Everything Loves Free Range Chicken

  Swallow Hill Farm     May 31, 2016

Over the past month, we have had significant losses due to predation of our egg chickens. We have lost over half of our nice little Golden Comet chickens to foxes, coyotes and bald eagles. We are taking steps to reduce the problem by installing temporary electric netting around their "eggmobile" chicken coop in the mornings and evenings. To ensure we have the best tasting, most healthy eggs possible, we will continue to let the chickens out to "free range" as long as we don't continue to lose more chickens.

Free Range Egg Laying Chickens

Due to the loss of so many egg layers, our egg production has been cut by over 50%. As a result, we will be utilizing a waiting list when necessary and limiting the number of eggs sold per customer to 4 dozen at a time. We hope these efforts will provide a reasonable supply for each of our valued customers until our replacement Comets begin laying in mid-July. We have also received 25 additional Comet chicks to reinforce our egg-laying flock. They should begin laying sometime in November.

An egg-laying flock is very costly to establish and maintain. Egg-layers take at least 6 months to become mature enough to start laying. By that time, they will have eaten literally tons of feed and received many hours of care and attention. We usually expect to keep chickens in service for at least two years before they have to be replaced due to a drop in egg production. An average chicken may produce between 200 and 250 eggs per year but Comets are outstanding egg producers; they are expected to lay nearly up to 320 eggs per year. At $3.75 per dozen, that translates into a loss of nearly $100 in potential revenue per year for every hen we lose. Losing 20 hens could result in a revenue loss of $2,000 per year!

 

Tagscage-free chickens, chickens, egg mobile, eggmobile, free-range chickens