As a new chicken owner , you may be all excited to collect eggs from your flock , and you are all set to feed them well so you could enjoy healthy , hormone - innocent meat in turn .
We take it that you have kept up to engagement with theirhealth direction , carefully considered and constructedadequate housingand am providing the bestfeed and white waterto keep them healthy and happy .
But now is the time to get the good advantage from their eggs and meat . However , from collect bollock to butcher them for meat , there is a flock you should know . Before enjoying those nutritious and tasty eggs and meat , it ’s best to have rich knowledge even about the nitty - granular detail of the intact process .
How Many Chickens Should You Get for Eggs?
Though this is one of the most common query chicken keepers require , you ’ll get a different answer from everyone . That ’s because it depends on the watch element :
So , let ’s don you ’re a family of six members . All of you are doting of having fresh egg for breakfast . In this scenario , your backyard volaille should give you six eggs every day .
Let ’s do some math : You would like to have 42 egg per workweek .
An ballock - laying chicken ( see thechicken breedsthat are ideal for laying eggs ) may lie in anaverage of five eggsin a workweek . This means that you ’ll need to buy at least eight Gallus gallus to gather a weekly supplying of around 40 eggs a hebdomad , that are sufficient for your kinsfolk of six .
However , it ’s equally reliable that raising eight Gallus gallus in your backyard can be a verbose task especially if you ’re keeping a large act of birds for the first metre . Therefore , it ’s always good to begin with three chickens , let them grow and lay eggs , and then add more Bronx cheer to the flock .
While you ’re all emotional to see dozens of eggs every week , you should also be aware of the seasonality . Chickens on a regular basis lay eggs in the summer . But at the end of the fall time of year , they lay less . also , in winters , they might lay only a few testicle per hebdomad or not lay at all . When spring approaches , your chickens may get back to their even Hz of laying eggs . And as they step into summer , you’re able to anticipate the same number of orchis per week .
As time fade and the hens set testicle according to each season , you ’ll gradually get an theme about how the eggs - set timing body of work and when it ’s the right time to introduce additional crybaby to your backyard flock .
How Many Chickens Should You Get for Meat?
Getting the right number of chickens for meat depends on how often you apply chickens . You would have to consider lunch meat , roast meat , and chicken center for other purposes .
If you ’re a regular consumer of beef and mutton also , factor that in and account how many days you corrode chicken .
There are two room to go about it :
you could raise a flock of about 15 or 20 ( the number can change depending on how many you could raise simultaneously ) .
you could butcher two to three chicken each hebdomad as per your penury .
However , this would imply having a large space reserved for chicken coop . Also , supercede two to three wimp hebdomadary for the slaughtered chickens will mean you ’re contribute chicken to your existing tidy sum . It will bring a innkeeper of trouble such as fights and diseases .
A more raw way , as done by many people , is to raise the routine of chickens they wish to massacre for six to eight weeks . Then they proceed to slaughter them all at the same metre . After this , they freeze all the heart . You might need an energy - efficient , spacious freezer . This way , you ’ll be spared the fuss of replacing chickens on a constant basis .
Frequently Asked Questions about Chickens for Eggs and Meat
1. When Do Chickens Start Laying Eggs?
Although inquiry point that chickens will pop out put eggs from 17 weeks forwards , in reality , it can never be unfeignedly predicted .
Chickens can lay bollock on a regular basis every daytime and may take a jailbreak for a few days and then start laying every other solar day . The only matter you may do is to offer them feed with at least 17 % protein . It should be whole cereal nutrient . render them water supply oftentimes , and keep the light source switched on until you hit the bed .
It ’s generally think that juvenile hens or fryer part lay at the age of six months . Larger chicken breeds like Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes will take more clock time while smaller breeds like Australorps can get laying sooner .
However , if your chickens become mature in winter , it ’s possible they might not start up laying bollock until it is leap . That ’s because the amount of daylight also plays a part in eggs production .
You must also remember that illnesses can do a delay in egg output . Parasite plague such as worms , pinch , and lice are a perpetrator of delayed egg production . To prevent this , keep receive your volaille checked on a regular basis .
2. At What Age Do They Stop Laying Eggs?
We can not say that they ‘ blockade ’ laying eggs after a sure age . But the egg yield does tend to get obtuse as time passes . Mostlaying breedswill continue to give you eggs more or less for around five to seven age .
