Housing for your poultry need not be expensive, but it's important to provide protection from moisture, drafts and extreme weather. It also must give the birds protection from other animals. Housing must have proper ventilation so that the birds get sufficient fresh air but without drafts. Plans for coops can be found in books that we carry at Western Farm Center or on the Internet.

An adequate number of nests with clean, dry bedding are important for laying hens. Nests should be at least 1 foot by 1 foot for individual nests. There should be 1 foot of nest for every 4 birds if using community nests. Community nests can be any size. Clean, dry shavings or straw can be used for bedding. It should be changed often so eggs stay clean.

Life cycles in nature are regulated by light. Changing day lengths determine when wild birds migrate, lay eggs and molt. Domestic birds respond in much the same way. A planned lighting program is a part of good management. Continuous light maximizes growth for meat birds but can be harmful to egg production. Too much light, too soon can cause birds to lay before they are ready resulting in higher than normal death rates. Growing pullets and laying hens should not have 24 hour light. Pullets can be left on natural light until they are ready to lay, then they should then receive 15-17 hours of light, as should older layers. If day length is not maintained then egg production will decrease and possibly cease altogether.

Our store carries a variety of poultry feeds to provide for your flocks varying needs. For hens during laying season we recommend you use one of our laying blends, which completely provides for your hens nutritional needs. Scratch, cracked corn, and table veggie scraps (no head lettuce) are great sources of carbohydrates that can be used as a treat and can enhance the flavor of the eggs. But adding too much can reduce the amount of protein being ingested and decrease egg production. During the winter when egg production slows or even stops, you can increase the amount of these carbs to help keep the birds warm.

Oyster shell is also available to further augment the amount of needed calcium for layers.

** Please note, an average laying hen will eat approximately 1/4 pound of feed per day.

Baby birds are susceptible to diseases carried by older birds. If possible, do not mix birds of different ages. If you bring in new birds isolate them for a few weeks before placing them with your flock. Ideally within view of the flock so they can socialize but not come in contact with each other.

Roosts are not essential but can be given to birds. Meat birds should not be given roosts as it can cause breast blisters or injure the bird as they get bigger. For laying hens 6 to 8 inches of roost space is ideal. Roosts or perches should be made of 2 by 2 stock and rounded to prevent injuries.

Sometimes an egg will get broken in the nest and a hen will discover how good they taste. Once she discovers this, she will look for broken eggs or break them herself. To eliminate this the hen must be located and removed from the flock. If this isn't possible, fill several eggs with tobasco or other hot pepper sauce and leave them for the hens to eat. This will usually eliminate the problem. Correcting the things that could be causing the broken eggs is important also. Not enough nests, inadequate bedding or not collecting eggs often enough.

Both are bad habits that can develop in the brooder and carry into laying. The exact cause is not always known. Poor nutrition, overcrowding, overheating, not enough feeder or water space, even lighting can be factors. At the first sign of picking, action needs to be taken to stop it. If bleeding starts, the birds can pick each other apart and the losses can be heavy. The problem sometimes can be corrected by providing more feed, water, or floorspace. Or maybe better ventilation, cut back on light or adding flakes of hay or greens for the birds to pick through. Pine tar or an anti-picking agent applied to the bird can also be effective.

It's very important that you commence restricting the feed on your meat birds (Cornish, Red Broilers, Etc.) at 8-10 days of age. This amounts to nothing more (or less) than letting them run completely out of feed by 9:00pm each evening. The following morning, you will fill the feeders and let them eat all they want for the entire day. Again. They are to be out of feed by 9:00pm. you continue this procedure until they are slaughtered. Growers of smaller flocks can merely remove the feeders from the pen each evening around 9:00pm. Larger growers can let the birds run out of feed as outlined and can also handle it with lights and a timer. This means setting the clock to be off for two hours, then on for two hours, and then repeating the cycle indefinitely.

This program works! Ever gone out to check your flock in the morning and everything was fine? And then on rechecking them again at noon you found a dead bird for no reason at all. Occasionally you have found these "sudden death" birds lying on their back. What has happened?? They have succumbed to a heart attack brought on by their rapid growth. Their heart just can't keep up with their fast growth and often times you will lose a few birds as outlined. This feed restriction program will help.