Chickens have beaks...make sure your chickens don't have overgrown beaks
Preventions'
Preventing beak and nail trimming is quite simple. Let your chickens have access to something rough such as some cement, or wood, or brick. Then when a chicken scratches on one of those surfaces, the nail or beak will be worn. Ever had your chicken do the cute act of rubbing their beak on you? They'll also do this to the hard surface which will prevent the beak from overgrowing. When it comes to spurs it really depends on the breed and age. An Old English game rooster would grow much larger spurs then a cochin rooster, in the same way a 5 year old rooster will have larger spurs then a 8 month old rooster. There's really no"Sure fire ways" to keep a rooster's spurs from growing or naturally keep them down, but there are a few ways to keep them temporarily down. When it comes down to combs there aren't really any ways to keep them from growing other then getting a pea combed bird for cold climates.
Actions
Lets start with nail clipping. Maybe your chicken has overgrown nails, or you're showing them and may want them a bit shorter. Regardless of the reasons, here's the steps.
Grasp your chicken's legs firmly.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjAibqj8CXM
Knowing what info you need
To know whether you can legally keep chickens, first you need to know what the zoning of your property is. Then you need to know whether any special regulations in that zoning district affect either chicken-keeping or building chicken housing.
Some common zoning areas are agricultural, residential, and business. There may be subcategories such as “single-family” residential or “suburban farms.” Here’s what those categories generally mean for you:
✓ If the zoning is listed as agricultural, you can probably raise chickens without a problem. With this type of zoning you’ll probably find a notice about the Right to Farm bill on your paperwork also. The Right to Farm bill states that any recognized, legal methods of farming can exist or begin at any time in that zone.
✓ If the zoning is listed as residential, residential/agriculture, or some other type of zoning, or if you rent or lease your home, you’ll need to determine just what is allowed. And your landlord may have restrictions in the lease against pets or livestock, so read your lease or talk to your landlord.
If you have lived in your home for several years and have never raised livestock or chickens, you may want to check the zoning with your township because zoning can change over time.
When you have found your zoning, you can ask your government officials what laws there are regarding keeping animals and erecting sheds or other kinds of animal housing in your zone. There are two types of laws and ordinances that you need to be concerned about before you begin to raise chickens:
✓ Laws concerning the ownership of animals at your home location: There may be restrictions on the number of birds, the sex of birds, and where on the property chicken coops can be located. In some areas, the amount of property one has and your closeness to neighbors may determine whether you can keep birds and, if so, how many. Your neighbor may own five acres and be allowed to keep chickens, but on y
POULTRY FARMERS: LEARN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF 'LOOK, LISTEN & SMELL' FOR BETTER POULTRY MANAGEMENT
According to expert Bruce Gibson, the three golden rules for broiler house management are look, listen and smell. This week Lloyd Phillips reports on the importance of close observation.
A) LOOK
Good broiler management will ensure better feed conversion ratio, body weight and ‘liveability’ at slaughter age. Constant, close observation is one way a broiler manager can ensure the chickens are comfortable, says poultry expert Bruce Gibson.
#Early environment
Brooding, or the heating of the chicks for their first 21 days in the broiler house, is important. Bruce advises managers to make sure the chicks don’t have to compete for space under the gas or electric brooders. “Incorrect brooding results in the stronger chicks forcing weaker chicks away from the heat source,” says Bruce. “These weaker chicks are then likely to remain stunted in their growth for the rest of the growing period.”
This is because they have to convert feed into body heat to try and stay warm. Chicks may also die, or injure themselves or other chicks, as they climb over each other to try and get closer to the heat source, adds Bruce. Broiler chicks should not have to huddle tightly together under brooders, because if the chicks in the middle of the huddle get too warm they won’t be able to move away to a cooler spot.
#Chick comfort
If the temperature is comfortable for stronger and weaker chicks, competition is reduced and size and weight uniformity across the flock improves. “Chicks in a broiler house should be free to move and to find their temperature comfort zone,” explains Bruce. Chicks under 21 days old hate cold draughts. And many broiler managers new to the business won’t realise a draught is bothering their broiler chicks unless they have learnt to observe the chicks’ behaviour, he adds.
Bruce says that if a large section of floor space is clear, there’s likely to be a draught,
How Much Water Do Hens Need?
Chickens need constant access to fresh, clean water as well as feed. You should never limit their access to water or restrict it in any way. If chickens have inconsistent access to clean water, they won't lay as well, eat as well or grow as fast.
On average, each full-grown laying hen will drink about a pint of water a day. But this can vary widely, with the amount increasing to about a quart of water in hot weather. Meat birds may require even more water than this due to their quick metabolism that helps them grow quickly.
Hatching Eggs
You can either buy fertilized eggs or let your flock produce their own. In order to have eggs that will hatch into chicks, you must have a rooster in your flock. This may or may not be suitable for your location given their habit of crowing and aggressive behavior. But without a rooster, none of your eggs will be fertile so don't just leave some eggs behind for your hens to raise. They will just spoil and stink up the hen house.
Of course, if you do have a rooster, you can leave some eggs with your hens and hope for the best. This is the most natural and simplest way to hatch out some chicks though the success rate will be significantly lower. You'll also need to be raising chicks from a breed that will naturally care for their eggs. Some breeds have had this instinct bred out, and they will ignore their eggs. That's great for egg collecting, but not so great for getting chicks. Orpingtons and Wyandottes are great mothers, but Leghorns are not.
To hatch your eggs indoors without a hen, you must have an incubator. It's not recommended to put together your own hand-made incubator unless you are very experienced with hatching out chicken eggs. Each model of incubator will have its own instructions, so read them carefully. You will need to manage both the temperature and the humidity.
Purchased eggs are much more likely to be fertile, but the ones from your own chickens may not be. Even with a rooster, not every single egg will be fertilized. So after a few days in the incubator, you need to check using a process called candling. By looking at an egg with a narrow beam of light behind it, you should be able to see a mass forming inside after about 3 days. If the egg is pretty much clear, it means there is no embryo inside and it should be discarded.
With a simple incubator, you will manually have to turn the eggs 3 times a day to keep the embryos developing properly. Normally, a hen does this herself in the nest. Now it's your job. To keep from losing track, mark one side of each egg in pencil. That way you can tell if you missed turning one. More sophisticated incubators will automatically turn the eggs.
