Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 9: Tips for the Newbies Chicken Breeder
The goals of poultry farming
Going into poultry farming either as a hobby or as a business means that you have decisions
to make about whether you are going to be primarily in the egg production business or the
hatchery business or other facets of the poultry farming industry. Some individuals go into
poultry farming simply because they want to have fresh eggs available that they know come
from a healthy clean environment. Others are interested in raising chicks to sell. No matter
what the goal is if you are going to be in the poultry farming business you will need to know
all the different aspects of taking care of chickens.
Making a budget plan
It is important to make a budget plan for any venture such as raising chickens either as a
backyard venture or as a commercial business. The amount of the budget and capital de-
pends on the size of the venture. Even a backyard poultry business will require a minimum
of several hundred dollars up to $10,000 depending on the size of the flock and the size of
the business. Estimate veterinarian care into your expenses which can run up to $100 plus
per visit. Breeding chickens to sell either fertile eggs or day old chicks can be lucrative but
does require time, planning and investment.
Feed expense
The cost of feeding chickens is relative to the size of the flock. It is estimated that to feed
four chickens it will cost approximately $20.00 per month in chicken feed. Supplemental vit-
amins and other products will increase the cost. If you are operating a backyard type poultry
farm you can use clean household food scraps as part of the feed. An adult six pound hen
will eat approximately three pounds of chicken feed per week.
Water systems
It is essential that chickens have fresh clean water available to them at all times. With young
chicks especially the water needs to be from a device that prevents drowning. There are
a variety of different watering devices and systems to accommodate different budgets and
types of poultry businesses. Commercial systems use circulating water systems with a filter.
Waste management
Chicken areas and coops must be kept clean of chicken manure. An average chicken around
four pounds produce on average a .0035 cubic feet of manure each day. It is recommended
that chicken coops be cleaned once a week or twice a week. Chicken manure can be used in
compost piles though to keep odor and flies down. The moisture level should be reduced to
eliminate problems.
