1. Gregory S. Archer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Department of Poultry Science
2. 1. Gather accurate information (see
resources)
2. Plan well
• Be prepared for all possibilities
Manure management/disposal
Dead bird disposal
Housing/ventilation
Predator control
3. If for business, know the applicable rules
and regulations
4. Find reputable source of birds
4. Internet
• Avoid blogs, forums, PETA, HSUS, Mother Earth News, etc.
• BAD information
People who used to have chickens
People who know people who have chickens
“How to” books and magazines
5. Reputable sources
• National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) certified hatcheries (can
order through US mail)
• Reputable breeders
Ask for documentation of disease testing
Not recommended:
• Flea markets
• Ads in the paper
• Friend of a friend
6. Ideal Poultry – Cameron,Texas
Murray McMurray – Iowa
Morris Hatchery – Miami, Florida
Strombergs - Minnesota
Meyer Hatchery – Ohio
Welp Hatchery – Iowa
many more on internet
www.idealpoultry.com
7. Quarantine from existing flock for at least
3 weeks
• Not in same building or pen
• As far away as possible
• Monitor for disease symptoms, particularly
respiratory
• Handle sick or quarantined birds AFTER the
other birds.
• Wash hands thoroughly and disinfect boots
Not recommended to comingle birds of
significantly different ages
8. Depends on:
• Type of production
Eggs
Meat
Both
• Production expectations
Make a profit
Reduce food bill (not likely)
Personal use and satisfaction
• What you like
9. 280 eggs/yr
Egg laying ***
Meat Production **
Aggressiveness **
Broodiness *
Space needs ***
Bantam version? Yes
Climate Any
10. < 200 Eggs
Egg laying ***
Meat Production ***
Aggressiveness *
Broodiness ***
Space needs ***
Bantam version? Yes
Climate Any
11. < 200 Eggs
Egg laying ***
Meat Production ***
Aggressiveness **
Broodiness *
Space needs ***
Bantam version? Yes
Climate Any
12. < 200 Eggs
Egg laying ***
Meat Production ***
Aggressiveness **
Broodiness *
Space needs ***
Bantam version? Yes
Climate Any
13. Egg laying **
Meat Production **
Aggressiveness *
Broodiness *
Space needs ***
Bantam version? No
Climate Cold
18. Will be 18
weeks old
When you
should get
chicks
Light is
increasing
19. Functions of Housing
▪ Protection from weather extremes
• precipitation
• winter and summer
▪ Protection from predators
• particularly at night
▪ For laying hens, a place to nest and lay eggs
▪ For chicks, proper brooding environment for
early growth period
▪ Maximize efficiency
20. Layer Housing
▪ Suggest confined housing
• promote bird health
• promote egg quality
• reduce potential for predation
• Wire or slat (wood or plastic) flooring optimum
• Littered flooring (wood shavings, rice hulls, wash sand) second best
21. Layer Housing
▪ Free-range housing
• Provide a permanent or mobile structure to provide minimum housing
❖ protection from predators (close at night)
❖ protection from bad weather and cold
❖ nest boxes for egg laying
❖ feed and water
29. Things to consider with mobile coops
▪ May have to move daily, depending on density of birds
• Enough land??
▪ Heat/Cold stress
• Air flow
• Shade
• Moisture
▪ Predators
▪ Rain and ground moisture
▪ Still must brood baby chicks in a building
30. Permanent vs Mobile
Permanent Housing Mobile Housing
▪ Build up of shavings/litter
▪ Control environment
▪ Predators less access
▪ Raise birds in one
system
▪ More birds per house
▪ Fertilize pasture
▪ Less control over
environment
▪ Predators easier
access
▪ Brood birds then move
to mobile
▪ Maximum coop size?
32. Feeding the Right Ration
▪ Commercial poultry feeds contain numerous similar feed ingredients. Several different
types of rations are available, however. (As an example: starter, grower, finisher and layer
rations) These are designed to meet the specific needs of different types of birds.
▪ To know which ration is best for your flock, you need to know the answers to these
questions:
1. What age birds are you feeding?
2. What kind of birds are you feeding?
3. Are the birds being raised for meat or to produce eggs?
33. Feeding Mistakes
▪ The most common mistake is feeding the wrong feed.
• Do not give young birds a layer ration.
• The calcium level is excessively high for young birds.
• Do not mix scratch grain with a complete commercial ration.
❖ Cracked corn, for example, is low in protein.
❖ By mixing cracked corn with a complete commercial grower ration, you dilute (reduce) the protein level
as well as the vitamin and mineral content of the diet.
❖ The birds will not grow as well or lay many eggs and will also be less resistant to disease.
❖ Nutrient deficiencies may lead to feather picking, lameness, sores or even death.
▪ The second most common mistake is not feeding enough of the appropriate type feed.
34.
35.
36.
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38.
39. Feed Ingredients
▪ Calcium sources
• It is recommended that 50% of the calcium in a
layer diet be of large particle size.
42. Feed Ingredients
▪ Yolk pigmentation
❖ Yolk color is the result of carotenoid pigments
called xanthophylls.
❖ Xanthophyll content of various ingredients:
Corn 20 mg/kg
Wheat 4 mg/kg
Milo 1 mg/kg
Alfalfa meal 175 mg/kg
Corn gluten meal 275 mg/kg
Marigold petals 7,000 mg/kg
43. Feed Management
▪ Poultry feeds should be as fresh as possible. Never store feed
for longer than 1 month in the summer and 2 months during the
winter.
