Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
a light to the coop to extend the day length by a few hours. Egg production will begin to
decline in a few years, at which point it's a good idea to expand the flock.
One or more of your hens may become broody in the spring—she'll remain sitting in the
nest box all day rather than hopping out to forage after laying her eggs.
A broody hen is
your chance to expand the flock.
Simply move the broody hen and her eggs to a separate
cage where she won't be disturbed by the rest of the flock, place ten clean, fertilized eggs
in her nest, and let the hen do her job. The hen should stay on her nest all day, leaving it
only for a minute or two to drink water and eat. In about 21 days, the eggs will begin to
hatch. Let the chicks stay with their mother in a small run for the first six weeks of their
life, then move them in with the rest of your flock.
Once your new chicks begin to lay, you'll probably begin eying the old hens askance.
They may only be laying an egg per hen every other day or every three days now—not
worth the money you spend on their feed. It's time to cull the old hens and any new young
roosters from the flock and put them on the table. The companion topic and video "Eating
the Working Chicken" is your guide to killing and eating your non-productive chickens.
