Raising domestic fowl, including hens and ducks, is a rewarding activity. In addition to the love your feathery fellows give you, you get a range of other benefits. These include having your own source of fresh eggs and meat.

But the story doesn’t end here. To make the most out of your backyard poultry, you must have some know-how of their necessities. 

This is important to make sure you attain maximum benefits. An example of this is monitoring and enhancing the production of eggs laid by your backyard birds, including managing ducks for egg production.

So, let’s discuss the top FIVE things that affect egg production.

Optimal Nutrition

Just like your diet defines your health, the nutrition you provide to your poultry outlines their general well-being and egg production.

This is especially true for the stage when your hens and ducks hit sexual maturity. When their bodies are forming eggs, they need a balanced and nutritious diet to ensure good health and maximum egg production.

Although there are other specific nutrients required by ducks, some of the more general yet essential nutrients you should incorporate into the diet of your poultry are:

Calcium 

Hens require comparatively less calcium before they hit maturity. Once they start laying eggs, their calcium requirements increase drastically. This is because eggshells are composed mainly of calcium.

Suppose this nutrient is deficient in their diet. In that case, the chickens will produce lesser eggs, and the egg q will deteriorate. Additionally, it will have adverse impacts on the hens themselves.

Amino acids

The 22 amino acids – commonly referred to as protein – are an essential part of poultry feed. Many hens and ducks cannot synthesize these on their own and hence require supplements in their diet to meet their needs.

With insufficient protein in the diet, hens and ducks are likely to lay lesser eggs with poorer hatchability.

Fat

Incorporating fat into the diet of your poultry enhances egg production. Some types of fat, when deficient, have adverse effects on the eggs produced, resulting in lower amounts and more inferior qualities. This is because fats serve as a source of energy.

Others

Additionally, your poultry needs Vitamin D, sodium, and salt. Each of these plays a specific role in enhancing the production of eggs.

Age

Generally, your hens will start laying eggs when they are 5 months old, while your ducks will begin a couple of weeks later, at around 6 to 7 months of age.

Egg production varies incredibly from bird to bird, but generally, maximum eggs are produced within the first 8 weeks. 

They continue laying eggs for a couple of years after that, but the rate isn't as fast as it is in these first few weeks. A major slow down in egg production is noticed at around 6 years of age.

(Accidentally) Neglecting Their Needs Can Affect Egg Production

Raising backyard hens and ducks sure is fun, but it comes with great responsibility. At times, you may overlook their needs or make mistakes while managing them. This, in turn, affects egg production.

Examples of this include forgetting to feed them on time or refill their water tubs. If they’re not getting either of these essentials on time, your hens and ducks will most likely reduce egg production.

Additionally, sufficient daylight (of around 14 hours per day) is essential for hens to lay eggs. It is thus vital for you to provide supplemental lighting during the shorter winter days. In this regard, ducks are pretty flexible – they barely ever need any additional light.

Lastly, hens also require a nice and warm temperature to survive and lay eggs. This would be an added bonus for ducks, though they tend to survive in both hot and cold climates.

Disease

As much as you want to protect your feathery fellows from medical emergencies, they may end up contracting diseases. These diseases play a significant role in affecting egg production.

Bacterial diseases affect egg production.

Diseases caused by bacteria are common among both hens and ducks. An example includes fowl cholera. This condition decreases egg production amongst other symptoms. It may even result in the unexpected death of many laying hens and ducks!

Fowl cholera is usually a result of poor hygiene and water-logged areas. Therefore, it is vital to monitor the physical conditions of your backyard to prevent this deadly disease.

Viral diseases also play their part.

If your hens and ducks are unable to fight the attack of viruses, they’ll catch what is known as a ‘viral disease’. An example includes avian influenza, with symptoms kinda like the cold you sometimes catch.

How it affects egg production depends on the severity of the disease. Mild forms are not a big deal, while more severe Mforms can drastically drop egg production.

You Might Not Be Considering These Things That Affect Egg Production

Apart from the reasons stated above, other less apparent reasons may be causing lower egg production. 

For example, there could be a handling issue, resulting in eggs breaking while you or someone else is collecting them. At times, hens may be pecking on and wasting eggs. Or perhaps, predators like skunks and rats may be feeding on them. 

You’d be surprised to know – but sometimes hens even attempt to hide their eggs from you!

So, you better keep an eye out for all of these factors to ensure you’re not letting any of the eggs produced go to waste.

Conclusion

To make the most out of the eggs laid by your feathery fellows, it is essential for you to closely monitor all things affecting egg production. The main reasons, as stated above, are optimal nutrition, age, and disease.

