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15 tips to keeping the predators away from your backyard chicken

It is a fact that there are a large number of animals that can be found in the domain of poultry. In fact, the most number of animals are found in the poultry houses all over the world. But there is nothing worse than the predators attacking your animals or birds. The poultry predators like nothing more than having a delicious dinner i.e. the meat of the poultry. This problem of  predation has always been around from the very start. In the olden days, people did use to keep the poultry animals in a number of different settings. In order to protect their animals, they did make use of a number  of strategies and tips. Things can get more demanding for you if you are new to the business of poultry, as you might not be aware of the fact that what kind of animals might come to attack your poultry chickens.Furthermore, those who have poultry businesses in the cities do not care much about the attacks as they think that the animals might not come to attack the animals. But this over confidence from their side can indeed be misleading. So, for those who are in search of some tips for keeping chickens in the backyard then below are the 15 tips which might come in handy for protecting chicken from predators.

1-Digging a Trench

Try digging a trench around the areas of the entire coop. The Trench should be at least 12 inches in depth, so that the digging chicken predators might also not attack.

2-Train the Birds

Offer some sort of training to the birds and animals to return to the houses every evening. After that you should make sure that all houses are closed, otherwise it would be open chance for the predators for chicken to have a meal of their lifetime. If you have been raising chickens in the coop, then they would naturally come to return to the houses, but for some other animals you would be required to offer some sort of training to them.

3-Raising the Chicken Coop

Keeping the chicken coop raised at all times is one of the best strategies for offering your backyard chickens with some protection. Also try to make sure that the floor is always tight and durable enough to resist the attacks from the underside.

4-Use Welding Wires or Wire Fencing

Offer the chicken run with some covering and also make use of cross wiring in order to turn down the attacks made by hawks and other flying predators.

5-Meshed Fencing

Make the maximum use of meshed fencing materials, as there are some predators that easily cross the normal fences. Examples of these animals include racoons and many other dexterous animals.

raccons

6. Use Galvanized Hardware

Burying galvanized pieces of hardware and other clothing materials around the perimeters of the area where the chickens are kept. This strategy is also useful for those animals which have the capacity to dig into the place from underneath.

galanized material

7. Use Night Lights

Provide the area with some night lights and motion sensors which might come in handy in keeping the predators away and keeping the chickens safe. You can also make use of a solar night guard which is specially designed for the detection of predators in the area.

night light

8. Make use of Friendly Dogs

Offer some protection to your animals by making use of some friendly dogs.

dog at chicken coop

9. Be Ready

Always be prepared for action as soon as you get to know that there are some predators around. This is another important measure in order to protect chickens from predators.

10. Use professional Help

Try and consult with the professionals in this regard. There are a number of companies that provide materials, devices as well as guidance for the protection of the animals at all times.

11. Mark a danger Zone

Always create a danger zone around the area where the animals are kept. The zone would be dedicated as a predator zone.

12. Plant Numerous Bushes around the Zone

Make use of as many bushes as you can, to offer some resistance to the predators that might come to attack the area.

13. Make use of Automated Chicken Coop Doors

This is useful to avoid the possibility of coop door remained open

automated chicken coop door

14. Communication with the care takers

Communicate with the chicken sitters and people responsible for the protection at the night time and offer them all the above mentioned advices.

15. Keep the Trash out

Keep the Garbage and other smelly stuff away from the coop, so that urban predators might not come to smell them.

 

6 Considerations Before U Start A Chicken Coop

The popularity of growing chickens at one’s own backyard is getting more and more common. The reasons behind such a ploy are plenty but one of the most important reason which I consider is the fact that when you buy an egg from your local market, it reaches there at least after 20 to 30 days and is not fresh. So if you a start a chicken coop at your own house, you will surely get fresh eggs to eat on daily basis and you will really be surprised to find out a completely unique taste which only comes with freshness. Now there are many important factors to consider before you start a homemade chicken coop or when you devise plans for chicken coop and such considerations can be understood under the following headings:

