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Poultry Farm

Chicken Farm Facts
Chickens are raised for a variety of poultry products. Chickens that are raised for their meat are either referred to as "broilers" or "fryers." A broiler chicken weights approximately 7 pounds. Female broiler chickens lay eggs, but these eggs are not often eaten.

Chickens that are raised for egg production are called "layers." Only female chickens, or hens, can lay eggs. Layers weight about 3.5 pounds. 99% of the eggs bought in grocery stores are produced by layer chickens.

As a layer chicken gets older, the quality of the shell on the eggs she produces decreases. Once a layer chicken becomes too old to lay eggs, she is termed a "spent hen." These hens are used for low grade meat, such as the meat found in many soups and hot dogs.

Chickens eat grower or layer mash that contains a mixture of corn, wheat and soybeans. Proteins and medications are added to the feed for better health. Since chickens have no teeth, chicken feed is ground up. Chickens use a special internal organ, called a gizzard, which contains gravel and grit to grind up food for digestion.

Layer Chicken Operations
Layer chickens are raised inside buildings called layer houses. These houses are very large and can house tens of thousands of chickens. The layer house is kept on an artificial lighting schedule. Using this type of lighting schedule, the farmer attempts to maximize a chickens laying ability. Changing the amount of light in a layer house will either slow or stop egg production. By altering the among of light an animal is exposed to, a farmer can adjust the chickens laying schedule.
A layer chicken does not start laying eggs until it is around 21 weeks old and the hen lays eggs for about a year. Around a year old, the hen goes through a non-laying period (called a "molting" period) that lasts for about three months. After the molting period, the hen starts her laying cycle again.

A layer chicken lays one egg a day. The hen will lay one egg per day for several days in a row and then will not lay another egg for 1 or 2 days. This is called a clutch period.

Chickens are kept in cages. When a hen lays an egg, it rolls onto a belt where they can be collected easily. Modern layer houses have a conveyor collection system where the eggs are collected and then placed into an egg flat or carton. Eggs are collected 3 times a day. Eggs must be refrigerated within 5 hours of laying to ensure the best quality. Since roosters (male chickens) are kept out of hen cages, the eggs that are produced are the ones we buy at the grocery store. Eggs that are fertilized by a rooster and incubated will develop into a chick. Eggs are checked for cracks and abnormalities by "candling." Candling is done by shining a light through the egg to see any imperfections.

Broiler Chicken Operations
Broiler houses are also kept on artificial lighting cycles. The amount of light is increased to maximize the broiler chickenís feed consumption, maximizing meat production. When feed consumption and meat production reach their maximum, that particular lighting schedule is maintained.

Broiler chickens also eat grower or layer mash along with other added proteins and medications added. Broiler chickens are also housed in large buildings called broiler houses. Like layer houses, broiler houses can hold many thousands of chickens.

When a broiler chicken reaches the proper size for market, it is sent to a processing facility for slaughtering and processing into the chicken we buy at the grocery store.

Chicken Farm Sites
Chicken farms have large numbers of chickens. One building can hold over 100,000 birds! With this large number of birds in one area, a large amount of chicken manure is produced.

Chicken manure is collected and stored for use as fertilizer on crop land. Since the manure is often stored for long periods of time, farmers only empty the manure storage a few times a year. When a farmer is cleaning the storage area and spreading the manure, odors can be very strong. Many factors determine the range and strength of odors. These include humidity, temperature, distance from the farm, topography, and wind direction. Many of these a farmer has no control over.
Chickens can sometimes be noisy animals. If you live near a chicken farm, you might hear chickens making noises at all hours the day and night.

Layer and broiler houses have few windows, especially where the birds are kept. This is due to the artificial lighting schedules that control laying and feed uptake.

Large trucks may be seen coming in and out of the poultry farm, either picking up eggs, picking up broiler chickens for slaughter or delivering chicken feed. These trucks may be big, loud and occasionally hold up traffic. Be patient. These trucks are a necessary part of the production process.

Poultry Health
Farmers take a lot of effort to prevent diseases from getting into their chicken flocks. Chickens are extremely susceptible to diseases. Casual visitors are usually not allowed into broiler or layer facilities because visitors can carry diseases that are harmful to chickens. One such disease, called Avian Influenza, can be transported on fabric and vehicle tires. Humans can carry this disease into chicken houses on their clothing or shoes. This disease can easily infect the entire flock. Normally flocks infected with avian influenza are destroyed costing the farmer many thousands of dollars in lost production.
Precautions are taken by farm employees to prevent the spread of this disease. People entering a chicken house must completely change their clothing and footwear when they enter and exit each chicken farm. No farmer wants to relive the horrible experience that occurred in 1984 when Avian Influenza killed approximately 17 million birds in Pennsylvania causing a loss of around $100 million.

This publication is available in alternative media upon request.

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