Raising Laying Hens at Home: 5 Tips Before You Start

If you want to start raising laying hens at home, you cannot just jump in. You need a solid plan for everything the business will require. Here are some tips for raising laying hens at home to follow before you get started:

Prepare a Suitable Farm Location

Raising laying hens at home does not mean you can keep them anywhere. You still need a suitable location. If you have a reasonably large empty plot at home with a quiet setting, it may work as the site for your home egg farm. Make sure the location has enough water and that it is easy to get a supply of chicken feed. If the site is not very big, you can use tiered cages to hold all of your laying hens.

Get Well Prepared

Before you decide to start a laying hen business, you should at least be well prepared in terms of capital, cage location and other upkeep costs. Your target customers also need careful planning. If you are aiming at lower to middle income buyers, you can sell your eggs in traditional markets. If you want to reach upper income customers, you can start targeting modern retail such as supermarkets or minimarkets. Your ability to break into a wider market also depends on the quality of your eggs, so make sure the eggs from your farm are of good quality and not inferior to those from large laying hen farms.

Choose the Right Type of Laying Hen

Two types of laying hens are widely known in the poultry business: light laying hens and medium laying hens. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses, and you can pick the one that suits your home egg farm better. Light laying hens are white and lay a lot of eggs, up to 260 per year, but they are very sensitive to noise and hot weather, which can affect their egg production. Medium laying hens are brown and lay fewer eggs, but their eggs are larger than those of the white light hens.

Buy Feed From a Supplier

When you start a laying hen business, you also need to plan for feed. It is a good idea to buy from a supplier who can provide chicken feed on a continuous basis, so you always have the feed you need. Buying feed from a supplier is also relatively cheaper than buying it at livestock feed stores.

Look After the Health of Your Hens

Another thing you must not overlook is the health of your laying hens. Their health has a big effect on how many eggs they produce, and many laying hen farmers end up going bankrupt because their hens get sick. To keep your hens healthy, it is a good idea to prevent disease with regular vaccinations and to keep the cages clean by removing droppings often. Antibiotic injections can also be given to boost the hens' immunity.

Read also: Benefits of Raising Broiler Chickens and the Risks