1.       Chicken coop

You will find many chicken coop manufacturers in the market but if you have decided to build a chicken house yourself, then you need to learn some important aspects for this purpose as the growth and productivity of your chickens also depends on how you built their house. The basic thing here is that it should be properly spacious and should be in a safe zone for the chickens. Chicken coop plans cannot prove fruitful unless you have a proper understanding of the requirements and tools that are needed for this purpose. Though purchasing coops is a good ploy but the problem here is that the prices are inflated and still you will have to go through the assembly process. So before you start with the manufacturing process, go through a reasonable book or website that gives you chicken coop plans related to what you need and how to incorporate different things e.g. lighting, ventilation, run , perches and many other components.

chicken coop plans

2.       Chicken runs

A chicken coop with run is basically the area which is outside of the coop where the chickens or hens can roam around. Now the important thing here is that the area should be sufficiently spacious so that these animals do not feel much crowded and can exercise easily. A set rule for chicken runs and coop in this regard is 6 square feet per chicken.

chicken coop run

3.       Chicken coop kits

All the plans for chicken coop will involve the use of a proper chicken coop kit because a proper kit is essential for the egg productivity which is obviously the basic aim of any person or concern. Most of the chicken coops that are availed from the market are 80 percent complete and you will just have to go through the assembly process which can be done with tools that are normally available at home e.g. hammers, saw, screwdriver and measuring tape. If you are to build the coop yourself then you will need proper wood plates along with the aforesaid material.

garden-ark-chicken-coop-kit

4.       Chicken coop accessories

Chicken coop accessories involve all the tools that will include the chicken coop itself and the other materials such as shovels, straws or hay for nesting and other materials for lighting and ventilation. The entire accessories should be well integrated with the coop and effectively usable for the purpose regardless of whether you go for a simple chicken coop or you go for a large sophisticated one.

chicken coop accessarieschicken coop accessaries

5.       Mobile chicken coop

Now, chicken coop suppliers also provide the feature of mobility which allows you to move the coop from place to place. There are various mobile chicken coop plans which can be used to avail this mobility feature. One of the most common uses of this mobility feature comes where a person has a garden as the coop can be moved there and the waste of the chickens can be used as a fertilizer. This also saves the extra cleaning of the coop which is required on regular basis.

mobile chicken coop

6.       Chicken coop suppliers

After discussing the above factors  , one would like to know about the suppliers of chicken houses which can provide feasible and effective chicken coops. The market is filled with many suppliers these days but the top five on my list are as follows:

Top five suppliers of chicken houses 

1-Feel Good

chicken house by feelgooduk.net

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2-Hen House World

chicken house by hen house world.co.uk

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3-Chicken Coops And Houses

chicken house by chicken coops and houses.co.uk

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4Ningbo Two Birds Industry

Chicken-Coop By Ningbo Two Birds Industry

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5-My Pet Chicken

poultry accessaries by my pet chicken.com

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Ideal poultry Drinking Systems And Top Suppliers

Poultry Drinking/waterers System Overview

There are a number of methods of drinking which are used by the domesticated animals in the farm settings. Most of the drinking behaviors of the birds and all other animals occur in close association with the spontaneous meals. In other words, there is a close association between the poultry drinking and feeding systems as asserted by the guide to poultry drinking system. In order to ensure the optimum levels of performances from the side of your birds, it is imperative that you ensure the provision of fresh and clean drinking water. In order to achieve this, a reliable water supply is a necessary pre-requisite. Furthermore, the water and feeding systems should be free from all sorts of contamination and within the easy reach of all the birds. There are several types of poultry drinking systems that are now being used on a large scale. You  should have adequate levels of knowledge about the use of these systems and their underlying functions. Let us first take into account the function of nipple drinkers.

Nipple Drinkers

The ideal drinking system in the modern times is the nipple drinker mechanism. These systems have been shown to be the most effective when it comes to clean and hygienic supplies of the drinking water. These systems make use of some prototype and top class equipment. The nipple drinking system consists of a number of parts including pressure control unit, slope regulator, aeration nozzle, swiveling aeration and some effective suspension systems. Furthermore, the medication unit comes to control the amount of water flow that is given and the amount of water that is consumed by all the animals. The amount of water to be forwarded to the animals can be effectively controlled and measured through the use of this unit.

