Brian Triplett: Ag Biz

During our discussion of farm poultry last week, I failed to mention the unofficial “watch dog” of the farm, the guinea fowl. When I was growing up, my aunt (the same one who had the infamous go cart) had several guineas that would loudly inform her when someone would drive up. Guineas are fun to watch and I still get a kick out of the group (properly called a confusion) that wonders over to my dad’s place every afternoon in search of a handout. Enough reminiscing. Back to the subject at hand, which is where we left off last week, talking about raising your own farm eggs.

We talked about buying chicks to get started and what determines egg size and color. It takes about six months for a chick to start producing eggs, and proper management is essential for its survival to adulthood.

Assuming you are starting with day-old chicks, they should be kept in a brooding area that provides about 1 square foot of space per chick for about the first four to six weeks after arrival. The brooding area needs to be well-lighted, warm and free from the outside elements. It also must provide protection from cats, dogs, snakes and other wild animals, such as skunks, that readily feast on young chicks. Ideally, the brooder should have a round shape (to avoid corners where chicks can pile on top of each other) and the floor should be covered with 4 to 6 inches of pine shavings or pine sawdust to restrict the growth of a fungus that can cause pneumonia in young chicks.

Chickens have a higher body temperature than humans and will need supplemental heat provided in the form of a heat-producing lamp. Start with a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit and reduce this temperature five degrees a week until a temperature of 70 degrees is reached.

Pullets only need a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees until they reach maturity. The best way to tell if the chicks are comfortable in the brooder is to check in on them often. If they are all huddled together directly below the light, they are too cold. If they are all panting at the edge of the brooder, they are too hot. At an ideal temperature, they will be evenly distributed around the space eating and drinking.

Provide easy access to feed and water by having several of each in the brooder. Start pullets on a commercial feed ration of 20 percent crude protein for the first six weeks, followed by a 16 percent ration until they are 14 weeks old. Switch to a 12 percent crude protein ration until they start laying, at which time they need to be placed on a 16 percent ration again.

If you purchased your pullets from a commercial hatchery, they will come to you vaccinated against most major poultry diseases. You may also want to consider vaccinating your chicks against fowl pox, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

Lighting is also critical to starting pullets on a proper laying program. From arrival until 3 weeks of age, the birds need 20 to 24 hours of light a day. From three to 22 weeks, begin decreasing lighting up to 15 minutes a week until at 22 weeks the birds are receiving the natural daylight length for that time of year. One 40-watt incandescent bulb is adequate for providing the required amount of light for a 10-foot-by-15-foot house (which is capable of housing up to 75 pullets).

Once pullets begin to lay eggs, increase light length by 15 minutes a week to stimulate egg production until the birds are receiving 16 to 18 hours of light a day, where it should remain for the rest of the laying period (about a year) when the birds will need to “molt.”

Molting is a rest and recuperation period for the hens, during which they stop producing eggs, shed their old feathers and grow new feathers.

For more tips and links to other Web sites related to producing eggs at home, please visit “Blogging with Brian” at http://tceblogs.tamu.edu/mt/smith.

Brian Triplett is the Smith County Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources. He can be reached at 903-590-2980 or via e-mail at b-triplett@tamu.edu or on the Web at http://tceblogs.tamu.edu/mt/smith or http://smith-tx.tamu.edu.

Brian Triplett
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