix.chicks; they will pile up in the corners of a rectangular structure and smother if frightened.

Provide starter mash in small feeden.allowing one-inch-per-chick feeding space. Kefeeders constantly three-fourths full. A cons,supply of fresh water is a must; plastic cwaterers screwed on regular fruit jars areProvide two one-gallon waterers for evenchicks.

When the chicks arrive, dip the beaks a:each into the water and put them in the at-closure. Make sure they are all in good con&tion—hatcheries have different procedures farreporting losses and provide extra chicks zcover deaths en route.

Feeders and waterers should be wavierdaily. After the first few days, remove nitnewspaper from the litter and turn frequeA small night-light of 15 watts should be provided. Reduce the heat in the enclosure 5F.'(2.78C.°) each week until it reaches the outside temperature.

Chicks need a constant source of xFeed free-choice in feeders separate from the mash.

After a month, your chicks are ready mmove to larger quarters. Allow 3/4 square fairof space per bird. You can move the chicks ioa brooder house and can also allow them aeonsto the outside at this time. In the brockierhouse, provide roosts allowing at least foirinches of space per bird. A five-gallon watersfor each 100 chicks and three inches of feeding space per bird are necessary. Birds canfed a commercial or home-compounded/growing mash at this time.

At three months, move the layers and theIs you intend to keep into their perma-quarters. It is unprofitable to keep birdsd for meat longer than six months; thet of feed they eat compared to weight gain is too unbalanced.

Housing: If you are building a henhouse,.ber that the more room your chickensthe healthier they will be. A dozenns, enough to provide the average familyeggs for a year, can be kept in a building8 feet, but if you have thoughts about- -ing the size of your flock, build larger.a high spot so runoff water flows awaythe building.

A henhouse does not have to be fancy.- for small poultry houses are availableyour county agent or from the USDA.In any case, you can also remodel ang small building. Five-gallon bucketsto the wall can be used for nesting boxes - a wooden lip fastened to the front of thelaus:icet will prevent hens from rolling out eggsar scratching out nesting material. Commer-miziv made galvanized nesting boxes can also.ed, as can homemade 12-by-12-by-12-inchcrng boxes.

A roost will also be necessary. A single8 feet long, nailed to braces 18 inchesem one wall, should be enough for up to 20 hens.

The house should be well ventilated, but not drafty. Windows that open to the outsideen better since they do not take up space inside the house.

A deep layer of bedding is necessary ontip floor of the coop. Ground corncobs, leaves,fir/W, sawdust, or peat moss work well. Scatter whole grains on the litter and the chickens willetch for them, turning the litter and pickingat vitamins in the process. They will also eat fly eggs that might be laid in the litter.

Allow access to an outside run. Somepeople allow their chickens free range aroundthe farm, but this can make egg gathering achore since chickens will lay anywhere. Chick-ens will forage for insects but also like manygarden crops, including lettuce, tomatoes andstrawberries. You can protect these vegetableswith chicken wire.

Managing Layers: Chicks started in thespring will begin laying in the fall. Chickensneed 14 hours of light a day to encourage lay-ing. As days get shorter, you can continue tostimulate their laying by lighting the henhouseartificially. Cold weather is less of a problem.Chickens are hardy and cold resistant, althoughthey will eat more to maintain their body heat.Waterers need to be checked often so thatwater is never frozen. Gather eggs more fre-quently to make sure they don't freeze.

Commercial farms don't keep their layersa second year because it isn't profitable. Youmight want to keep those birds who are prolificlayers. Whatever chickens you do keep stbe separated from any new pullets you ayorder. In the spring, you should also pull anypoor producers and replace them-With newstock.

Feeding: You can feed commercial starter mash, growing mash,nd laying mash if youcan't grow your own. Make sure all such feedsare compoun d without medications or anti-biotics. might be cheaper for you to com-pound your own feed from whole grains pur-chased at the feed store. The formulas sug-gested below can be changed and altered bysubitituting what you have available.

A starter-growing mash should havd 17 to 20 percent protein. One formula would use 50 parts corn; 20 parts soybean meal; five parts each wheat, oats, fish meal, meat scraps; three parts each alfalfa meal, dried whey, nrewer's yeast; one part ground dolomitic limestone/

A layer-breeder mash for a flock withaccess to ranging, with 15 to 16 percent pro-tein: 50 parts ground corn; 20 parts soybeanmeal; ten parts each ground wheat, groundoats, alfalfa meal. Or substitute a good alfalfahay fed free-choice. You can use this formulaas a feed for finishing.

Chickens need a constant supply of grit,and layers need ground oyster shells to producehealthy, thick shells on their eggs. Feed bothfree-choice.

A constant supply of fresh water is anecessity. Empty fountains every day and cleanthem at least weekly.

Diseases: Most books on chickens listmany diseases to which the birds are prone.However, allowing plenty of room in thechicken house and access to range keeps chick-ens pretty healthy.

One problem you may encounter is canni-balism. This can be due to many causes—crowding, too much heat or light, boredom, baddiet. Cannibalism starts when one bird picksanother and draws blood, usually in the ventregion; the whole flock may join in and kill theaffected bird. Some chickens are sold debeakedto prevent cannibalism, and pine tar rubbed onthe affected area as soon as signs of cannibalismappear is quite effective. If you allow yourchickens to range and give them plenty of room,many causes of the problem disappear.

Other diseases are common to other formsof poultry as well. See also POULTRY.

Slaughtering: Your flock can be managedso that unwanted hens and roosters can beslaughtered for specific purposes. Medium heavy birds can be-klIled for fryers at eight toten weeks, broilers at 12 weeks, roasters atsix months. Older birds are used for stews or soups.

There are a number of ways to kill cens. You can use an axe, chop off the chickeehead, and allow it to run around or thrumabout under a bushel basket until it has bled radeath. A method that uses fewer bushel bask=is recommended to those who plan onpicking their birds. Hang the chicken upsidedown by a cord attached to its legs. With athin knife, slash the jugular vein at the siteof the head just on top of the neck. Insert inblade into the mouth and thrust through Meroof of the mouth to pierce the brain loca-.1in the back of the head. This method loosen,the feathers on the bird and makes them easier to pick.

You can also scald the bird. After killingdunk the bird in a large kettle of 126°F(52.22°C.) water for about 30 seconds. Becby pulling out wing and tail feathers, then st,on the breast and finally the legs. The fas,you work, the easier picking will be. You mi.01have to dunk the bird a second time to com-plete the job.

Dry-picking is said to produce a bermcarcass, although the quality of the bird shonot be affected if the scalding is done quickly.

Eviscerate, dry, chill, wrap, and freeze.

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