Either under a hen or in an incubator, your eggs will take about 20 to 22 days to hatch. Once the egg shell starts to crack as the chicks peck their way out, resist the temptation to "help". With experience, you can tell which chicks can be helped and when your attempts will cause more harm. For the novice chicken farmer, you should leave chicks alone.
After hatching, you should leave your new chicks alone in the incubator for a full day to warm up, rest and dry their feathers. They won't need food or water for nearly 3 days, so there is no rush to get them out.
Raising Chicks
Now comes the fun of taking care of your new chicks. You should plan out where you are going to keep them before they hatch, so your enclosure is ready to go. You can't just take them out to the hen house and let them loose with your adult chickens. They need extra warmth and care from you for at least 2 months.
If you have skipped the hatching stage and purchased day-old chicks, this is where you need to start reading.
You are going to need a "brooder" for this time of your chicken's lives, and you can get creative as long as it fulfills their needs. A cardboard box will work temporarily, but a small animal cage is one of the more popular choices. A long, low one designed for guinea pigs or rabbits works perfectly. It needs to be large enough for your chicks as well as their feeder and waterer.
Newspaper is fine as a bedding or liner material, but it can get a little slick once soiled and young chicks may slip and have difficulty walking. Wood shavings work better, though a combination of the two makes for the easiest cleaning. Do not use sawdust. Chicks will peck around in the brooder and end up ingesting a lot, which can make them ill.
Chicks need to be kept very warm, so you will have to have a heat source unless you happen to keep your home at 90 F. You can buy a heat lamp, or just use a 100W light bulb (the incandescent type, not a CFL). Use a reflective shade for it, and mount it near the brooder. Depending on how high the cage is, you may be able to just set it right on the bars. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature. The chicks can also tell you if it's too warm or cold by their behavior. Are they huddled right by the light? Then it's probably too cool. If they are huddled as far from it as they can get, then it's too warm. Adjust the distance or wattage until they are comfortable.
Leave it at around 95F for the first week, and then you can adjust it down by 5 degrees each week. By the time it's near room temperature, your chicks should have their mature feathers in and supplemental heat won't be necessary.
For food and water, you can make your own containers but they are pretty inexpensive to buy. Chicks can (and will) drown in even a small amount of water, so a shallow dish is a must. A waterer looks like a jar of water sitting upside-down in a saucer. As the water is used, it refills on its own. Chicks will drink a lot, so make sure it doesn't end up empty or fouled with waste. There's a good chance you'll be washing it daily. Any shallow dish can work for a food bowl, but they will scratch and peck so much that food can end up everywhere. A proper feeder will have holes that allow for feeding without letting your chicks actually walk around in their food. Again, you'll likely have to wash this daily.
You won't be feeding your chicks the same feed as your adult birds either. They can't eat cracked corn or grains so you'll need to purchase chick "mash" or crumbles for them.
After they've been kept in a heated brooder for about 2 weeks, you can start to let them out for "playtime" outside as long as the weather is warm. Once they have feathered-out completely, they should be fine to move out into your regular chicken coop. You should allow them some time to get adjusted, and to let your existing chickens get used to the newcomers. Let your new chicks roam around the chicken pen with your flock before its time to move them out permanently.
While all of this may seem like an awful lot of work, it can be quite rewarding to raise your own chickens and once your equipment is purchased, it means you can continually add to your flock without any added expenses. And the best benefit is that hand-raised chicks will bond with their caregiver, meaning you will have very friendly chickens who like people when they grow up.
Feed chart
Please take note of the following information that will be of great value when feeding your chickens:
0-4 Weeks AD LIB
5-6 Weeks 50g per day
7-8 Weeks 60g per day
9-10 Weeks 70g per day
11-12 Weeks 80g per day
13-14 Weeks 90g per day
15-16 Weeks 100g per day
17-18 Weeks 110g per day
Layers 120g per day
Chicken Coop Design
When it comes to hen coops, then there are limitless number of ideas and chicken coop designs which you can use. Building the chicken houses is a process that should never be taken lightly, as the health and well being of the birds is going to be determined on the accommodation that would be provided to them. Some even say that it might be an easy to go plan which is best suited for the weekend. So, if you plan to have some low cost chicken coop, then there are numerous ideas and designs which will come in handy if you pay a proper heed towards them. Here are some of the different types and forms of the backyard chicken coops which you can use.
SUCCESS TIPS FOR POULTRY FARMER-HOW TO RUN A PROFITABLE POULTRY FARM
1. Join Poultry Associations in your country, share notes, with willing farmers.
2. Seek for grants and other government incentives such as loans and subsidies
3. Re –invest profit for expansion but always know the status of your investment always.
4. Avoid quick diversification. Focus on an aspect and don’t combine it quickly with non poultry farming until
5. you are set to take a curve out or in, or to undergo vertical integration or horizontal integration.
6. Explore new market; generate more customers within and outside the state and even into the surrounding neighbouring
countries.
7. Scale down cost. Reduce labour cost by utilizing cages, get a van to reduce dependence on transporters, obtain distributorship or sub distributorship from feed companies to buy feed at a discount prices
8. Employ qualified personnel and pay commensurate salary
9. Have a good knowledge of the business via training, seminars and reading
10. Have a working knowledge of your enterprise through a workable business plan that present a projected cash flow, profit and loss account, break even analysis, organogram and other tools even before you start. This should be prepared by an experienced practitioner.
11. Give your business minimum quality time before you give any space.
12. Apply the 80:20 principles on your products, workers, customers and resources. It states that a 20% of any of those often give you 80% of your result. Discover that small fraction and devote 80% of your resources on them to get optimal result. Try reducing some of the unproductive 80%.
13. Remember always that customer is the king, Strive to create them and satisfy them.
14. Work out a team out of the administration, workers, customers and partners.
Ensure that each understand the benefit of the progress of the business.
15. Envisage competition and hence plan ahead of them even before they emerge. Be innovative even in your poultry farming and marketing of your product; make your product unique Project definition.
16. At the beginning of the project have a target on a scale you wish to operate. For instance one can say, “at full capacity, I will have 5000 laying birds or 50,000 or 500,000 laying birds”. With such in mind, you create a plan for land, capital, manpower, market etc and start off gradually possibly with a 10% trial phase and with the set land marks, graduate gradually to full maturation.
