Getting Started With Chickens AN INTRODUCTION TO BASIC

Getting Started With Chickens AN INTRODUCTION TO BASIC CARE OF BROILERS AND LAYERS Speakers Name Speakers Title Speaker’s Organization 1 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

AGENDA § § § § Determine Goals Poultry Terms Selecting Birds Getting Started Nutrition Housing Pests More Resources 2 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

WHY RAISE CHICKENS? § Produce more of your own meat and/or eggs? § Great project for kids – 4 H projects § Learn life’s lessons – Natural cycles, birth to death – Meat comes from animals – Fertilizer for the garden § Develop a Business Enterprise? 3 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

TERMS § § § § Chick – Baby chicken Poult – Baby turkey Tom- Adult male turkey Keet – Baby guinea fowl Cockerel - A male chicken under one year of age. Rooster – Adult male Hackles - A rooster's cape feathers. Straight run – mixture of males/female chicks 4 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

TERMS § Pullet – Young female § Hen – Adult female (ready to lay eggs) § Brooder - Heat source for starting young birds. § Broody - The maternal instinct causing a female to set or want to hatch eggs. 5 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

Breeds 6

BREEDS § Basic groups – Egg production § Brown egg layers (heavies) § White egg layers – Meat production § Cornish Cross – Dual purpose § Bantams – Small versions of others 7 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

LAYING BREEDS § § § Breed dictates egg shell color White – primarily Leghorns Brown – “heavies” “Easter Eggs” -- Araucanas The egg is the same inside… 8 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

LAYING BREEDS § Brown egg layers were traditionally more practical, especially for outdoor production. – – – Meatier bird (future soup) Brown eggs harder to candle (not an issue in the past) More docile, easy care Did not fit the industrial model Slightly less production A brown-egg layer has been developed to produce at the commercial level. § “There’s “trade-off’s” with each breed – Ex. Egg production for hardiness 9 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

Laying Breeds- Leghorns § § § § § Excellent egg layers White egg shell High strung Small, noisy bird with great style, Leghorns like to move about. Good foragers Most numerous breed today. Rarely go broody Not a good choice for first experience 10

Laying Breeds- Buff Orpington § Heavy dual purpose § Lost popularity partly because of its white skin. § Loosely feathered, appearing massive. § Endure cold temperatures § Good foragers § Docile, brown eggs § Will go broody, good mothers. § Various colors 11

Layers- Plymouth Rock § Good general farm chicken § Docile § Many color combos § Normally show broodiness § Some strains are good brown egg layers while others are bred for meat. § Good mothers. § Not aggressive and tame quite easily 12

Layers- Rhode Island Red § A good choice for the small flock owner § Probably the best brown egg layers of the dual purpose breeds. § Handle marginal diets and poor housing conditions better than other breeds § Some males may be aggressive § Most show broodiness, but may not be present in the best egg production strains. 13

Layers- Polish § An ornamental bird § White eggs § Polish are an unusual and beautiful breed. § They have a crest § Some also have a beard and muffs § Sometimes their crests restrict vision and cause them to be easily frightened. 14

Layers- Araucanas § The "Easter Egg Chicken", § Named from the Indian tribe of Chile § Beautiful colored eggs of blue-green shades from turquoise to deep olive. § Extremely hardy § Good egg production 15

Layers- Australorp § Developed in Australia § A very good brown egg producer § Fairly meaty body § Have intense beetlegreen sheen on the black birds, dark eyes, deep bodies and are very active. § One of the best dualpurpose birds § Will go broody § Australorps hold the world's record for egg production 16

New Hampshire Red § Brown Eggs § A dual purpose chicken, selected more for meat production than egg production. § it dresses a nice, plump carcass as either a broiler or a roaster. § Used in crosses for “Production Reds” 17

Sex link Hybrids § High egg production § Crosses between common breeds § “Golden Comet” § “Golden Sexlink” § “Black Star” § Males/females different color at birth 18

Meat Breeds § Bred for meat production § Can lay eggs, but not their talent § Most meat breeds are “crosses” – Hybrid vigor § Some are very fast growing – to a fault… – Can have leg and heart problems, but can be managed with feeding 19

Cornish-Cross Meat Birds § Developed as the ultimate meat bird § The backbone of vast broiler industry § Produces a lot of breast meat. (Preferred by consumers. ) § Crossed with White Rocks for fast growing broilers. 20

HYBRID MEAT BREEDS § Cornish-Cross tend to be non-foraging – Just want to eat and grow! – Not good for bug patrol § Can produce a 4 -6 lb carcass in as little as 6 -8 weeks 21 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