Hens are fun to farm – they entertain you, give you fresh eggs, eat the pests in your garden and provide you with some great fertilizer. If kept well, they form a part of your little feathery family that brings life to your otherwise lonely backyard.

But before you delve into the joyful part, you need to know the secret behind raising a successful flock: the health of hens. That’s not too much of a big deal, though – hens are easy to maintain and as long as you know the basics of keeping your hens happy and healthy, you’re good to go. 

So, without further ado, let’s get right to the point and discuss steps to keep your hens healthy.

Monitor your hens’ feed – keep it healthy

Ever heard the saying ‘you are what you eat’? Well, that pretty much applies to your hens as well.

Being omnivores, your hens will eat anything they’re fed. But it’s important to monitor the diet you give them; it should meet their nutrition requirements according to their age group.

Generally speaking, you should use a commercial poultry feed that contains most of the nutrients required. This type of feed contains grains and vitamins required for optimal growth. Additionally, you can feed them fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, bananas and apples.

When first born, hens are started off with a starter feed. When they turn 8 eight weeks old, this is then transitioned into a grower feed. When hens start laying eggs, they are to be given layer feed which contains the calcium they need to form the shells of their eggs.

Avoid certain feeds

Hens eat everything they get their beak on, but you shouldn’t actually feed them everything. 

You should avoid giving your hens feed that is high in sodium chloride or fat. Eating garlic and onions can alter the flavor of the eggs they lay, and avocados can make them ill. Additionally, you should not give them chocolate – you love it, but your hens don’t.

Provide clean water

Cleanliness of water is an important factor that contributes to their health. Often, pathogens enter the bodies of hens through the contaminated water they drink. 

Therefore, you should make sure you provide your hens with clean drinking water daily, so they're not only hydrated but also safe from germs. In the long-run, this is an essential step to keep your hens healthy.

Let your hens dust-bathe

Just like you need your daily shower with water, your hens need to bathe in dust. For this purpose, you should provide accommodating areas, such as a small patch of loose dirt in your backyard or a pot filled with dirt.

Use natural supplements when needed

At times, your hens may show symptoms of deficiencies. You can rectify these lacking nutrients by giving them dietary supplements, some of which include:

Give them space … clean, dry space

It’s natural to give your hens less room when you’re keeping them in your backyard. But really – that larger coop is worth the investment.

The trick to keeping diseases away from your hens is to give them a large and clean space to live in. Smaller spaces can lead to hens fighting amongst one another for room and resources. Dirty places can attack their respiratory systems, and wet coops encourage the growth of fatal germs.

Therefore, regularly cleaning droppings from the coop and maintaining cleanliness is an important step in keeping your hens healthy. If possible, provide them with a larger area to live in, and use sand as bedding to ensure the area is dry.

De-stress your hens to keep ‘em healthy

Humans aren't the only ones who tend to get stressed – your flock can too. When stressed, hens will refuse to leave their coop and reduce the production of eggs. In worst-case scenarios, stress can prove fatal … and no one would wish that on their feathery family.

There are several things you can do to de-stress them, such as:

Steps to keep baby hens healthy

At one point, the eggs laid will hatch into chicks, and you’ll find yourself monitoring the health of baby hens. 

When you do have chicks to look after, you should ensure they have access to food and water at all times. The waterers used should be shallow to avoid the risk of your baby hens drowning. Additionally, you may want to keep your chicks away from adult hens to prevent the latter from picking on the former.

Use supplemental lighting when needed

The life cycle of hens depends on the amount of light provided. To lay eggs, a hen needs around 14 hours of sunlight. 

When natural daylight is deficient, you can use supplemental lighting such as LED bulbs. This is usually common during winter months when daylight does not exceed eight hours. 

However, you must take care that your youngsters do not receive too much daylight; this may cause them to attain sexual maturity too soon and lay eggs when their bodies aren’t ready for it.

Conclusion

Raising a flock of hens in your backyard is a rewarding thing to do, but you must pay close attention to the health of your hens, ensuring they receive everything they need. This includes optimal nutrition, clean water, sufficient daylight, clean spaces and stress-free environments.

If you manage to keep a check on all those factors, you’ll be raising a happy and healthy feathery family that will keep you entertained for good!

All the good reasons to raise poultry in your backyard have convinced you to set up your own chicken coop. You’ve made your mind – what comes next? … Choosing the right chicken breed.

When it comes to chickens, there aren’t really any ‘right or wrong’ choices. It all comes down to your preference and what you want from your feathery friends. Additionally, you should consider the breeds that best fit your surroundings and lifestyle.

