A broiler chicken weights approximately 7 pounds. Female broiler chickens lay eggs, but these eggs are not often eaten. Breeds of meat chicken most common are the White Cornish that is crossed with the White Plymoth Rock. Cross breeding promotes fast growth in chickens.
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. Roosters are not needed for the hens to lay eggs.
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 processed meats, such as the meat found in many soups and hot dogs. Because of the age of the birds, the fat profiles lend themselves to making soup stock flavorfull.
Chickens eat starter, grower or layer mash (depending on age) that contains a mixture of corn, alfalfa and soybeans. Minerals, vitamins, and sometimes medications (coccidiastats) are added to the feed for better health. Since chickens have no teeth, chicken feed is ground up for better digestibility. Chickens use a special internal organ, called a gizzard, which contains gravel and grit to grind up food for digestion.
Egg Layer Chicken Operations
Egg 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 20 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 weeks. After the molting period, the hen starts her laying cycle again.
A productive 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 for the most part 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 2-3 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 infertile, and are the ones we commonly buy at the grocery store. Eggs that are fertilized by a rooster are called hatching eggs and if incubated will develop into a chick. All eggs are checked for cracks and abnormalities before using on the farm 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 chicken’s feed consumption, maximizing meat production. When feed consumption and meat production reach their maximum, that particular lighting schedule is maintained.
Broiler chickens also eat starter or grower feeds with added proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins. 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. All eggs and birds from larger commercial farms are inspected for wholesomeness as dictated by USDA.
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. By having such large a building, the farmer can capture an economy of scale that smaller farmers may not be able to acheave at the same price for their products.
Chicken manure is collected and stored for use as a natural 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 from time to time 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. Windowless housing also allows for efficient air conditioning systems to work during the high heat periods of summer.
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 can be susceptible to diseases carried by wild birds. Casual visitors are usually not allowed into broiler or layer facilities because visitors can also 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. Due to these losses, the PA Department of Agriculture, along with the poultry industry implemented a health plan to combat this disease. Routine testing is done in all classes of poultry raised in the commonwealth. If any form of AI is found the state veterinarian will direct producers specific actions to help protect birds and people in the area. Since the inception of the AI action plan, no outbreak in the magnitude of the 1984 outbreak has been seen.
Most of the poultry in PA is family farm produced. Each poultry caretaker is concerned about his birds, as we all know healthy, comfortable birds are productive. The industry works with Penn State University Extension in improving the health and productivity of the flocks in the commonwealth. This has made the industry sustainable.
Source:psu.edu