▪ Never allow birds to eat moldy feed; toxins produced by molds
will cause serious harm to poultry.
• Allow birds to clean up their feed at least once a week. This prevents
caking in feed troughs and accumulation of moldy feed. It also keeps the
birds from picking out certain ingredients and assures that they are
eating a balanced diet.
44. Sale of Table Eggs
▪ Retail food establishments are not allowed to use ungraded
eggs
• must be received from an approved source that is licensed by the
regulatory authority
❖ egg license = Texas Department of Agriculture
– additional rules for packaging, labeling and inspection
• eggs must be clean, sound and at least Grade B
• must be delivered in refrigerated equipment at 45°F or less
45. Sale of Table Eggs (Graded)
▪ TDA Statutes:
• Agricultural Code, Title 6. Production, Processing
and Sale of Animal Products
❖ Chapter 132. Eggs
▪ TDA Rules:
• Texas Administrative Code, Title 4: Agriculture
• Part 1: Chapter 15. Egg Law
Chapter 18. Organic Standards and Certif.
46. Who needs an Egg License from TDA?
▪ Egg Dealer-Wholesaler
• A person engaged in the business of buying eggs from producers or other persons on his own account
and selling or transferring eggs to other dealer-wholesalers, processors, retailers or other persons and
consumers.
• A dealer-wholesaler further means a person engaged in producing eggs from his own flock and
disposing of any portion of this production on a graded basis.
▪ Egg Processor
• A person who operates a plant for the purpose of breaking eggs for freezing, drying or commercial food
manufacturing.
▪ Egg Broker
• A person who never assumes ownership or possession of eggs, nor changes the grade or pack of
eggs, but is engaged in the business of acting as agent, for a fee or commission, in the sale or transfer
of eggs between producers, or dealer-wholesalers as sellers and dealer-wholesalers, processors or
retailers as buyers.
47. Who does NOT need an Egg License from
TDA?
• Retailers
• A person or business that sells eggs directly to consumers, unless the
eggs are sold for personal benefit.
• Restaurants
• Individuals
• Individuals who sell un-graded eggs from a personal flock. If you sell
graded eggs from a personal flock, then you DO need an Egg License.
48. Texas Egg License
▪ Things to consider:
• all eggs must be graded (no longer allowed to sell ungraded eggs)
• required to pay an egg inspection fee
• must submit monthly egg reports to TDA to ensure that the correct
amount of special fees are paid
• https://www.texasagriculture.gov/RegulatoryPrograms/EggQualityProgra
m.aspx
49. Important Items
▪ Sec. 132.084. Misleading advertising.
• “A person commits an offense if the person
advertises or sells shell eggs below the quality of
Grade A by describing the eggs as “fresh,” “yard,”
“selected,” “hennery,” “new-laid,” “infertile,”
“cage,” or with words that have a similar meaning
❖ a misdemeanor
50. Sale of Table Eggs (Graded)
▪ TDA contacts for egg licensing
• EggQuality@TexasAgriculture.gov
Fax: (888) 215-4883
Phone: (512) 463-769
• Christina Osborn
❖ Director Consumer Product Protection
• Andrea Allely
❖ Program Specialist
❖ (512) 463-3585
▪ TDA Organics program
• Email: Organic@TexasAgriculture.gov
Phone: 512-936-4178
51. Graded eggs what does that mean?
▪ Eggs are categorized into one of three consumer grades:
• Grade AA – The freshest and highest quality eggs will receive a Grade
AA.
• Grade A – Very high quality eggs will receive a Grade A.
• Grade B – Grade B eggs are usually used for breaking stock (liquid
eggs) and baking, depending on the number of defects.
▪ https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/egg-grading-
manual
52. Sale of Table Eggs (Ungraded)
▪ Directly to consumer
• required to obtain food establishment license and meet the structural
requirements for a food establishment
❖ licensed by local health authority (city, county or district) or DSHS if
no local authority exists
• eggs must be labeled as “ungraded”
• eggs must be labeled with producer’s name and address
53. Sale of Table Eggs (Ungraded)
▪ Directly to consumer at Farmers’ Markets
• required to obtain food establishment license and meet the structural
requirements for a food establishment
❖ licensed by local health authority (city, county or district) or
DSHS if no local authority exists
• eggs must be labeled as “ungraded”
• eggs must be labeled with producer’s name and address
• must also obtain a Roadside Vendor License
• S.B. 81 – new rules for licenses at Farmers Markets
• For more information, contact your local health authority or the
DSHS Retail Foods Division
❖ Contact Information
– Email: Retail Food Service Establishments Program
– Phone: (512) 834-6753
– Fax: (512) 834-6683
54. Storage of Eggs
▪ Eggs should be refrigerated as quickly as possible after cleaning
and grading to preserve quality and reduce the potential for
bacterial growth.
▪ FDA, TDA and DSHS regulations:
• Must be maintained at 45 °F or less at all times
55. Biosecurity and Sanitation
▪ What is “Biosecurity”?
• Protecting your birds from disease
▪ What is a vector?
• Something that may transmit a disease
• Rodents, birds, insects, shoes, car tires, shared
equipment, best friend, pet, feed, water, dust, air….
56. Biosecurity
▪ Strategies to control disease causing organisms and their
carriers (vectors).
▪ Protect poultry flocks from any type of infectious agent.
• viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic
▪ Control transmission of disease from flock to flock.
▪ Preventative measures
▪ Biosecurity is the cheapest, most effective means of
disease control available.