Poultry

Small Flock Poultry Management Series Fact Sheets

• Small Flock Poultry Management Series
• Bumblefoot
• Cannibalism
• Marek's Disease
• Newcastle Disease
• Pullorum Disease and Fowl Typhoid
• External Parasites

Industry Profile:

According to the 2002 Census of Agriculture, the total number of farms in New Hampshire reporting any poultry is 711, up from the ‘97census report of 684.

Hillsborough and Rockingham Counties lead the way with 115 and 108 farms respectively. The majority of farms reporting poultry are small with 528 farms having an inventory of less than 50 birds.

Most of the farms reporting poultry (608) have layers 20 weeks of age or older, while farms with broilers and/ or Turkeys are 79 and 76 respectively. The 79 farms reporting Turkey numbers sold nearly 4600 birds, down significantly from the previous census.

Currently the poultry industry in New Hampshire is focused on supplying a local market with fresh eggs and fresh local meat.

Housing:
Because of the small size of New Hampshire’s average flock, housing requirements are met in a number of ways, from free range, chicken tractors and standard small coops. There are plans for small coops available from some of the county extension offices, or check the links at the end of the page for poultry housing plans.

The Home Flock:
What could be more perfect, a few hens scratching around the yard, fresh eggs in the fridge or a plump roaster in the oven? Backyard poultry production can be fun and rewarding for the entire family. With some planning and a little elbow grease you too can have your own flock.

Before purchasing chickens you have to decide what the primary purpose of the flock will be. Many factors need to be considered before the birds arrive. First you need to decide what you want the flock for, meat, eggs, hobby, or any combination of these.

Chickens are bred for their production qualities, layers are bred to produce eggs efficiently, and broilers are bred for efficient meat production. The size of your flock will be determined by your particular situation. Consider what you want the flock to produce, and the space you have available.

Layers:
Birds bred for commercial egg production are most commonly the Leghorn type, Leghorns lay white eggs and the typical hen will lay 250- 300 eggs per year with proper care. There are several brown egg laying breeds available, they are generally a heavier bird and the average hen will lay roughly 200 eggs per year.

Egg producing stock can be purchased as day old chicks or as started pullets. It takes 18-22 weeks for pullets to begin to lay, after they have been laying a few months they are called hens.

When considering the size of your flock, you must take into account the amount of floor space required for each bird. For the light breeds, 1.5 square feet of floor space is required, for the heavy breeds 2.5 square feet of floor space is needed. If your hens are over crowded they will be more prone to disease, egg eating and feather pecking.

It is also important to properly size the feed and water supply. You will need 25 linear feet of feeder space per 100 birds and a watering system that will supply 6-8 gallons of water per 100 birds.

Commercially prepared feeds are available for laying hens, which will provide adequate nutrition for all stages of production. After hens have been laying for about a year they may need oyster shells added to their diet to keep the shells of their eggs strong.

Nest boxes should be 14 inches square and 12 inches high. They can be metal or wood, and should be dark on the inside; you will need 1 nest box for every 5 hens. The nest boxes should be kept well bedded to keep the eggs clean and prevent breakage.

A hen house does not need to be fancy, a small shed or the corner of the barn will do nicely. You must be sure to protect your flock from predators, rodents and the elements.

Hens can stand cold temperatures, as long as they have plenty of feed and water available and the coop has adequate ventilation.

Laying hens require 14-16 hours of light to produce eggs, timers can be used to turn the lights on and off or they may be left on all of the time. Male chickens are called roosters or cockerels, hens and pullets will lay eggs without a rooster or cockerel present. A rooster is only required if you wish to have fertile eggs for hatching.

Broilers
Broilers are bred for rapid growth and efficient feed use. Dressed birds are sold according to weight using the following classifications. Broilers are young chickens of either sex, usually 7-9 weeks of age and about 4 pounds. Roasters are young birds of either sex, weighing 5-10 pounds and are usually 12-20 weeks of age.

The size of your broiler flock will depend on the number of birds you wish to consume. You can maintain a continuous supply of birds by starting a new flock of day old birds every 4 weeks and slaughtering one fourth of the flock at 7, 8,9 and 10 weeks. Birds kept beyond 22 weeks of age are no longer feed efficient and the amount of feed required put on each pound of gain increases dramatically.