Bell and Round Drinkers

The bell drinkers are also quite useful at times. The size and type of these drinkers to be used depend upon the size and the specific bird type to which the water is to be administered. Furthermore, this drinking system makes use of a narrow water jet that comes to help in maintaining the suspension. In other words, the water in the drinker remains adjusted and does not splash from time to time. In order to ensure the ease of winching for all the cable lines a number of cable winches are utilized. These features make them quite easy and accommodative for being suspended from the top of the ceiling in any farm setting.

One of the most important factors that make these drinking systems as reliable is the even and balanced water distribution which is of crucial importance when it comes to the health of the animals and birds in the farm house setting. Furthermore, these systems have been engineered for the maximum results. There are numerous of drinking systems suppliers and vendors who currently operate in various countries at both national and international levels, but not all of them are known for the delivery best services. The above mentioned systems are of extreme importance, especially when it comes to the element of broiler and layerfeeding.

Now here is the list of the poultry drinker suppliers and vendors. In terms of the manufacturing of the drinking systems, these vendors are indeed in the alpha class.

1)    Big Dutchman International United States

http://www.bigdutchmanusa.com/

2)    Chore-Time Drinking Systems

http://www.choretimepoultry.com/about.php

3)    Cumberland-Complete Poultry Systems

http://www.cumberlandpoultry.com/english/overview.html

10 Tips for Raising Chickens Economically

How to start raising chickens? How much do chicken cost? Well, in order to get an answer to these questions, you should ponder the tips which I would be sharing below. Poultry is surely one of the most profitable businesses if it is done using the right sets of tools and techniques. Moreover, raising the chickens in any setting can also be considered as a pastime. So, if you plan to start a chicken flock, then there are some initial costs you would be required to pay in order to get things going. This initial investment includes all the startup as well as maintenance costs. But here it is also a fact that chickens and egg laying are less expensive in comparison to the other domesticated animals. Thus it is clear that chickens can be raised pretty economically, but it all depends on the type of breed you wish to select. In other words, if you plan to have some expensive and rare breeds at your farm, then things might get pretty costly for you. Most of the people can begin by keeping 4 to 20 chickens at the farm, the cost of which would be around US$ 50 or may be less. So, in order to keep the costs to the minimal, below are some useful tips that might come in handy about raising chickens cheaply. The same applies when you plan to raise chickens for eggs or raising backyard chicken.

1. If you plan to get the chicken through the mailing order, but the numbers of chickens you want are less than the minimum limit, then it is best to share your order with some person. So, from the very start you would be able to save some money in cost of keeping chickens.

small flock of chicken

2. Before you plan to drop some large sums of cash on those cocky and fancy tractors you come to see in newspapers and magazines, you should think about having an inexpensive coop for getting the job done with the minimum levels of investment. When building or purchasing a coop, try to go for the simplest one that would come to fulfill your requirements. In other words, it should be efficient enough in offering some protection and space to the animals, nothing more than that.

simple chicken coop

3. If you want to have some egg laying hens, try to add an order of a few pullet chicks and after that fill the remaining sections in the box with the meat type chicken in order to have a minimum quantity. Then it is best if you raise all of the birds together in order to free some space.

pullet and meat chicks

4. For those who plan to have meat birds, most of them would come to order cockerels, as they grow rapidly and also come to be larger in size in comparison to the other chickens. In some of the breeds, the cockerels are also cheaper in comparison to the pullets.

cokerals

5. There are some people who love to butcher the chicken one at a time, but in terms of making an economic sense it is better if you go for the butchering process in the form of batches. It is because you would be using quite a lower amount of electricity and you would also not need to buy some more feeding ingredients and nutrients.

butchering the chicks

6. Day old chicks should be purchases, as they are quite economical in comparison to the eggs. Moreover, you would also need not to pay some extra costs on the purchase of the incubators and on the electricity on which the incubator runs.

