Committees:Chickens
From Miller Farm
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Layer Management
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Irregularities in Laying
- Pullet Eggs. It is normal for a hen once in her lifetime to lay pullet eggs--abnormally small, yolkless eggs. This usually happens within the first 1-2 years of the hen's life.
- Molting Hens. Older hens can go through a molting period in the winter/spring during which they stop laying eggs. They'll lose a lot of feathers that don't grow back immediately (TODO: picture). As such, it is useless to test hens for lay rate during this time, as they'll most likely begin laying again after molting is finished. The molting period usually lasts 2-3 months. Regardless of age, hens should lay about once a day, plus or minus 1-2 eggs per week.
- Broody Hens. Sometimes a hen will try to raise a brood by sitting on her eggs indefinitely and only getting up to eat and drink. The hen is not sick and the eggs are probably fertile if you have a rooster; if not, all her efforts are obviously in vain. It's probably best to remove her from the eggs (she won't like it), put her outside, and take the eggs. It might take a couple times of doing this before she resumes "normal" hen behavior.
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Feed
We'd like to have a regular source for hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken feed, but we don't currently. Know of any options in this area? Send us an e-mail! (http://www.earlham.edu/webteam/resources/eav/?u=farmers)
Currently (January 2007) our chickens are allowed to roam free around the farm, especially visitng the compost pile, where they get alot of their nutrition. We have a total of 32 chickens, twenty-five of which were born in October of 2006. One may be a rooster.
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Contacts for hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken feed
Curly Tail Organic Farm
Edward Snavely
(740) 694-8622
Dale Filbrun Farms
Dale Filbrun
(937) 787-4885