17. Stop at full capacity and only start again under a new plan! Not to know when to stop, is an error and could be a source of failure. With set land marks, move only to the next level when you are at rest on the present level. This will also aid one when taking loans or bringing in investor to avoid biting more than can be chewed. Management of Disaster. Disasters could present itself as natural disasters e.g., avian flu, flooding, etc and man-made disasters such as national or regional crises, economic crises, etc. without an insurance cover, most farmers do not survive such disasters.
How to Use an Incubator to Hatch Eggs
An incubator is an artificial method for the hatching of eggs. In essence, an incubator allows you to hatch eggs without having hens. Incubators mimic the conditions and experiences of a brooding hen for fertilized eggs, including appropriate temperature, humidity, and ventilation levels. To successfully hatch eggs in an incubator, you need to properly calibrate the incubator and keep the settings stable throughout the incubation period.
Artificial hatching
This is the use of an incubator to hatch eggs. Small incubators are in regular use with many poultry keepers, the advantage being that incubation conditions are instantly available at the flick of a switch. It saves extra space or pens for broodies and takes little electricity to run. Technical improvements have greatly improved efficiency, but best results will be obtained with eggs which are between 24 hours old and seven days old and which have been stored in a cool (10°C or 50°F) place, and turned daily. Any dirt on the eggs can be scraped off with a dry potscraper, the ideal being to have clean eggs in the first place. If the eggs do have to be washed use water warmer than they are to ensure the membrane under the shell expands keeping bacteria out (cold water makes it shrink, drawing bacteria in) plus an approved poultry disinfectant such as Virkon. The same disinfectant can be used with safety to clean out incubators after a hatch. This is most important for the success of future hatches.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for an incubator, but go easy on adding any water. It seems to be a common misconception that in the UK water needs adding during the incubation process. The egg must lose 13% of its weight during incubation and most of this weight is water loss, giving room for the chick to move around in the shell prior to hatching. Fertile eggs which do not hatch are frequently sticky inside as the incubation time has been too humid. Try and site the incubator in a place which does not vary much in average temperature. During the incubation process the eggs must be turned in order for the embryo to develop normally (the hen does this naturally). If turning by hand do so at least twice a day and turn the eggs end -over -end so that the chalazae (strings which hold the yolk stable) do not wind up, potentially damaging the embryo. If the incubator is an automatic turning one, turn off the mechanism 2 days before they are due to hatch, or stop turning them by hand at this time.
A little hot water can be added when the eggs start to pip (the diamond-shaped start of the shell breaking) to keep the membrane moist. The chick pecks its way out of the broad end of the egg by means of the egg tooth which is on the end of its top beak. The egg tooth falls off soon after hatching. Chicks may take two days to hatch or they may all hatch at once. The latter is better, but not always possible. Most small incubators have a window in so that you do not have to take off the top to see inside. It is better to fill (or part fill) an incubator, hatch the eggs, clean it out and start again, unless you can set a few eggs each week, transferring those on the 18th day to a separate hatcher which then gets cleaned out each week or after each hatch. This avoids the build-up of harmful bacteria which can adversely affect the hatch. In order to make best use of incubator space (and broody hens for that matter) the eggs can be candled after seven days' incubation. This involves holding a bright torch to the broad end of each egg in a darkened room. If the egg is infertile you will be able to see just the shadow of the yoke. Rotate the egg slightly to make this move within it. If fertile, a spider shape of blood vessels will be seen on one side with the heart beating in the middle. If there is a ring of blood vessels with none in the centre the germ has died. The infertile eggs can be removed and fresh ones added if you are going to use a separate hatcher.
Using just one incubator to set and hatch with eggs of different incubation ages is courting disaster as the humidity then becomes wrong for younger eggs if you add water for the hatching ones. Also, hatching eggs produce a huge amount of bacteria, so can infect younger embryos through the porous shell. If you candle the eggs at fourteen days and the embryo is growing as it should, the air sac should have a sharp distinction from the darker remainder of the egg. If only a small dark area can be seen the germ has most likely died and the border between that and the air sac is fuzzy. The air sac gradually gets larger as hatching date approaches and sometimes the chick can be seen bobbing away from the candling light.
Hatching, Rearing, and Care of Young Poultry
For the small poultry keeper there is the choice of two methods of hatching chicks - natural or artificial. The best idea is to gain experience and confidence in both. Hen eggs take 21 days to hatch, duck and turkey eggs 28 days, most goose eggs 28 - 30 days and Muscovy eggs 35 days. Some very small bantam eggs may be a day early and really large poultry such as Cochins may be a day extra.
Benefits Of Commercial Poultry Farming
Commercial poultry farming business has several benefits. Size does not matter and being small has its own advantages.
The major benefit is poultry farming business does not require huge capital to start with.
Poultry farming does not require huge space. Yes, it requires space. You can also raise birds in your own backyard with one or numerous coops or cages.
ROI of commercial poultry farming is very high. Within very short period profit can be generated.
Almost all types of poultry birds are domestic. You will not need to obtain any major licenses.
Broilers intake of feed is comparatively very low while it produces the maximum possible amount of food.
Marketing is very simple. Apart from fresh chicken, you can also establish chicken processing unit.
Poultry farming is a continuous source of income. It is not seasonal and can produce income for the entire year. While chickens lay eggs between 6 to 8 months, broilers take only 6 to 10 weeks to bring in income.
Poultry droppings are rich in nitrogen and organic material and hence, are considered valuable as fertilizers.
Almost all banks and financial institution approves the loan for commercial poultry farming project.
Steps in starting a chicken farm.
1. Formulate a business plan.
2. Have land, capital and equipment.
3. Make a decision how to best raise your chickens.
4. Decide what sectors of the poultry industry you wish to pursue.
5. Find a niche market, if possible.
6. Make yourself known to potential customers and consumers.
7. Keep up with records and accounting of your business and operation.
8. Raise your animals in accordance with local, state/provincial and federal law.
COMMON CHICKEN ILLNESSES AND TREATMENTS
Serious illness is unlikely in a backyard flock, especially if you vaccinate the chickens. All the same, it’s good to be aware of them in case you ever are wondering, is my chicken sick? Diseases can spread from wild birds and pests, so keep an eye out during your daily health checks for the symptoms listed below.
Avian Pox/Fowl Pox:
Symptoms: White spots on skin; combs turn into scabby sores; white membrane and ulcers in mouth, on trachea; laying stops; all ages affected.
How contracted: Viral disease; mosquitoes, other chickens with pox and contaminated surfaces.