HYBRID MEAT BREEDS § Red Rangers- American version of Label Rouge bird. § Slower-growing, 10 -14 weeks to reach 4 -5 lbs carcass weight. § Great foragers for bugs and pasture. § Excellent meat quality! Leaner carcass. 22 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

GETTING STARTED When Ordering Chicks: § Hatcheries can be found online and by searching Poultry U. http: //www. poultryu. umn. edu/ § Plan their arrival around their departure. For broilers, have processing and a market lined up in advance. For layers, know where they will go as they mature and begin to lay eggs. § Broilers can be ordered in a group of cockerels (males), pullets (females), or a straight run (a batch of both cockerels and pullets). Layer chicks are all females. § Vaccinate against Coccidiosis. Layers against Mareks. 23 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

GETTING STARTED § Chicks $1 to $3 each § Feeders can be purchased or made – A few dollars/feeder – Make your own – rain gutter or pvc pipe – Waterers more expensive § Can use buckets, pans, old pots/pans § Feed most expensive variable cost. 24 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

GETTING STARTED Preparing for their Arrival § Clean space, warm, draft-free. § Wood shavings, sawdust, straw. § 90 -95 degrees for the first week of life. Lower 5 degrees per week. § Infrared vs incandescent. § Feed and water set up. Different feed for broilers vs layers. More on this later. 25 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

MANAGEMENT STEPS TO HELP THEM THRIVE § Clean water twice daily § Limit feed after the first week, for the next 3 -4 weeks, to avoid Flip Disease. § Clean bedding around the waterers frequently to avoid ammonia buildup. § Keep area bio-secure. § In hot weather, 85+ degrees, pull feed during the hottest part of the day. You’ll save birds. 26 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

FEEDS AND FEEDING § Single greatest variable cost is feed § Nutrient needs varies with age and stage – Chicks need higher protein than adults – Meat birds need protein and energy – Layers need more calcium (oyster shells) – Grit needed to digest whole grains given to adult birds. 27 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

FEEDS AND FEEDING § Conventional, transitional, organic feeds. § Organic has organic standards to follow. No chicken feed has added hormones. § Commercial feeds can be purchased with or without medication. Be sure to look at the label. § Purchasing blended feed from local grain elevator may be the most economical. 28 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

FEEDS AND FEEDING § Chickens are omnivores. They eat meat, bugs, snakes, frogs, mice, table scraps, as well as grains and forage. § Pastured birds will still need a balanced feed ration available. § Insects and forage will only supply a small portion of the nutrients needed. 29 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

FEEDS AND FEEDING § Two-phase Feeding for Broilers. High protein diet for rapid growth. § Starter Feed- 20 -24% protein. Feed for the first 1 -4 weeks. § Grower Feed- 18 -20% protein. Feed to finish weight. 30 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

FEEDS AND FEEDING § Broilers will consume 2 lbs (average) feed/lb gain. National average is 1. 9 lbs feed/lb gain. § Cornish cross will be the most efficient at growth/feed conversion. A 5 -6 lb carcass at 8 weeks of age. § Red Rangers will take 10 -12 weeks to produce a 4. 5 lb carcass. § Dressing weight is 70 -75%. 31 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

FEEDS AND FEEDING 3 -4 -phase feeding program for layers. Designed for slower growth, less protein, a program designed for egg production § Pullet Starter- 0 -6 weeks, 18 -20% p § Pullet Grower- 7 -14 weeks, 16 -18% p § Pullet Developer- 14 -20 weeks-14 -16% p § Layer- 20+ Weeks, 16 -18% p 32 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

Egg Production 33

EGG PRODUCTION § Pullets begin laying 5 -6 months (20 -24 weeks) § Production actually peaks at 30 -34 weeks of age. Declines thereafter. § Takes 25 hours to produce an egg- 2 eggs/3 days. § Don’t need a rooster, unless you want fertilized eggs for hatching - or alarm clock § Will molt at 60 -72 weeks of age. 34 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

EGG PRODUCTION § Pick eggs daily (or more often). They will be cleaner. § Don’t clean if not dirty. § If you sell eggs, follow state and federal egg rules. https: //www. mda. state. mn. us/food/safety/shelleggs-sale. aspx 35 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

36 © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

Thank You! Questions? This product was developed with support from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which is funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture — National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed within do not necessarily reflect the view of the SARE program or the U. S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this Power. Point is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to the Extension Store at 800 -876 -8636. 37