BACKYARD CHICKEN FARM FOR EGGS PRODUCTION

If you don't have the space to erect a coop for a few laying hens, your eggs will have to continue coming from the grocery store. But it's worth giving up a bit of backyard space and a little of your time in exchange for your eggs supply .

             Size of the House
Determining the size of hen house you need is kind of like a "chicken and the egg" quandary. You need to know how many laying hens you'll be housing in order to build the coop, but you have to have a coop before you can bring home your hens. The amount of space available for a hen house might dictate how many hens you'll end up with. Build your hen house first then figure out how many laying hens you can have. Since 2 1/2 to 3 square feet is the amount of floor space each of your hens will need, divide the square footage of your coop by 3. The resulting number is the maximum number of laying hens you should have.

The Laying Parlor
A house for your laying hens is more than a dry, secure place to keep them. Your chickens' coop should be divided into separate areas just like your house is. The laying parlor is an important feature for your hen house since you'll be keeping hens expressly for the purpose of laying eggs. This area should take up about 1/3 of the total house. Provide at least one nest for every four hens you have and elevate the nests 4 to 24 inches above the ground. This can be done either by building a platform to place the nests upon or by nailing them to the wall. You don't have to place a dividing wall in the coop, but you can lay a 2 by 4 on the ground at the threshold of the parlor to designate the laying parlor from the rest of the hen house.

Roosting And Living Areas
The biggest part of your hens' house will be like a great room. Your hens will have 2/3 of their living space for roosting, eating and exercise. It doesn't matter how you arrange the roosting and living areas of the coop, but one way is to place rails 18 to 24 inches above the ground on the opposite end of the coop from the laying parlor. Use 2 inch dowels or pieces of wood that are 2 inches by 2 inches. Depending on how many laying hens you have, you may need more than one rail, as each chicken should be allowed 6 inches of space to roost upon. If you require more than one roost, space them 14 inches apart from each other. A food hopper and water fountain can be placed anywhere else within the living space.

Dirt, Wood Or Concrete Floor?
Hen houses don't require a specific type of flooring, provided that the coop protects your chickens from predators and any type of weather. It can even have a dirt floor if the house itself sits on concrete footings or other secure system that would prevent a raccoon or other marauder from getting in to steal eggs and harm your hens. Your chickens enjoy taking a dust bath occasionally, so if you asked them they would definitely vote for dirt flooring. If you opt for a wood or concrete floor, count on laying in a supply of sawdust or wood shavings to use as litter. No matter what type of flooring you use, you'll have to sweep up droppings and keep the floor of your hen house clean.

FACTORS AND THINGS THAT DETERMING EGG PRODUCTION IN CHICKEN

All poultry farmer wants to get the most best out of their birds and not just eggs. Farmers want happy, healthy birds. We have listed some things you can do to keep your birds happy healthy and increase eggs production..

1. Genetic pattern of the breed of hen
Maximum production of top-quality eggs starts with a closely controlled breeding program emphasizing favorable genetic factors. Sex-Links are the most productive brown egg layers be cause they are a mix of two high productive breeds. If you were to breed a very low productive chicken with a high productive chicken, the next generation would not be nearly as productive as their high productive parent. But if you were to cross a high productive breed with another high productive breed the next generation would be just as productive or more productive than there parents. You should all look out for this.

2. Hen's age at egg-laying maturity.
Although early starters lay more eggs, maturity too early results in many small eggs. These small eggs are called pullet eggs and are just as safe to eat as any other egg. The reason they are so small is because the pullet is not completely grown , as she matures and gets bigger so will her eggs bigger.

3. Resistance to disease.
Some breeds of Hen is reinforced by good sanitation and vaccination. You would never want to breed an ill chicken they could pass the illnesses down to future generations and you would have a constant battle of your hands. Always breed the healthiest chickens together the more generations and that have healthy chickens the more resistance they build up to diseases.

4. Watch out for Light control.
Light control is primary importance both during the growing and laying periods, controlled, low-intensity light can be used to delay sexual maturity until the bird's body is big enough to produce larger eggs. Today's laying hen doesn't need to depend upon the sun to tell her when laying time has arrived. Intensity and duration of light can be adjusted to regulate production in the Fall and Winter when the days are shorter.

5. Feeding.
The amount of food hen eats depends upon the hen's size, the rate of egg production, temperature in the laying house and the energy level of the feed. In general, about 4 pounds of feed are required to produce a dozen eggs. A Leghorn chicken eats about 1/4 pound of feed per day. Brown-egg layers are slightly larger and require more food. Egg quality is affected by the type feed. Shell strength, for example, is determined by the presence and amounts of vitamin D, calcium and other minerals in the feed. Too little vitamin A can result in blood spots. Yolk color is influenced by pigments in the feed. Maximum egg size requires an adequate amount of protein and essential fatty acids.