3. What to Do When Your Chicken Stops Laying Eggs?
If your chickens contain lay eggs for the winters , you’re able to extend the daytime by putting a light hooked to a timekeeper in the coop . While this can pass the daylight of Gallus gallus , it ’s normal for them to block laying egg in winter .
If the chicken have bar laying in winter , you have two plan of attack in front of you . you could butcher them , and get a nice , chicken fret ready to warm you up in the wintertime ! Or you could give them time until spring to jump laying egg again .
There are more to this , which explained bellow .
4. Do I Need a Rooster?
hen do not need a cock for laying egg . The eggs are infertile without a rooster so they wo n’t hatch into dame .
However , if you ’re interested in increasing the size of it of your flock , then you might turn over fuck off one rooster per 6 - 12 hens .
5. When Can I Butcher?
At commercial-grade farm , they massacre the poulet at around a year or so because they start laying fewer egg than before . However , if you ’re raising backyard chickens , then one or two few ballock should not matter a flock .
However , keep them just for the sake of an testis or two in a while will not pull through you much money . mill farms get hold of chicken food at much low cost because they buy in bulk . You , on the other hand , might be getting it for around five pounds at a time .
Factory farms also have small space and no nesting boxes while you might be providing quite a lot of amenities to your backyard chicken . While all these points seem to make a character of butchering the chickens when they have slowed egg production , many deliberate chicken as their pets , not wishing to part with them .
If you ’re intent on butcher a backyard chicken , then raise the meat chicken breeds as they ’re levy exclusively for butchering and can be butcher at around eight months one-time . Breeds like Plymouth Rock , Wyandotte , and Orpington are raised for both center and ballock . Their biddy can reach a just size in up to 4 months and can be butchered at the geezerhood of eight month .
What to Do When Your Hens Stop Laying Eggs
You ’ve got the proper number of egg - put down chickens . And it ’s a joy to see those pearly eggs every good morning . However , you ’ll often come across situations when you get to the coop and find out that most of the hen are n’t laying any eggs .
Of course , this may make you think , “ What exactly went haywire ? ”
Even if you ’ve been take charge of your birds , there can be many reasons why they ’ve stopped laying eggs . Even little things could be creditworthy for this situation . But worry not ! Once you know the exact ground , you’re able to work on the root easily .
Here are some of the reason why your crybaby have stopped laying eggs and what you ’re supposed to do :
1. Your Chicken Breed Is a Meat Bird
Perhaps you know this already from when we discussedchicken breedsthat you should buy the egg - laying breeds to get more eggs . But it may be that you mistakenly brought the wrong breed : the broiler ! And why would a broiler , a meat volaille , lay bollock ?
What you should do
You would n’t know which of the chickens is n’t laying egg unless you separate a few of them and transmit them to another henhouse . If you do n’t see any egg in any one of the coops , you ’ll easy identify the broiler . Once you know which of those wimp is a broiler , you’re able to assort it from the flock and create an alone new wad of chickens to bring up for meat only .
So , even if you have start out only one broiler , you may buy some more to create a plenty of inwardness birds . feast them well and watch them grow till they get mature enough to be slaughtered and put to your dinner party table .
2. Your Chicken Has Exceeded Her Egg-Laying Age
If you ’re raising a few Gallus gallus in your backyard alternatively of keeping a peck of more than 10 - 12 hen , then it ’s rude that you know each one of them – including their testicle - laying habits ! And suddenly , you notice that one of them has completely stop set eggs . Her age can be the reason . Chickens old than eight years terminate lay eggs .
An older chicken will not pose any more eggs . you’re able to either keep your wimp as a pet until it die naturally or donate it as a gift to a friend or neighbour who loves to keep chickens without the purpose of bugger off eggs from it .
3. The Daylight Hours Decreased
Hens lay a spate in summer because of ample daylight . But as the winter approaches , the daytime hr decrease . Because the sun does n’t rise in winter as early as in summer , the chickens also would n’t bother to get up from their roosts in winters until they see daytime . Also , as the sunlight sets early in winter , they ’ll fall asleep earlier as compare to their summer routine .
So , if chickens do n’t lay eggs in winter , it ’s chiefly because they have got special time to stay awake and prepare their bodies for laying testicle .
You ’ll often front this site if you live in a cold country . But here ’s the answer : it ’s quite easy to trick the backyard chickens by by artificial means increasing day . Insert a light bulb or a lamp in the coop . Just before it gets dark , swop it on . This way , the wimp would think that it ’s still daylight and they can still lay eggs . The light will also keep them awake .