Treatment: Supportive care, warm dry quarters, soft food; many birds with good care will survive.
Vaccine available: Yes; recovered birds are immune and do not carry the disease.
Botulism:
Symptoms: Tremors quickly progressing to paralysis of body, including breathing; feathers pull out easily; death in a few hours.
How contracted: Caused by a bacterial byproduct and by eating or drinking botulism-infected food or water
Treatment: Antitoxin available from vet but expensive. If found early try 1 teaspoon Epsom salts dissolved in 1 ounce warm water dripped into crop several times a day.
Vaccine available: None; locate and remove source, usually decaying carcass, meat near water, or insects that fed on the meat or the water the carcass is in.
Fowl Cholera:
Symptoms: Usually birds over 4 months — greenish yellow diarrhea; breathing difficulty; swollen joints; darkened head and wattles; often quick death. Does not infect humans.
How contracted: Bacterial disease; wild birds, raccoons, opossums, rats, can carry. Also transmitted bird to bird and on contaminated soil, equipment, shoes, clothing contaminated water and food.
Treatment: None — destroy all infected birds if recovery occurs the bird will be a carrier
Vaccine available: Yes, at Agra.
Infectious Bronchitis:
Symptoms: Coughing; sneezing; watery discharge from nose and eyes; hens stop laying.
How contracted: Viral disease; highly contagious; spreads through air, contact, and contaminated surfaces.
Treatment: Supportive care; 50 percent mortality in chicks under 6 weeks.
Vaccine available: Yes. Give to hens before 15 weeks of age because vaccination will cause laying to stop.
Infectious Coryza:
Symptoms: Swollen heads, combs, and wattles; eyes swollen shut; sticky discharge from nose and eyes; moist area under wings; laying stops.
How contracted: Bacterial disease; transmitted through carrier birds, contaminated surfaces, and drinking water.
Treatment: Birds should be destroyed as they remain carriers for life.
Vaccine available: None.
Mareks Disease:
Symptoms: Affects birds under 20 weeks primarily; causes tumors externally and internally; paralysis; iris of eye turns gray, doesn’t react to light
How contracted: Viral disease; very contagious; contracted by inhaling shed skin cells or feather dust from other infected birds.
Treatment: None; high death rate and any survivors are carriers.
Vaccine available: Yes, given to day old chicks.
Moniliasis (Thrush):
Symptoms: White cheesy substance in crop; ruffled feathers; droopy looking; poor laying; white crusty vent area; inflamed vent area; increased appetite
How contracted: Fungal disease; contracted through moldy feed and water and surfaces contaminated by infected birds. Often occurs after antibiotic treatment for other reasons.
Treatment: Yes. Ask a vet for Nystatin or other antifungal medication. Remove moldy feed and disinfect water containers.
Vaccine available: No.
Mycoplasmosis/CRD/Air Sac Disease:
Symptoms: Mild form — weakness and poor laying. Acute form — breathing problems, coughing, sneezing, swollen infected joints, death
How contracted: Mycoplasma disease; contracted through other birds (wild birds carry it); can transmit through egg to chick from infected hen.
Treatment: Antibiotics may save birds — see a vet.
Vaccine available: Yes.
Newcastle Disease:
Symptoms: Wheezing, breathing difficulty, nasal discharge, cloudy eyes, laying stops, paralysis of legs, wings, twisted heads, necks
How contracted: Viral disease; highly contagious; contracted through infected chickens and wild birds and is also carried on shoes, clothes, and surfaces.
Treatment: None. Birds under 6 months usually die; older birds can recover. Recovered birds are not carriers.
Vaccine available: Yes.
Omphalitis (Mushy Chick):
Symptoms: Newly hatched chicks — enlarged, bluish, inflamed naval area, bad smell, drowsy, weak chicks
How contracted: Bacterial infection of naval from unclean surfaces or chicks with weak immune systems. Can spread from chick to chick on contaminated surfaces.
Treatment: Antibiotics and clean housing sometimes help, but most chicks will die. Remove healthy chicks immediately to clean quarters.
Vaccine available: None. Use caution handling — staph and strep that cause this disease may infect humans.
Pullorum:
Symptoms: Chicks are inactive, may have white diarrhea with pasted rear ends, breathing difficulty, or die without symptoms. Older birds — coughing, sneezing, poor laying.
How contracted: Viral disease; contracted through carrier birds and contaminated surfaces, clothing, and shoes.
Treatment: Destroy all infected birds — birds that recover are carriers. Most chicks infected will die.
Vaccine available: No vaccine, but there is a blood test to find carriers, buy chickens from Pullorum-negative flocks only.
Should you wish to buy either our 46 egg incubator or 96 egg incubators, we provide you with a free egg tester/candler.
What is an egg tester / egg candler.
Chicken farmers use candling to learn which of their chicken's eggs are fertile and will hatch into baby chicks. Candling can also be used to tell if a fertilized egg has stopped developing. The candling process works by illuminating the interior of an egg so you are able to see what is inside the shell, and the level of development of the unhatched chick prior hatching.
Poultry farms, mainly chicken farms producing meat or eggs, can be highly specialized operations.
To maximize profits and plan future enterprise activities, a feasibility analysis prior to investment and proper management during the operation are required. Proper management ensures efficient production and good quality products (meat or eggs). This is accomplished by controlling diseases, maintaining feed efficiency, proper handling of wastes, and proper sanitizing of the poultry house. Due to short turnover rates of poultry flocks and strong market demand, the poultry business could potentially be a profitable enterprise.
Types of Commercial Chicken Feed
Chick starter.
Exactly what it sounds like, chick starter is for the first, usually six, weeks of your baby chicks' lives. This is typically 22 to 24 percent protein for meat birds (called broiler starter) and 20 percent protein for laying breeds.
You can get medicated or unmedicated chick starter. Most people use a medicated feed but organic and pastured small farms will often use unmedicated feed.
Grower pullet.
After chick starter, young pullets destined for a laying flock are put on a lower-protein diet to slow growth to allow strong bones and adult body weight before laying begins.If the protein is too high, development happens too fast and the birds will lay too early. Grower pullet rations typically have 18 percent protein and are fed until 14 weeks of age.
Pullet developer or finisher.
At 14 weeks, young pullets can be lowered to a 16 percent protein feed until they begin laying. Some feed lines don't distinguish between these two stages and just have a grower-finisher that is somewhere in the middle protein-wise.
Why Choose Poultry Farming?
