About Raising Egg-Laying Chickens

Raising egg-laying chickens can be easy and fun.

Whether its a small flock of chickens in the backyard or a large commercial flock, raising chickens for eggs can be easy and fun with a little pre-planning. Be sure to learn about egg-laying breeds and their housing and feeding requirements before getting started.

Breeds

Breeds of chickens excel either as meat birds or laying birds or both. Laying breeds will lay a large number of eggs, have small bodies, begin laying at 5 months of age and are not inclined to brood. The Leghorn is a popular egg-laying breed, whereas the plumper Rhode Island Red is considered to be both a laying breed and a meat breed.

Caring for Chicks

Newly hatched chicks are not entirely helpless but do require a little special handling. Chicks must be kept warm, dry, clean and protected from predators. The brooder must be well-ventilated, heated and out of reach of dogs, cats or other animals. The best feed for chicks is a high-protein ration formulated specifically for chicks.

Housing

Chicks raised together can be housed together as adults. Chicken housing should include both indoor and outdoor areas and protection from the weather and predators. For optimum health, each adult bird will need 3 square feet of living space and 10 inches of roosting space.

Nests

Egg-laying hens need a nesting space that is indoors in a protected space. A good-sized nesting box for most egg-laying breeds is 14 inches high by 14 inches wide by 12 inches deep. Provide one nest for every four hens.

Feed

Chickens love "scratch," which is a mixture of grains and cracked corn. However, egg-laying chickens need more protein than scratch provides. When hens begin to lay, choose a feed that is specially formulated for egg-laying chickens and provides 16 percent to 18 percent protein.

Egg Production

Most egg-laying breeds will begin laying at 5 months of age and will lay at least two eggs every three days. Chickens do not lay at night and production will slow in the winter because of the shortened amount of daylight hours. Because feathers are made mostly of protein, hens will stop laying during molting, using the protein needed in egg production to grow their new feathers.

References

• Basic Guide for the Backyard Chicken Flock
• Egg Laying Chickens for Beginners

Resources

• "A Guide to Raising Chickens"; Gail Damerow; 1995