day old chicks

7. Try to place an order from the hatchery that is quite near to you, as the farther the hatchery, the more the money they charge for the transport.

chicken hatchery

8. Try to get the chicks vaccinated at the hatchery as it is quite cheaper from them due to which you would also not need to purchase vaccinations for yourself.

vaccination of chicks

9. Always prefer to buy the adult birds in the fall season, as at this time more and more people are trying to sale their young birds due to their excess. The adult birds would also come to be less expensive in the winter season in comparison to the months of the spring season. In the spring season the demand for the adult birds get very high due to which it is always savvy to go for the adult birds in the winter season.

adult birds

10. At the time of purchasing egg laying chickens, always be wary of the hens that are older, as some people might try to sale those hens to you all because they have stopped laying eggs.

older hens

With all these tips in mind, you are sure to lower down the cost of raising chickens.

5 Tricks to Break Up the Hen’s Brooding

What is meant by Broodiness and broody hen?

A hen is capable of laying around 1  eggs on a daily basis. Moreover, the hen does not prefer to incubate the eggs until the entire clutch has been laid. Through the use of this strategy, all the chicks hatch right at the same time. The physiological mechanisms and the broody hen symptoms change as soon as the clutch has been laid. She would want to stay above them while spreading out her wings for the purpose of keeping the eggs warm. If disturbed, she would start making muttering as well as growling sounds and may even engage in the protection of the eggs. Furthermore, she only leaves the nest for the purpose of eating and drinking only one time in a day. You would need to ensure that she does the process on a daily basis, otherwise she would be starved or would come to get the dirty eggs through her droppings. So, in lines to this, a hen is termed to be broody at the time she is raising the chicks, giving protection to them and also teaching them the methods to get their own food. Understanding the broodiness in hens is an imperative pre-requisite for the purpose of ensuring that the hens remain healthy.

Breeds of Broody Hens

The breeds of hens which are known to be broody include the Buff Orpingtons, Brahmas, Silkies, Australorp, Dark Cornish, Buff Rocks, Turkens, Cuckoo Marans and Bantams.

Below are the 5 tricks which would come in handy for the purpose of stopping broody hens.

1. Wired Mesh Cage

In terms of breaking the broodiness, you would need to make sure that she does not manage to stay on the eggs. The first trick you can use includes the construction of a cage by using a floor made of wished mesh. Then you would need to place the cage on the bricks in lines to which the floor would remain suspended. At the same time, keeping the bricks towards the outward edges would ensure that she won’t be able to sit on the eggs. So, she won’t be able to sit on the eggs in a comfortable manner and within a matter of a few days the broodiness would be broken.

broody hen a cage

2. Cold Water 

The next trick, which happens to be of a conventional nature, involves the usage of some cold water. You would need to dunk the hen in this cold water, but it should not be too much cold. In lines to this, the broodiness temperature of the hen would go down and she won’t be able to sit on the eggs in a comfortable manner. Removing the eggs as soon as the hen leaves the nest is also a trick which can be used.

broody hen in cold water

3. Caging and Isolation

Caging the hens for 2 to 3 days also comes in handy in breaking the brooding. But here you would need to ensure that the hen’s behavior might not turn impulsive. For this reasons, the cage should be placed pretty close to the eggs so she might be able to see them at all times. If the hen does not stops showing its damaging and irrational behavior, then the above mentioned tricks are to be used instead.

spreading brooding hen

4. The Dog Crate and Golf Balls Method

The golf balls method together with the dog crate is also conducive in terms of breaking the broodiness. The idea here is to replace the eggs with the golf balls. On sitting on these balls for some time, she won’t be able to remain comfortable and would eventually end up leaving the nest for longer time. In a matter of a few days the broodiness would be ended.It also also helps to keep broody hen in her own nest and not to take eggs laid by other hens

golf balls for broody hens

5. Keeping with an Active Rooster

Try to put her anywhere near a rooster who is quite active. The rooster would love to keep the hen busy at all times and she won’t be able to return to the nest. You can also put the rooster and the hen in some sort of movable pen in the yard outside. This strategy comes in handy for taking the hen out to the fresh air and sunlight. Furthermore, you can also make use of a wired pen and with no sort of nesting equipment inside, but always ensure that there is plenty of food as well as water inside the pen. It is only a matter of time that her motherly instinct would be gone and as soon as the process of egg laying would start, you would be able to know that the broodiness has gone now.

