Flocks of commercial laying hens are ordered months and months ahead. The hens are hatched in hatcheries to the customer’s order. Different breeds of birds are available depending on the farmer’s preference and which commercial system the bird will be going into.
When the birds are hatched, they are sexed and the male chicks are normally disposed of, usually, they enter the exotic pet trade as frozen food for reptiles or birds of prey. At this point the hens are vaccinated depending on the farmer’s instructions and also beak trimming is carried out.
Farmers can buy the chicks at any age up to point of lay. A day-old sexed chick is a lot cheaper than a point of lay that the hatchery and rearing unit has “grown on” for some weeks. The farmers typically pay around £4 to £4.50 for a point of lay hen.
The hens are delivered to a prepared housing unit whether it’s a cage system, free-range or barn, usually a couple of weeks before they start to lay. This gives the hens a chance to get used to their surroundings, find out where the food, water and nest boxes are and generally make themselves at home.
At around 18 weeks, the bird will start to lay eggs and will steadily build up production over a few weeks. At their peak, they would lay approximately 6.4 eggs per bird per week. After one year of laying, the hen will be approximately 72 weeks old.
At this point, it is accepted by the industry, that the calcium within the bird’s body is depleted and the birds can produce soft-shelled eggs as they start to go “off lay” at the end of the first laying cycle.
This is the point when the farmer’s book in a catching team and the processors truck and the birds leave the farm. There is normally a 2 to 3 week turnaround time before the new birds arrive. During this time everything is thoroughly cleaned, inspected and any repairs are carried out then the cycle starts again.
As the birds go through the life cycle, the farmer can tweak the feed that is supplied to him by speaking to his supplier. The farmer can have things added and taken away as per their preference. Most farmers tend to favour one type of bird food that suits them, as the food can have different characteristics.
Towards the end of their commercial life cycle, some breeds become more prone to feather pecking, some start to lay on the floor of the housing and some are more/less aggressive towards each other.
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