One of the reasons behind the dramatic rise of poultry farming in Namibia is the non-dependence on educational background. Every citizen can practice the occupation, irrespective of his or her educational status.
The profession can also be pursued with limited capital and resources, but huge return on investment is assured, if you are meticulous and diligent in how you set up and run your operations.
Top Reasons Why Poultry Farming is so Lucrative in Namibia is because of the the growing rate of chickens. A chicken becomes fully-developed and matures quite faster. For instance, a goat takes a time span of 2-3 years to mature completely, but within 28 weeks from birth, a chicken can reach a fit state and size that it can be sold at market.
FOR EGG LOVERS
If you want hens that lay a certain color of eggs, you can read breed descriptions or you can look at the color of the skin patch around the ear. Hens that have white skin around the ear generally lay white eggs. Hens that have red skin around the ears generally lay brown eggs, in any number of shades.(There’s no way to tell what shade of brown from looking at the ear patch.)
The breeds that lay greenish-blue eggs usually have red ear-skin patches. It’s important to remember that all colors of eggs have exactly the same nutritional qualities and taste.
Getting the right number of chickens
No matter how many chickens you intend to have eventually, if you’re new to chicken-keeping, it pays to start off small. Get some experience caring for the birds and see whether you really want to have more. Even if you have some experience, you may want to go to larger numbers of birds in steps, making sure you have proper housing and enough time to care for the birds at each step.
Because chickens are social and don’t do well alone, you need to start with at least two birds: two hens or a rooster and a hen. (Two roosters will fight!)
Beyond two birds, the number of birds you choose to raise depends on your needs and situation:
✓ Layers: You can figure that one young hen of an egg-laying strain will lay about six eggs a week, two will lay a dozen eggs, and so on. If the birds are not from an egg-laying strain but you still want eggs, count on three or four hens for a dozen eggs a week. So figure out how many hens you need based on how many eggs your family uses in a week — just don’t forget to figure on more hens if you don’t get them from an egg-laying strain.
✓ Meat birds: It really doesn’t pay to raise just a few chickens for meat, but if your goal is to produce meat and space is limited, you can raise meat birds in batches of 10 to 25 birds, with each batch of broiler strains taking about 8 to 12 weeks to grow to butchering size. If space and time to care for the birds aren’t problems, determine how many chickens your family eats in a week and base your number of meat birds on that
The plain truth about homemade feed
Despite what most people assume, the homemade recipe approach has more drawbacks than positives. In this section, we give you some advice on making your own feed in case you feel strongly about doing so, but first, consider these cold, hard facts:
✓ Homemade isn’t cheaper than store-bought. Some people think that making up their own recipe for chicken feed is cheaper than buying commercial feed. If you only have a small flock of chickens, it would be extremely rare to get a cost savings from devising your own chicken feed if you have to buy all or most of the ingredients. ✓ Making your own recipes requires a complex understanding of chicken nutrition. Keep in mind that feed companies hire experts to for- mulate and test their feeds. If you intend to devise a recipe of your own, you need to thoroughly study chicken nutrition. ✓ Most mills won’t custom mix less than 1,000 pounds of feed. This amount of feed is difficult for the average person to transport and store — much less use before it goes stale. In many cases, a custom order by a person who isn’t a co-op member or who’s using relatively small amounts of grain (and 1,000 pounds is a small order), will be charged a milling fee, too. If a group of chicken owners in an area band together and order a large amount of a custom feed, some cost savings may be realized. ✓ Costs for each ingredient vary as the cost of grain goes up and down. ✓ You may have to pay for bags or furnish your own.
Chick Vaccination.
On receipt of the vaccine, check and record:
That the vaccine has been transported in the recommended manner which is usually in the chilled or frozen state. Prolonged exposure to atmospheric temperature will result in rapid loss of potency.
Type of vaccine – is it the vaccine ordered.
The number of doses – has the correct amount been delivered.
The expiry date of the vaccine – vaccines have a date by when there is a significant risk that they will no longer retain their potency and will not produce the immunity required. The expiry date is based on the vaccine being handled and stored in the recommended manner.
As soon as possible place the vaccine into recommended storage conditions. Read the instructions to find out what these are. However, freeze dried material should be kept at a temperature below freezing and its diluent at a temperature just above freezing. Liquid vaccines are generally kept at temperatures just above freezing.
Remove the vaccines from storage immediately prior to their being used. Only remove and re-constitute enough for immediate needs and repeat this through the day if more is required. Do NOT mix what is required for an entire day at the start of the day and leave it stand until required, as the vaccine will rapidly lose it efficacy.
Protect the vaccines after mixing by holding them in an ice bath. Place ice in a small esky or similar container and place the container of mixed vaccine in the ice. Some vaccines have a very short life once mixed. For example, Marek’s Disease has a life of about 1.5 hours after mixing IF HELD IN AN ICE BATH. It is much shorter if held in higher temperatures.
Use the recommended administration techniques and do not vary these without veterinary advice.
Always clean and sterilise the vaccinating equipment thoroughly after use.
Always destroy unused mixed vaccines after the task has been completed. Some vaccines have the potential to cause harm if not destroyed properly.
Do not vaccinate birds that are showing signs of disease or stress.
Vaccination procedures
There are a number of ways that vaccines may be administered to poultry and it is very important that the correct method be used for each vaccine. To use the wrong method will often result in failure of the vaccine to produce the desired immunity. Some of the methods require the operator to handle every bird and, consequently are time consuming and stressful to the birds and operator. Other methods involve administration by methods much less stressful and time consuming. These methods include administration via the drinking water or as an aerosol spray. The different ways that the vaccines may be administered to poultry are below.
In-ovo vaccination
Using the method of in-ovo vaccination, the vaccine is administered into the embryo before hatch.
In general, vaccines can be applied to five different areas of the egg: the air cell, the allantoic sac, the amniotic fluid, the body of embryo and the yolk sac. Vaccine uptake and therefore the immune response of the chicken depend largely on the area of injection. While injection in the air cell has been shown to be minor/not effective, injection in the body of the embryo or the allantoic sac is effective. Therefore, the optimum period to inject the embryo is in the late stage of development, i.e. the time between the ascendance of the stalk of the yolk sac into the abdomen (about the time when the chicken tucks its head under its wings) and external pipping.