4. Your Chickens are Stressed Out
Surprisingly , chickens and humans have two thing vulgar among them : stress and its consequences .
When we ’re stressed out , it affects our health as well as productiveness . Chickens share similar trait ! When stress is upset them , they ’ll be less goodly and will stop get eggs . There may be legion understanding behind this phenomenon . Perhaps , your chickens were attack by a predator . Or it may be that they hate getting chamfer by kids .
Another reason is that you ’ve just purchased a few grown - up crybaby that used to lie eggs in their previous place . But as they ’ve enter your backyard for the first fourth dimension , they ’re having adaptation problem .
doubtlessly , they deserve protection . Make trusted they ’re safe fromall piranha . If you have kids at dwelling house , learn them how sensitive these boo are and how crucial it is to be kind to backyard chickens .
If your volaille are new to your backyard , give them some time to determine in , as well as love and care . Over sentence , they ’ll get used to the raw position and will start laying egg again .
5. Your Chicken Isn’t a Prolific Layer
It may sound a spot disheartening , but some chickens are grand at grow orchis while others get by producing low quantities of eggs . The number of eggs set by your chicken varies from breed to breed , and this can be one reason why your hen is not into it !
Some of the breed which are known for being prolific egg layer are White Leghorns , Sexlinks , and Road Island Reds . Other strain like Jersey Giant and Dominiques are not peculiarly acknowledge for ball put down .
You cando your researchto encounter out how many eggs your breed of chickens put unremarkably . If you own a Rhode Island Red , but it ’s laying fewer eggs than expected , then it may be that it ’s encountering some trouble .
If you have some other breed , say , Jersey Giant , and it ’s not showing any other problematic symptom , then , perhaps , it ’s simply not position eggs because of its strain . Although Jersey Giant is a majuscule alternative to have both egg and meat , it does n’t produce as many eggs as compared to other poulet stock .
6. Your Chicken’s Diet Is Low on Protein
Some dietary requirement of volaille are the same as ours . They require proper nutrition for proper operation .
wimp postulate a fair amount of protein and if you notice the nut supply dwindle to a stop , verify that protein deficiency is n’t the reason behind it . If it is , you could fix that .
A healthy amount of protein should be allow for to chickens via bed pellets . However , if you still do n’t see any noticeable divergence in eggs production , then you may try giving dainty with high protein content such as mealworms or pumpkin germ .
Other than this , volaille also need water and grit . Grit is needed by chickens to avail them process their food .
Gallus gallus also need an abundant supply of unfermented pee , and they roll in the hay gulping water . If your chickens are happy with the fancy waterers , you may keep them around . Another option is to go for a 2.5 - gal bucket with novel water . This one also makes for glad volaille as they can gulp water .
7. You Introduced Some New Members to the Flock
Can it be that you introduced some new chickens to the flock ? Or perhaps , you have eventually finish theirgrand chicken coopand moved them to the novel position . Both of these factor can have an impact on their egg lay .
Sometimes , when your flock has new chicken , the older 1 can halt laying eggs . It just ‘ shocks ’ the volaille out of their innate rhythm . The Gallus gallus have to determine the distance and place ( pecking order ) for new members . While it does take time for chickens to settle in , they do eventually start laying eggs when things become normal for them .
The same affair happens when you move Gallus gallus to a new place . Chickens follow a routine and move them to a unexampled property , even if it ’s a hencoop across the backyard , can thrust things off - Libra for them create them stop egg production for a few Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
Have patience as your chickens will come around . They just need a few Day for adjust and establish the new pecking order .
In case it ’s a new locality for them , they would again involve a few days . Once they ’re conversant with the surround , they ’ll lay eggs as common .
8. Chickens Like Looking at Food
Just like you like bring up in the heart of the night and hovering around the electric refrigerator to see what ’s inside , chicken do too ( minus the electric refrigerator part ! )
Even though you may not necessarily eat something from the fridge , just look at it reassures you that it ’s stocked to the lip and you do n’t want to care about anything . crybaby think the same way of life . They need to know that they have enough supply of solid food . Otherwise , they can bulge thinking that they ’re about to famish .
If they are not adequately feed or do not see solid food usable , they can reroute their nutrients in their torso . The nutrients are now used to keep them live , or else of being used to lay eggs .
It ’s as simple as leaving a good amount of food in the chicken coop . It does n’t weigh if they do n’t eat it all . It just serve as a monitor that there is plenty of food available and they do n’t need to vex about the shortage of solid food .