rooster and broody hen

Drawbacks of Hen’s Brooding

One purpose of raising hens in your backyard is to getting eggs, not all the times u want your eggs to be hatched by the broody hens, broody period vary according to the breeds of hens,  it may continue an average of one month, so its mean u lost lots of eggs that might have been put in your fridge. Also broody hen occupies the nesting box space and do not allow other hens to come in the nest box and don’t mind to sit on eggs laid by other hens. Another thing is your hen does not take sufficient food and water and it may result in dehydration in summer season

At the time of caging and isolating the hen, she would try to peck and escape from the cage. In doing so, there is the possibility that she might end up hurting herself. If kept away from the eggs for a long time, the problem of shuddering might also emerge in the hens. Research also suggests that isolation of the hen for a long time might result in lower egg production.

Brooding And Raising Of Ducks

Brooding (0 to 4 Weeks)

The ducklings can be brooded on wire floor, litter or batteries with brooding period upto 3 to 4 weeks. They require slightly low temperature of 31°C in first week. Further it is reduced by 3°C each week upto 24°C and kept constant. A usual method is to house ducklings on litter in long narrow house having pens on each side of central passage. Further they can be given access to run on both the sides of houses _during fattening period. The following special points should be kept in mind for successful brooding:

  1. Provide hover space of 90 to 100 cm2 per duckling under brooder.
  2. Water in drinkers should be 5 to 7.5 cm deep, sufficient to drink but not to dip themselves.

Protect duckling from cold drafts and rodents

brooding of ducks

Growing (5 to 16 Weeks)

Ducks can be reared by intensive, semi-intensive or range systems. The run space after four weeks alloted is usually 3 to 4 m2 per duck. Water depth is increased to 12.5 to 15 cm to allow immersion of heads to prevent scaly, crusty or in extreme cases blindness of eyes. Run fencing of 60 cm height is usually suffice purpose of confining ducklings.

growing of ducks
Raising Layers (Above 17 Weeks)

The high egg producing strains starts laying at 16-18 weeks of age and about 96 per cent eggs laid upto 9 am. Because ducks are comparatively hardy birds, they do not need elaborate housing. They can be reared on intensive or range system. Range rearing can be comfortably adopted for small scale farming in which ducks can be kept in open areas of the farm and have access to ponds, lakes or small river. In range 100 ducks can be reared per 0.405 hectare (one acre) depending on availability of greens.

 

Housing pattern is same as that of chickens with addition of runs as ducks prefer to stay outside during day time. The house may have solid or wire floor with shed of gable or half-round roof. The runs should have gentle slope away from houses for facilitating drainage

Artificial Light

Brooders require continuous artificial light. Growers. are reared on natural day length, whereas layers are provided 14 to 16 hours of day length for optimum production.

ducks artificial light

Feeding of Ducks

Pellets or combination of dry and wet mash is used for feeding. Wet mash feeding is preferred due to difficulty is swallowing of dry mash. Therefore, ducks should not have access to feed without water. They may be allowed continuous feeding for first eight weeks but afterwards feed may be offered only twice in a day, i.e. morning (8 am) and late afternoon (4-5 pm),ranges from 120-160 g per bird depending on egg production, age and availability of greens. They need an extra 500 mg of methionine per ton, while growing whereas during laying its requirement is lesser than chicken.

feeding of ducks

Water

Water for swimming is not as essential feature. But scarcity of water may result in more mortality, therefore, continuous water flow channel with dimensions of about 60 cm in width and 30 cm in depth should be constructed at one of the end of house to meet water thirst.

duck water

Nest Boxes

Ground level nest boxes, one for three birds of 30 x 30 x 45 cm size be provided for clean egg production. The litter in boxes should be changed 2-3 times in week.