During that late stage of development, the embryo is mature enough to cope with the viral stimulus and the trauma induced by the penetrating needle is unlikely to cause severe tissue damage. Signs of too early vaccination include reduced hatchability, late death and increased number of culled birds. However, if vaccination is done too late in embryonation, the risk of egg shell breakage is significantly higher. Therefore, in ovo vaccination is commonly performed between days 18-19 of incubation.
The system of a larger outer needle (penetrating the egg shell) that contains an inner needle (penetrating the embryo) enables for strong but careful penetration of the egg and minimizes trauma to the embryo. In addition, the use of two needles reduces the likelihood of transferring contaminants on the outer egg shell into the sterile embryo. The needle for punching the egg shell should not penetrate the embryonic cavity (the inner shell membrane, the chorio-allantoic membrane or air cell membrane). While the penetration of the outer egg shell increased the relative pore volume about 30%, the risk for increased gas exchange of the embryo occurs.
Hygiene management including reduced air circulation, well maintained air filters, adjustment to weather conditionsand well maintained hatchery insulation has to be taken into account when performing in ovo inoculation. Only strict management of these environmental factors can reduce the likelihood of infections of the egg, especially with aspergillosis or other air-borne pathogens. Continuous training of reliable staff is of highest priority to prevent reduced hatchability and to maintain high hygienic standards. A sterile environment and the usage of chlorine based sanitizers are crucial. The storage and preparation of the vaccine in a separate biosecure area as well as strict precautions in using sterile devices such as containers and water should be implemented. While the cost of machine acquisition is high, the investment can pay back by its advantages.
The advantage of commencing immunity development before hatch can prevent young chicks from early infection after hatch. Since high tech machines are used for in ovo injection, the volume and concentration of the vaccine to be administered are highly standardised, reducing human error and labour cost when compared to vaccination of chickens later in life. Furthermore, vaccination of every single chicken can be ensured resulting in better uniformity of the flock. Coming with this is improved animal welfare due to less handling of birds later in life.
Currently Marek’s disease, Newcastle disease, infectious laryngotracheitis and infectious bursal disease vaccines are routinely administered using in ovo vaccination in various countries. In ovo vaccination does not interfere with maternal antibodies that may still present in the embryo. In fact, it increases the level of immunity and as a consequence one injection is sufficient to offer life-long protection against the target disease.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFM1Yu0L2uQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNAhcreK11E
After Incubation
Hatching and brooding small numbers of chicks
An incubator is an enclosure having controlled temperature, humidity, and ventilation.
The information in this extension folder is a guide for the general operation of a small, still-air incubator.
Small incubators can be purchased, or you can make your own. If you have a commercial model, follow the instructions supplied with the unit. If the instructions have been lost, write to the manufacturer for a new set giving the model number and a complete description of the incubator.
Care of chicks
Newly hatched chicks must be kept warm and free from drafts, be properly fed and watered, and be protected from predators. If you plan to keep the chicks for a long time, consult references for care and management information. See FS-1188, "The Small Flock for Poultry Meat", or FS-1191, "Rearing Chicks and Pullets for the Small Laying Flock". If you want to raise a small number of chicks for only a few days, you can care for them in a simple enclosure and with a minimum of equipment.
A cardboard box can be a satisfactory home for up to 12 chicks. The size and shape of the box is not too important as long as it provides enough space for the chicks and the equipment to feed and water them. A 2 x 2 foot box 12-15 inches high is adequate. A screen or wire mesh should cover the box to restrict handling and to protect the chicks from cats and other predators.
The sides of the box provide adequate protection from drafts. The 1st week, keep the temperature at the level of the chicks at 90-95° F. Reduce the temperature about 5 degrees per week until room temperature is reached. It is best to use a thermometer to measure the temperature, but the actions of the chicks can also be a guide. When the chicks are cold, they bunch up and give a distressed "cheep." When they are too warm, they stand apart with their beaks open, and their throats may have a pulsating or panting motion. In most rooms, a light bulb placed over the box will provide enough heat. A gooseneck study lamp with a 60- or 75-watt bulb works well. The neck of the lamp can be adjusted to provide more or less heat. If necessary, cut a slit in the side of the box so the base of the lamp can remain outside the box, with the gooseneck of the lamp fitting in the slit and the lampshade placed inside the box.
About 2 inches of litter material give the chicks better footing and help keep the box clean. Wood shavings, chopped straw or paper, peat moss, or sand are suitable. Replace the litter when necessary to keep the box clean and dry.
Waterers to be used with pint canning jars are often available at farm supply stores. They should be placed onto a wooden block to help keep them free from litter. A small dish–with marbles or pebbles added to keep the chicks out of the water–can be used for a waterer. You can also use a saucer having an inverted cup placed over it. Replace the water twice a day, or more frequently if necessary to keep the water clean and fresh. Clean the waterer each time you make the change, and refill it with lukewarm water.
Although chicks don't need feed or water the first 48 hours after hatching, both are usually provided as soon as the chicks are transferred to the rearing box. Use a small box or tray for a feeder. Let the chicks scratch around in the feed for the first few days so they get off to a good start on the feed and don't eat too much litter.
Chicks are best started on a chick starter mash. For other poultry, use the appropriate starter feed for that species, of bird, if available. Mashed, hardcooked egg also makes an I excellent starter feed. You can use breakfast cereal for a few days if it is in a form the chicks can readily eat. Rapidly growing chicks must have a well-balanced starter diet for proper growth and development.
The Basics of how to Vaccinate chickens for Newcastle Disease
-Newcastle is an infectious virus
Symptoms:
-Leaking eyes or nose
-Swollen eyes
-Discharge at rear
-Twisting of head and neck
-Gasping and coughing
IF ONE OF YOUR CHICKENS HAS NEWCASTLE DISEASE REMOVE IT FROM THE FLOCK!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN7evnDkJHM&spfreload=10
How to Start a Chicken Farm Business:
It's one thing to start a chicken farm, but to start an actual business out of it is something else entirely. You are not only going to become a chicken farmer, but a businessperson as well, depending on what markets you want to target and what part of the chicken industry you want to tap into. In the chicken industry there are two main sectors: Layers, which are chickens bred and raised to produce eggs, or broilers, chickens raised and bred to be slaughtered. Whatever sector you choose, you have to make responsible managerial and financial decisions to make your chicken farm business a profitable one.
1. Formulate a business plan. This is one of the most important things to draw up as part of your operation. It tells of what goals you wish to achieve and how you intend to get there. It's also a plan of how you want to operate your business from not just a producer's standpoint, but the banker's, lawyer's, accountant's and even possibly the hired hand's standpoint.