The amount of space needed to grow broilers is similar to the laying flock; birds will need 2.0 -2.5 square feet of floor space per bird. Feed and water should be available at all times allowing 6-8 gallons of water for each 100 birds. Consider adding additional waters and fans on days when the temperature exceeds 80 degrees. Birds will consume 25% more water on warm days.

Feed costs account for 70% of the cost of raising poultry, and can have a large impact on the efficient production of eggs and meat. Feed a commercially prepared diet, following label recommendations to avoid excessive weight gain in hens and feed waste in broilers .

Starting your chicks
Newly hatched chicks can not control their body temperature. It is essential that they have a source of heat. A brooder is used to keep the chicks warm during this crucial time. A brooder consists of an infra-red heat lamp; with a hood over it to direct heat toward the floor, and a brooder guard, a cardboard or wire mesh ring to keep the chicks confined to an area near the heat source. A heat lamp will keep the temperature with in the ideal range of 90 degrees for the first week. Measure the temperature 2.5 inches from the top of the litter directly below the hood. Make sure there is enough space for the chicks under the light with out crowding or smothering and that there is enough space in the pen so that all of the chicks can escape from the heat. Each week you should decrease the temperature by 5 degrees. This can be easily accomplished by raising the height of the lamp. Set up and test your brooder at least one day before your chicks arrive.

Brooder Safety

1. Do not hang the lamp by the cord, a chain will provide strong and safe suspension
2. Be sure that the lamp does not get close enough to catch the bedding on fire
3. Protect the bulb from splashing water (water splashed on the hot bulb will shatter it); Where possible use a ‘Hard Glass’ bulb

Litter is placed on the floor to absorb moisture; almost any material may be used with wood shavings and sawdust being most common. Newspaper should be placed over the bedding for the first few days to keep the chicks from eating the bedding. The brooder guard can be removed after one week, and the brooder can be removed after the temperature under the brooder is in the 65 to 70 degree range or when the brooder and outside temperature match.

Feed and water should be placed around the brooder like spokes of a wheel, make sure your new chicks drink water immediately and spread a little feed on the newspaper until they start to eat from the feeders.

Trouble shooting Questions and Answers

My hens are loosing feathers and have stopped laying, what do I do?

Hens at about one year of age go through a natural phase called Molt. Molt is the time when feathers are replaced and egg laying stops. After the molt they will begin to produce eggs again, though at a slightly reduced rate. There is no action required by the flock owner; you just have to wait it out. Other causes of feather loss may include external parasites. Hens should be checked monthly for signs of external parasites. Lice and mites of poultry are commonly found around the vent and under the wings of hens. There are products available at your local feed store to control external parasites. Be sure to read and follow the label directions.

My hens are picking the feathers off of each other, some of them are bleeding, what do I do?

Commercially raised birds have their beaks trimmed to help prevent cannibalism. Stress and boredom can lead to feather pecking in home flocks. Make sure your birds are not stressed by over crowding and reduce the intensity of light in the coop in the evening and night time hours. To ease boredom, spread some scratch feed around the coop to give the hens something to do and hang a head of cabbage at beak height for the hens to peck at. The cabbage may distract them long enough to allow some of their feathers to grow back. If one or two of the hens have severe pecking damage they will have to be removed from the flock to give their wounds time to heal, once healed they can be returned to the flock.

Sources of Poultry Information

• University of Connecticut Poultry Pages
• Penn State, Poultry Extension
• Virginia Cooperative Extension; Small Scale Poultry Housing

Local farm and grain stores carry poultry (usually as day old chicks) , feed and supplies.

Other sources of Poultry and Equipment:

Farmtek
1395 John Fitch Blvd
South Windsor, CT 06074
800-327-6835 US & Canada
Fax: 800-457-8887 US & Canada
E-mail: farmtek@farmtek.com

Murray McMurray Hatchery
Box 458, 191 Closz Drive
Webster City, IA 50595-0458
800-456-3280

Stromberg's
Box 400
Pine River, MN 56474-0400
800-720-1134

No endorsement expressed or implied.