If you have an automatic feeder , you could try refilling it when it has about a quarter of the food for thought leave .
9. Their Coop Is Dirty, and They Hate It!
As an owner of backyard chicken , you know it can get messy in the cage . Youhave to cleanthe animals ’ sphere on a regular basis and oftentimes . If the nesting place of the chicken is not light , they wo n’t lay egg there .
Anyone who has raised chickens knows full well that chicken do poop in their nesting area too . However , it does n’t mean that you begin clean and throwing away the whole nesting material in the trash every exclusive mean solar day . That would be very feverish , right ?
Thankfully , there is an easier solution .
You should clean house empty the crybaby ’ nesting loge weekly or twice a workweek . Thenesting boxshould be refilled with nice , white , andgood - tone nesting material . From wood shave and straw to pine shavings and chopped paper , all of these materials make for comfy nesting boxes .
Pine shaving are a favorite of some people as they keep the smells at bay and also keep the nest bet swell .
Also , stick to a placed cleanup docket . On a scheduled day , you may go and clean all the fauna ’ areas .
10. The Chickens Need Space
If you thought humans only need personal distance , then no , chicken need it too ! They do n’t ask a big , spacious orbit . But yes , some space is still required . If your chickens ’ coop is crowded , they wo n’t lay eggs .
The space needed by chickens depends on whether it ’s gratis - range or cooped .
For free range chickens , you only need about three to four square feet per chicken . Most of their day will be spend outside so the chickens will come up in the chicken coop just for sleep .
If , however , your skirt are cooped up most of the time , you ’ll want to arrange about 10 straight feet of space for each Gallus gallus . That could be 3 straight invertebrate foot of protection plus 7 square feet of run ( or 4 & 6 ) .
You should build a henhouse offering enough place for the chickens . Another alternative is to bring down the number of chicken you ’re currently keeping . With a spacious coop , the chickens will be well - settled and glad . Hence , they ’ll be good egg layers too .
11. Your Chicken Is Ill
One of the reasons chickens can stop laying eggs is that they ’re sick . If your chicken has stopped put down bollock , it may be clip to call a vet . Usually , volaille do n’t show any signs of illnesses which makes this process all the more hard for crybaby owners .
However , if you see some symptoms , call in a vet immediately . An alarming disease can be raspberry influenza which open at a disturbing rate from doll to humans . If you suspect that your wimp has it , there ’s no intellect to retard . You should call the vet .
You ’ll also need to call in your county agent to prove the chickens and notify the proper office to inform them about the case in the county .
Many times , chickens also watch a respiratory disease which can be fearsome in themselves and can wipe out a bombastic flock .
If you notice any chicken having a fluid nose , quarantine the chicken as soon as possible . Many would suggest you kill the chicken if it catches a respiratory disease . But once they recover from the disease , chicken can get back to the eggs laying business .
Get aesculapian discussion . you may also try some natural shipway for treat respiratory problems in the chicken . If it ’s a steady computer virus rather than the fear skirt flu , you could offer them some super food to wipe out , feast them refreshful herb , and put ACV ( Malus pumila cyder vinegar ) in their water .
Once the chickens heal , they can get back to lay ballock . However , be mindful that many times sickness coincides with the molting process . Therefore , you would have to devote close attention to the Gallus gallus to rein out the possibility of exuviate during the early months of winter .
Collecting, Cleaning, and Storing Eggs
It ’s undoubtedly a cheerful forenoon when you visit your backyard and see those fresh , beautiful eggs – the good sight ever ! But do n’t think that you ’ve attain it all . Once you collect the eggs , there are a few project you must carry out to assure maximum hygiene .
1. It’s Time to Clean the Eggs
Before doing anything else with the eggs , you demand to clean the eggs .
clean house the egg depends on various element too . If you ’re retain the eggs for yourself and it does n’t weigh if the nut are a bit grimy , you may store them as they are .
However , if you ’re gifting them to some relative or friends , you might want to wash the nut . Of naturally , who would like to accept muddied eggs as a talent ? To keep the eggs squeamish and clean , you may assure that the hen have freshly laid straw on which they can lay their eggs . This will verify that the eggs are neat from the start .
You do n’t need to replace pale yellow every day . Just be mindful of picking up any large gathering of ooze from the area once you have started collecting eggs .
doubtlessly , there will always be one clip or the other when you ’ll find an egg stack with muck .
In that case , first , endeavor to wipe it off with a dry - cleaning launch pad . If the egg is pretty messy and it wo n’t be potential for you to clean house it with the stamp pad , track down it under quick water and remove goop with the help of the cleansing tablet .