2. Have land, capital and equipment. You cannot start up nor maintain a chicken farm or a chicken farming business without these dire necessities. You will need buildings to raise your chickens in, whether they be barns or hutches depending on how you are wanting to raise your chickens: conventional or free-range? Land is to have the buildings on and to grow crops on to feed your chickens. Equipment and machinery are needed to clean barns, dispose of deadstock, work crops, etc.
3.Make a decision how to best raise your chickens. There are two main ways to raise them. Conventional systems have chickens confined to barns that are temperature and photo-period controlled areas. Free-range systems allow your chickens to just about have the run of the farm to behave as naturally as possible.
4.Decide what sectors of the poultry industry you wish to pursue. Ultimately there are two types to choose from: broilers, which are chickens raised for meat, or layers--chickens raised for their eggs. However, there are also the other sectors of the industry that you can pursue. Eggs which are not to be put on the market for human consumption (these can be from both broilers and layers) are incubated and the chicks hatched and raised until they are at the right age to be sold to farms to be raised as layers or broilers. Often the business of incubating eggs and raising chicks is separate from that of raising the chickens themselves. There is also the part of slaughtering chickens for meat that is a separate sector in itself you may wish to pursue.
Many chicken farms (primarily those that are not conventional) have more than one sector of the chicken farming business to operate. Whether you wish to operate all sectors or just one or two is your choice.
5.Find a niche market, if possible. If the area you are in is popular for raising chickens a certain way (more conventional than free-range), you may wish to pursue a niche market that targets the consumer's interest in free-range chickens rather than the conventionally-raised ones.
6. Make yourself known to potential customers and consumers. Advertise yourself by simply letting other people know you have eggs or meat you want to sell. Often selling by word-of-mouth is a lot cheaper and still the most popular means of advertising than paying for an advertisement in the local newspaper that may get read by only a few people. However, there is no harm in doing that either, nor is there any harm in setting up a website promoting your product.
7. Keep up with records and accounting of your business and operation. This is so that you can always tell if you are making money or not.
8.Raise your animals in accordance with local, state/provincial and federal law.
Healthy adult chickens should look like this:
✓ They have bright, clear eyes.
✓ They have clean nostrils, with no discharge.
✓ They breathe with their beaks shut, unless they have just been chased
to be caught or it’s very hot.
✓ The comb and wattles are plump and glossy. In roosters, large blackened areas of the comb indicate frostbite, which may cause temporary
infertility.
✓ They don’t have any swellings or lumps on the body. Don’t mistake a full
crop on the neck for a lump.
✓ Their legs are smooth, with shiny skin. They have four or five toes,
depending on the breed. They don’t have any swellings or lumps on the
bottom of the feet.
✓ The feathers look smooth, and there are no large patches of bare skin.
Look carefully through the feathers for lice.
✓ They are alert and active.
Comparing your feed options
Commercial Feed
If you have layers, you would want to optimize their diet for egg production, so feeding a commercial ration that’s properly balanced for laying chickens is highly recommended (instead of feeding them only whole grains or scraps). These commercial mixes have the proper ratios of calcium and other minerals added for egg production. Even pastured layers in pens should have access to a good laying ration. We prefer to use commercial feed for meat birds too, because it blends all the ingredients and prevents birds from picking and choosing what they like and wasting the rest. Feeding whole grains and scraps isn’t a good idea for meat birds. Pets and show chickens also do better on a balanced commercial diet that doesn’t allow them to pick and choose.
Vaccinating your Chicks
Preventing problems is always better than trying to fix them. When you purchase baby chicks, you’re often offered the opportunity to have them vaccinated for a small additional fee. Saying yes is a wise idea.
Vaccines can be given at various life stages of chickens. There is an optimum age for many vaccines, but if the chicken doesn’t get the vaccine then, it can sometimes be administered later. This depends on the disease you’re trying to prevent. Vaccines can be given by mouth, in the eyes, in the nose, or by injection, depending on the disease they are meant to prevent. Some vaccines prevent disease in one dose; others require several doses.
Many vaccines exist today to prevent chicken diseases. They are reasonably priced, and most home flock owners can administer them. Ask at your local vet’s office which chicken vaccinations are recommended for your area, and get your chickens vaccinated. If you don’t want to do it yourself, have a vet do it or ask an experienced friend to help you. For more details on vaccinating your chicks or chickens.
Hydrating Your Hens (and Roosters)
Having a source of clean water is vitally important to your chickens. Chickens whose water intake is restricted won’t eat as well as those with unrestricted access, and they won’t grow as fast or lay as well either. People often don’t realize how important water is to their chickens until they go from pouring water in a dish once a day to a system that allows birds to always have fresh water available. The birds with unrestricted access to clean water grow better, are healthier, and lay more eggs.
In moderate weather a hen may drink a pint of water a day. In hot weather, that amount nearly doubles. Broilers may drink even more as their metabolism works much harder, producing more heat and using more water. Birds roaming freely may drink more or less than confined birds, depending on the moisture content of the food they consume and how active they are.
Letting birds feed on pasture
Chickens were not designed by nature to subsist on vegetation. Wild chickens eat lots of insects and seeds to balance their diets. We also expect more eggs from domestic chickens than wild birds lay, and we expect our meat birds to grow heavier and faster than wild birds that subsist on a natural diet. Domestic chickens need some concentrated protein and calories to thrive. However, chickens that get some time every day to roam freely may get 1/3 to 1/2 of their food from foraging at certain times of the year.
Even chickens that have unrestricted access to large pieces of land may need feed at some times of the year. They may be able to find bugs and seeds to round out the diet in some seasons; however, in other seasons, the chickens may find those vital ingredients missing. Feeding your chickens well has the added advantage of keeping them closer to home, where you can find the eggs they lay and keep predators away.
What a Chicken Needs in a Home
Whether you keep chickens for pleasure or to provide the family with eggs and meat, as the keeper of a small flock, you should provide humane, comfortable conditions for your birds. Just as most animals are at their best in calm, comfortable surroundings, so will your chickens do better in that situation.
They should have everything they need to be comfortable — good feed; clean water; dry, clean surroundings; nest boxes and roosts; and maybe a sandbox to bathe in. They should have enough room to move around comfortably — scratching, pecking, flapping their wings, and conversing with friends — and they must have the ability to avoid their enemies.
