Chicken Recipes

There are two ways to try to raise the production of chickens by using artificial lighting. If the housing is lit in the cooler hours before sunrise or after sunset, the chickens are able to eat more. If the day length is increased by using artificial lighting, laying hens are encouraged to lay more eggs. Day length must not be increased until just before young chicks start laying. Otherwise, it can lead to premature laying maturity. It is best to start raising the chicks when the days are getting shorter. If you need to start the growing period when the days are getting longer, try to artificially ensure a constant day length. Just before the laying period starts, lengthen the days by one hour a week until you have 14 hours of light per day. After production rates have reached a maximum, lengthen the amount of light per day by one hour a week until there are 16 hours of light. Once day length has been increased from 12 to 14 hours, you will need to provide artificial light after sun...

Important factors when choosing the best breed of chickens for your situation are: price, market situation, experience, farm management, local preference and availability. The price will determine your choice. Modern hybrids are very expensive. They also need very good care and high quality, balanced feed to be productive. Local breeds are cheaper and better adapted to local conditions. With adequate care, they are reasonably productive. However, if you want to raise chickens on a larger scale and decide to buy balanced feed, it is better to choose the more expensive hybrids. It is important to consider the local market situation. Medium-weight hybrids should only be chosen if there is a good market for eggs and meat and a steady supply of good, balanced chicken-feed. If you want to concentrate on selling eggs, consider buying lighter, white layers. In all other situations, the heavier, usually brown breeds would be a better choice. If you live far from a market and mainly want to prod...