For example, many chicken owners want eggs. Perhaps, this is because of their numerous uses – eggs for consumption, for sale, and chicks.

How about you? What do you want from your chickens, and what is your lifestyle like? Pause for a moment here and think what exactly you will raise your hens for.

In this regard, here are the top factors you need to consider while figuring out how to choose the right chicken breed.

Friendly Breeds

To get your love reciprocated by your feathery buddies, you need to choose a friendly flock. Examples include:

• Brahmas
• Silkies
• Cochins
• Bantams

Such chickens will love to sit in your lap, get and give love and even eat out of your hand. They're cute-looking creatures that are not too big to look intimidating and not too small to get stepped upon (really!). In short, they're the perfect addition that will incorporate the missing warmth to your backyard.

Beautiful Breeds

If your backyard is lacking that visually-pleasing element, you may want to choose fancy chicken breeds. This way, you’ll be getting all the other benefits (like eggs and meat) in mediocre amounts while also having a vibrant, vivid, and colorful backyard.

Such pretty breeds include:

• Polish chicken
• Plymouth Rock Chicken
• Yokohama Chicken
• Silkie Hens

Breeds for Egg-production

When you have your first glance at the nice and fresh eggs laid in the nesting boxes, all the effort and time invested will feel like it was worth it. And if those eggs are what you're raising hens for, breeds that are great layers should be on the top of your list. Examples of such species are:

• Plymouth Rock
• Ancona
• Hamburg
• Australorp

Breeds for Colored Eggs

No matter how old you get, you can never grow out of colorful eggs. I mean – it depends on preference, sure, but a nest full of vibrant 3-D ovals really is a beautiful sight to behold! And believe us when we say, some chicken owners are actually passionate about collecting colorful eggs.

In this regard, here are the top breeds that will give you a colorful egg basket:

• Brahmas – Brown eggs
• Cuckoo Marans – Dark brown eggs
•  Australorp – Pink eggs
• Cream Legbars – Blue eggs
• Silkies – White eggs

Meaty Breeds

With the increased hormones and chemicals injected into commercially grown chickens, it is understandable for you to raise chickens organically to consume healthy meat.

To get a fair amount of delicious meat, your best pick would be any of the following varieties:

• Buckeye
• Cornish Cross
• Egyptian Fayoumi

Rare Breeds

If you’re the type of person who’s attracted to unique things, I bet you’d love to satisfy your desire to stand out of the crowd by raising rare breeds. Some of the most uncommon chicken breeds include:

• La Fleche
• Burmese
• Sultan

With these unique feathery fellows, you’re sure to leave all the visitors to your chicken coop in awe!

Consider Your Lifestyle and Resources

We’ve now had a look at the breeds you should consider according to what you want from your chickens. But there’s more beyond your personal preferences. And that includes the climate you live in, your lifestyle/affordability, and available resources.

Climate

Different breeds are adapted to various weather conditions. If you live somewhere with a warm summer and mild winter, you'd be good with most species.

If you live in a cold climate, you need breeds with layers of insulation/feathers and resistance to chilly temperatures. Examples include Barred Rocks and Cochins.

On the other hand, if you reside in hot areas, you should opt for breeds with sleek figures and tolerance to extreme heat. Some good choices include Brahmas and Hampshire.

Lifestyle and Affordability

If you have a family and kids, you’d want to opt for the more friendly breeds mentioned at the top of this blog. This way, it’s more likely for your kids and chickens to get along.

To raise chickens while working around a budget, you may want to start with inexpensive breeds. When you begin yielding profits off the eggs or meat sold, you can consider switching to the more expensive ones.

Additionally, if you’re someone who’s always on the go and short on time, you may wish to choose low-maintenance breeds. This will make sure your feathery friends' needs are met within the short time you can offer them.

Available Resources

Before you introduce chickens to your backyard, you should analyze the resources you have. You wouldn’t want more chickens than you can accommodate.

In this regard, the most essential aspect is space. If your backyard is small or shared with other poultry, you should opt for breeds that are happy to run around in smaller areas. 

Examples include Silkies, Australorps, and Plymouth Rock (notice how these breeds are mentioned often throughout this blog? – they're versatile options!).

Conclusion

Raising chickens is an exciting thing to do, especially when you see your flock running around and clucking while adding to the beauty of your backyard. But ‘how to choose the right breed’ is something you should consider before becoming a chicken mom (or dad?).

That's not too big of a deal, though – after considering your resources and lifestyle, pick one or a few breeds that fit what you're looking for. No breed is perfect so don't get indefinitely stuck trying to figure out which breed to go for. Whichever one you end up choosing, it'll bring you lots of fun and some extras, without being overly demanding.