Basic Needs of chicks and chickens
Fresh Feed
Fresh Water
Fresh Air
Light
Darkness
Thermal Environment
Protection
Space
SMALL POULTRY FLOCK OWNER CHECKLIST
Tips when buying day old chicks.
Selecting the bird:
Type of poultry: meat type – Cornish Cross , or other breed
Purchase disease free stock
Plan for all-in - all-out flocks
Before the birds arrive:
Draft free coop or housing, cleaned and disinfected
Brooder stove or heat lamp (red bulb type, if needed) set to 36 degrees celsius for the first week.
Dry litter, (pine shavings preferred), 3-4 inches on clean floor.
Roosts (use clean tree branches) 2-6” above ground for broilers
Feeders and Waterers, cleaned and disinfected
Fresh Feed, appropriate for age and type of bird
When the birds arrive:
Check for symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, labored breathing, diarrhea, or pasty butt. Check for external parasites
Provide water for first couple of hours, then add feed. (if birds have been shipped overnight, then make a 5% sugar water solution for first day)
Check waters, feeders, heat source, eliminate drafts, etc.
Wild bird and rodent proof coop, set bait stations, traps, etc., as
needed.
Biosecurity - foot dips, clean shoes or boots, limit visitors and traffic,
Choosing the Right Location for your chicken Business
After you’ve gotten all the information about building restrictions and applied for any necessary permits, it’s time to choose the spot where you want to place your chicken housing. If you have a small lot, you may have only one obvious choice. But if you have more room to play around with, the ideal spot is one that’s
✓ Close to the house: You want the chicken coop close to the house so it’s easy to service and you can keep an eye out for predators or other unwanted visitors. However, if you have more than a few chickens, you want them far enough away from the house so that you can’t smell them on warm, wet days. ✓ Close to utilities: Running electricity to the chicken coop is a big plus. Doing chores in the dark is no fun, and lighting keeps chickens warm and more content throughout the winter months.
Housing Your Flock
chickens will both be happier if the coop can be located near a water source to make cleaning and watering less cumbersome. If you can use the wall of another structure (such as a garage or barn) as part of the coop, it may be easier to run water and electricity to the coop. You can save money and materials, too.
✓ Away from the neighbors: Even if keeping chickens is legal and your neighbors say they love these birds, it’s just not fair to put the birds under the neighbor’s bedroom window or in view of their pool. Including the neighbors in the decision about where to locate the coop may make them happier with your chicken-keeping project.
✓ In a well-drained spot: Chickens don’t like to get their feet wet, inside or out. Don’t put your chicken housing where the ground is low or where water drains toward the area. If the area is sometimes damp, you can add gravel to the runs; however, that doesn’t always work well because water can stand on top of or saturate the gravel spaces. Wet chicken manure is not a nice smell.
✓ Away from potential environmental issues: Try not to put chicken hous- ing where manure from the coop will be washed into and pollute lakes, ponds, streams, or other water. If you have a well, your chicken housing should be at least 50 feet from your well, if that point isn’t regulated by law.
Ensure that there is always enough Lighting for your birds
A chicken’s life cycle revolves around the amount of daylight or artificial light it receives. Chickens are prompted to lay eggs and mate when the days are long, and they molt when the days start getting shorter. Molting is the pro- cess by which all a chicken’s feathers are replaced, and it’s energy-intensive. When chickens molt, they usually stop laying.
Chickens have to molt sometime, but you can manipulate the light your chickens receive to keep them laying or have them molt when it’s best for you. Supplementing the light of young pullets helps them grow faster and mature sooner and can get them laying in the fall or winter.
You don’t have to worry about meat birds molting, because they should be in the freezer long before then. But keeping the lights on 24 hours straight lets them eat and drink more and grow faster. You do want to keep your show birds from molting before an important show, because they won’t look good enough to show if they are molting. Supplementing the light for pet birds isn’t important.
Chickens prefer to have 14 hours of daylight and 10 hours of darkness, or at least dim light. You can supplement natural lighting with artificial light to obtain the right lighting conditions. Leaving a small night light on in chicken housing is beneficial because it allows chickens to defend themselves against some predators and avoids nighttime damage when chickens panic over things that go bump in the night.
Set Up Suitable Housing For Your Birds
Having the right housing is not only better for the chickens but also better for you, so be sure to plan your chicken housing, and get it set up before you buy the birds. Plan the size of the housing, how you’ll access it to care for the birds and collect eggs, how it will fit into your yard, and how it will be lighted. Make sure the housing accommodates your needs as well as the chickens’. Can you collect eggs and clean the housing easily? Will there be enough room for the number of chickens you want to have? The housing doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it needs to be clean and functional.
Chicken housing should protect your birds from the elements and from predators. It should keep them dry and out of drafts. Housing usually consists of indoor and outdoor space. Make sure each large-size chicken has at least 3 square feet of indoor space and 3 to 5 square feet of outdoor space for opti- mum health. The more space you can provide, the happier your chickens will be. And the more functional the housing is for you, the happier you will be with chicken keeping.
Counting the Costs
Anytime you start a hobby or begin producing food for the household, you run into start-up and maintenance costs, and keeping chickens is no exception. Chickens, however, are more economical to purchase for pets or as food-producing livestock than most other animals. Unless you’re looking for expensive rare breeds, most people can start a small flock (4 to 25 chickens) for less than N$500. Regardless of whether you’re starting with 4 or 25, use the following list of tips to keep costs down when purchasing your flock:
✓ If you’re mail-ordering chicks and need fewer than the minimum number you’re required to order, try to find someone to share an order with you. Some feed stores allow people to order chicks in small numbers, and they combine those orders to meet the minimums.
✓ Some people who want just a few laying hens order a few pullet chicks and then fill the rest of the box with meat-type chicks to obtain the mini- mum quantity for shipping chicks. Most companies allow this. You raise all the birds together, butchering the meat birds before they take up too much space in your housing. You’ll want to buy pullets that are a different color than your broiler birds, so you don’t get them confused.
✓ For meat birds, many people will order only cockerels because they grow faster and larger than pullets. Cockerels can also be cheaper than pullets in some breeds, but in the broiler strains they often cost more. So when ordering Rock-Cornish hybrid chicks, ordering them “as-hatched,” which means chicks whose sex hasn’t been determined, will generally save you money, and in these chicks, both sexes grow equally well.