Catching and Handling

While catching ducks they should be caught by neck and not on side of body as it may result in sudden death.

Health and Management

The duck diseases are to be prevented by proper vaccination and through adoption of effective sanitation and hygiene.

 

Outlook of Family and Rural Poultry Production in Africa

A demand for the livestock products in addition to the poultry is now increasing in all regions of Africa. But the region where the demand is much more in comparison to the other areas is West Africa. The reason for this can be linked to the rise in the population of the area and to increase in levels of urbanization. Moreover, the trade liberalization has also effectuated the poultry sector in a dramatic manner. In lines to this pattern, some of the countries have seen a large inflow of imports while others have been subject to some low imports. Most of the imports coming into the continent are from the European countries. The two components of the poultry sector that are of prime focus here are the family and rural sectors.

Family poultry Production in Africa

Now here with the exception in terms of the urban areas in the northern and South African regions, the maximum levels of production in the continent are coming from the extensive family poultry production in rural Africa. Almost every other house in the village and other rural area prefer to keep the chickens and birds in their home based settings. On an average each home makes use of about 5 to 20 chickens. Overall, 80 % of the population of the fowls and birds in Africa used to be in the rural and family based settings till the year 1995.

rural poultry producion in south africa

Problems faced by Family Production 

The family production is indeed a major contributor towards the consumption needs of the people, but now it faces a number of constraints and disabilities linked to the diseases and poor farming settings. Moreover, the government is also reluctant in offering the people with some form of compensation for the growth of the sector. Together all these factors combine to mark the low levels of productivity coming from the rural and family settings, which is indeed a major drawback of the poultry production in Africa. It is clear that if some of these constraints might be removed, then an increase in the profits of the families and the country can be expected.

 In order to create an increase in the production, a coordinated and well researched system needs to be introduced that is going to make use of the data from other countries in order to make comparison of the input and outputs of the sector. The primary disease in the region that has limited to the overall poultry production in Africa is The New Castle Disease. It can easily eliminate nearly 80 % of the birds in any village poultry in a matter of a few days and those bird that survive come to have various antibodies and harmful germs in their bodies. In short, some serious measures and actions should be taken for the betterment of family and village chicken production in Africa.

castle disease in africa

Women and the Family Poultry Production in Africa

The principal caretakers in terms of the rural and family production houses in Africa are the women. They spend most of their time in making feeding and safety arrangements for the poultry animals and products. It is all because that the poultry comes to offer them good and efficient source of protein and meat which they cannot afford to buy from the markets. So it is evident from this, that the women are the ones who need to have some benefits. Moreover, the poultry production is what that restrains the people to migrate to the urban regions of the continent. It is important to ponder here that China has taken an efficient strategy for the betterment of the rural people and has also made arrangements for them, so that they might not feel the need of moving to the urban sectors.

the role of women in family poultry production

Solutions

All of these problems need to be addressed subsequently by making use of the funding and various medications. Moreover, improved housing and the best supplementary feeding protocols are also going to come in handy here. Furthermore, the international organizations and agencies should also look into this issue for the betterment of the people and poultry in Africa, most of which are living below the line of poverty. Although the National Agricultural Research Systems in Africa are offering their services for the solution to this problem, still a lot more needs to be done.

Over View of Different Stages of Egg Development

Keeping chicken in your backyard is an exciting experience. Some of you however, might be thinking of hatching, raising and incubating chicken eggs. This is quite a difficult task as there is a proper timing for everything; for the incubating, for the hatching and for the raising of the hatched eggs. So let us focus on the major stages of a chicken egg right from the gestation till the hatching of the egg.