Running the H2O should be done as a last refuge , after first attempting to clean the testicle with a cleansing tablet . This is so because when you draw H2O over the testicle , you remove the egg ’s bloom , which is a natural protective layer , shielding it from bacterium .
Once clean , eggs can be stored in multiple ways , some of which are yield below .
2a. Store the Eggs at Room Temperature
Eggs can be store at room temperature for around a month before you may start thinking of propel them to the refrigerator . Even so , the eggs would taste well in their first two week .
you may store them in a dish or basketball hoop filled with husk ( for a natural alternative ) or you may even go the egg carton way .
Also , remember that while storing , the temperature should n’t top 55 ° F otherwise it will be harmful . Also , the humidity should be around 75 % . If it ’s too dry , the egg will dry out . However , if the humidity level is too high , the eggs will get moldy . So , you have to strike a balance .
2b. Store the Eggs in a Fridge
Storing eggs in a refrigerator is another mode to preserve eggs . Since it does extend their shelf life , you’re able to enjoy them for a much recollective metre after bewilder hold of them .
Again , you may opt for anything ranging from an egg cartonful to any plastered container . In a electric refrigerator , bollock can last for as long as six months . However , the bollock white might become a piddling runny .
To have the best of eggs , mark the date on which bollock were lay . This can aid you keep track if you ’re implicated about the safe and freshness of the eggs .
How to Store Fertile Chicken Eggs
If you ’re thinking of storing rich volaille eggs for a while before you startincubatingthem , here are a few things you might need to go through :
A volaille lays eggs in a clean area . You should replicate the same process . Otherwise , there is a gamey chance or endangerment of contaminating the testicle .
To avoid a contamination job , set the rich eggs in cardboard cartonful but ensure that they ’re new . Do n’t use them for more than one pot . If you ’re using resin or charge card memory containers for multiple times , you could do so after exhaustively wash them . you could clean it with sterilizing liquid or even mild bleach answer be made by dissolving about a teaspoon of bleach to a liter of water .
If you ’re looking for an idealistic solvent , you could always go for a plastic refrigerator storage organiser . It can be used not just in a pre - incubation period of time but can also be used for store eggs in the electric refrigerator for eating .
Another thing to remember about storing fat eggs is to keep them the ‘ correct way up ’ which would be intend maintain the pointed conclusion downwardly . If you cease up place the more rounded end face upwards , there is a hazard of the air cell becoming bump , making the fertilized egg inside dice !
In a natural setting , a hen keeps splay the ball before brooding , since it recognise by instinct that keeping it on just one side will make the conceptus stick to the tissue layer in the egg . You too should rotate the eggs on a regular basis before brooding . Turn them twice day by day .
Lastly , keep the eggs cool and dry to keep their fertility .
How to Butcher Your Backyard Chickens
If you ’re a first - timer , this would be one of the sad time of your life – slaughter your backyard chickens . But remember , you ’ve been doing all this hard work to get healthy meat . And now is the time to get that marrow .
Here ’s how you ’ll do it in the most humanely means :
This TV below will show you how to do it humanely using a kill cone .
Note : This is an age - throttle television based on Community Guidelines .
snap onthis linkto go to YouTube where your historic period will be asked .
How to Store Slaughtered Chicken
After the slaughter part , you may get the crybaby all nicely sealed and packaged , ready to go in the freezer , for a long vacation !
After pick / wash the carcass , lay them on a cool down rack for drain . Now , measure them on a digital plate .
you may use a vacuum sealant that sucks all the melody out of the traveling bag . Once you have used it , tightly shut the chicken in the sealed plastic bag .
As per your liking , you could put in the chicken in one suitcase or store it in different pieces . Mostly , people edit and package separate bags of leg , thigh , breast , and wing . It makes the job easier , and you could perpetrate out the necessary bags you require for any finical chicken dish you want to dream up later !
While the other theatrical role can be used for roasting , broiling , etc . , the necks and backs of the chicken can be utilized for a steamy chicken stock .
Conclusion
What joy to be ultimately able to enjoy the produce of your hard labour . You have taken the bad conclusion to have a fewchickens in your backyard , build a coop , bought theright breed , read up on tearing andfeeding , and now at long last , you may enjoy fresh eggs every day , and tone chicken meat !
At this point , your neighbors will value the cognition and expertise you have applied to like for your flock , and may soon be copying you with keeping a few hens too .
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