The first thing you need to know is that the hens are in a healthy and a breeding condition. For this, you need to ensure that the coop is well constructed and comfortable for the hens and the food provided is good quality food. The absence of cockerel in the coop or in the hen flock leads to infertile eggs. Therefore introduction of a cockerel into the coop is necessary in order to achieve fertile eggs. Once this is done, the eggs are fertilized and you are ready to incubate them. Remember that the incubation time of eggs is 21 days and proper conditions should be provided for proper incubation and for proper hatching of chicken eggs. The optimum temperature for incubation is 37.5 degrees. If the incubation is normal using the mother chicken, then the optimum temperature need not to be maintained but in artificial incubation this temperature requirement is one of the important considerations.

hatching eggs

Another important thing in chicken egg development is that the eggs need to be turned twice every day in order to ensure proper development of chicken egg.

If we talk about the chick development in biological terms, then the major stages are worth noticing. The egg when laid after almost 20 hours of fertilization, undergo few chicken egg developmental stages. The egg laying is followed by cleavage, which is again followed by gastrulation, which then leads to organogenesis and this eventually leads to hatching chicken eggs. Once the egg hatches with a baby chick the outer development continues and the chick changes to a hen as a result of these changes.

egg development stages

  • When the egg is laid, the egg has an egg yolk, an egg white, an air sac, a yolk balancer, membranes for protection and blastoderm (which is basically the embryo).

egg parts

  • The next chicken embryo development stage of cleavage involves the furrow development which leads to multiple cell formation and different layer formation like epiblast and hypoblast. These layers then play a role in organ formation.
  • Then the gastrulation stage comes, which begins with primitive streak. This stage helps in determining the anterior and the posterior part of the egg which later leads to head determination.
  • After this stage, organogenesis comes which is basically the organ formation stage. The organ development and the neural tube formation and development of chicken eggs finally pave the way for the hatching of the chick out of the egg. The egg then changes to an adult within 40 to 45 days after hatching.

In a nutshell, if you are interested in the chicken egg development in addition to just chick farming, you must be critical enough regarding the days and the egg development cycle.

 

How To Raise Baby Chicks,A Beginners Guide To Backyard Chicken Farming

 

Backyard chicken farming was widely observed up till the World War II.   The people used to raise the chicken by themselves for eggs and meat. The backyard chicken farming had a variety of merits. It acted as the natural nitrogen fertilization process when chicken perched the food and also a natural controller for bugs and pests. With modernization and industrialization, the chicken farms and chicken breeding on a massive scale emerged. However, with inflation and rise in unemployment, the backyard farming has recently increased. Another reason can be the quality of eggs and meat that the chicken provides. They make excellent pets chicken and they might serve as a significant aspect to spend some good time with your kids while farming. As a result of this increase in the chicken farming concept, you might need handful tips. Let us have a look at the pointers for backyard chicken farming.

 1-Choosing the breed:

The rudimentary thing is the type of breed you choose for farming. The best way of selecting the best breeds is to consult someone who is into this business or browsing it on web. One might buy baby chicks like Jersey Giant, Buckeye, Silkies, Delaware, Polish and Leghorn as an ordinary hen type. Another important thing is going for a hen rather than a rooster. Hens are less aggressive, are easy to handle and also provide good quality eggs.  Go for a rooster as a last option.

different breeds in backyard

2-Chicken houses:

Another pointer is the place where the chicken might be kept. This is a time consuming process because the provision of best area of your house is really necessary for the proper chicken development. The basic thing is providing comfort level to chicken and providing space to them. The chicken in the backyard ought not to be like farms where chicken are hoarded up and lack the space for proper development. Next important thing is the suitable environment all over the year. Whether it is summer or winter, the chicken coops need to be suitable and comfortable to prevent sickness of chicken. The coops should be strong and solid in order to prevent from predators. Proper positioning, height and width of coops must be the prime importance.

chicken house

 
4-Nutrition (food and water):

The proper food and nutrition is yet another pointer for chicken development. Providing diet is important because this assures the strong bones and good quality eggs of chicken. They need calcium as well which can be provided by mixing oyster shell in chicken feed Nutrition (food and water)

 5-Cleanliness:

The clean environment of the chicken area is another important thing in ensuring the best possible health of the backyard chicken. Keeping the area tidy and maintaining the cleanliness is essential. This can be done by cleaning it on a regular basis according to proper ways adopted by the best farmers

 6-Prevention from predators:

Preventing the backyard chicken from predators is yet another considerable phenomenon. This can be done by surrounding the area with strong wire mesh all over so that the predators might not penetrate the area. This results in minimum snatching by the predators and reduces the chance of losing the chicken. Prevention from predators

 7- Prevention from diseases:

Preventing your chicken from getting sick or other diseases is also an important task. The hens and baby chicks might suffer from diseases due to damp and untidy habitat, improper diet, viral outbursts or contacting with other sick chickens. This can be avoided by proper cleanliness of the area and proper vaccination on and off.

 

 Prevention from diseases

8-Advantages of backyard farming with respect
 to cost,egg quality and meat:

The benefits of backyard farming have been discussed time and again. This provides the best quality of eggs and meat to the chicken raisers.Raising your chickens with good quality food, shelter and optimum life conditions help to get the best of the best. Due to inflation, backyard farming is a shrewd option for those who cannot afford costly meet and eggs. This enables them to get economical, cheap and good quality.

Poultry Processing Equipments and suppliers

In the past 40 years, a number of technologies and techniques have been introduced into the domain of poultry processing equipment. The products obtained from the processing are targeted for sales in a number of markets and settings all around the world. The increase in the poultry processing equipment companies and suppliers is based on the technical capabilities, market demand and the overall economic scenario. The market demands in the present times are highly variable, as they are based on the ethnic and religious settings of a particular area. Poultry processing makes use of a number of devices and machines, the details of which are mentioned below. The equipment includes slaughter equipment, chicken plucking equipment, poultry slaughtering and various machines for chicken processing.

Poultry Plucker

Pluckers are used to pluck off the feathers off any bird. There are varying types of pluckers and machines that are now available in the market. The prices of these machines vary on the basis of their performance e.g. the deluxe plucker is able to pluck off the feathers from a chicken in a matter of 30 seconds. Same is the case with tabletop plucker which makes use of an efficient torque to complete the plucking process in a more agile way.

 

Poultry Scalders

This machine is used to scald ducks, chickens and all other animals which are used in the farm house setting. It makes use of a number of temperature control mechanisms and devices designed to complete the process quickly. All these machines ensure that the picking comes in quite easy and more quickly. Some of the best poultry slaughtering machine suppliers offer these machines at quite expensive rates, but these machines are in fact quite useful for keeping the quality of processing intact and top notch.

Poultry Cutter and De-feathering Machines

These machines are used to wither off the feathers and then process the meat in its best form. For cutting the chicken and turkey meat, a number of different devices are used depending on the meat to be processed. The meat that is obtained after the procedure is completed is then sent forward to the next phase of the manufacturing process. Not to forget that the machines vary in their capacity for cutting the animals simultaneously.

Killing Cone and Drum Plucker

The Poultry killing cones are used to dispatch a chicken or a flock of chicken in a various forms. For this purpose, the cone is designed by making use of a container that is open at both ends. The top end is more open and large so that a chicken or any other farm animal can be inserted into it. After the chicken is killed, the neck and other parts from the body of the chicken protrude to the bottom end. The Drum Plucker on the other hand is more of an automated nature which is sued for stunned and all other scaled chickens. The use of these pluckers is indeed vital when it comes to professional poultry meat processing.

Poultry Processing Bags

After the initial phases have been completed, the meat and all other food items are finally conserved in the poultry processing bags. The use of the best quality bags indeed comes to effectuate the sales of the meat. Always prefer to make use of the durable and strong processing bags, manufactured by the best companies and suppliers in the market.

 Top 5 poultry processing equipments suppliers

1) Alibaba Poultry Processing Equipments

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2) Cornerstone Poultry Processing Equipments

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3) Stormberg’s Poultry Processing Equipments

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4) Featherman Poultry Processing Equipments

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5) Marel Poultry Processing Equipments

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