Factors to Consider when starting an Organic Egg Raising Farming

Egg farming is gradually increasing daily in almost all parts of the world, due to its large content of nutrients known by all. 

Organic egg farming is a farming practice, where eggs are produced from organic poultry farming, where the birds are fed and taken good care of in a natural way. 

There is no big difference between the organic eggs and the ordinary ones, but the only difference is the taste and also the nutritional benefits derived from it, that makes the organic eggs to be preferred than the other ones. 

Most farmers are now gradually changing from their old way of poultry farming to organic way, in order to produce healthier eggs. 

Engaging in this type of farming can be very easy; most especially if you the knowledge about poultry farming, all you need to know is the necessary equipment that is needed in poultry farming and the production of eggs in a natural way. 

The below tips will guide you on how you can start up organic egg raising. 

1. Choose the Old Layer Chicks

If you are planning of going into organic egg production, it is advisable to choose more of the old layer chicks, because they are very good in egg production. 

But if you want to venture into both egg and meat production, then you can choose other breeds like broilers that provides more meat than eggs. So in order for you to have more eggs, it is good that you go for the old layer chicks. 

2. Know the Laws 

Before starting up a business, you need to know the rules and regulations guiding your locality. In most parts of the countries, you have to be certified before you can engage in this type of farming business, because you may need some special facilities to clean up your eggs. So before you start up the farming business, you have to ensure to go through all the legal processes. 

The certification is also to ensure that the person works by the rules that are involved in organic egg farming, including poultry farming practices. 

So, therefore, it is important to know the law that guides your area, before embarking on this type of business, to prevent from being stopped on the way. 

3. Decide on How many Chicks You Want

Deciding on how many chicks you want, will help you the number of eggs you have planned to sell for each week. 

You can discover that a laying hen can produce three or five eggs in a week. So if you plan to sell like 10 dozen eggs in a week, you can start with 25 or 30 chicks. 

So, therefore, knowing the number of eggs you want can help you to decide on the number of chicks you want. 

4. Getting a Suitable Land

Getting a suitable land for your farming practice, and also when getting a chick, always make sure that it is from an organic farm. 

It is advisable to grow grasses that will help in attracting worms and other insects which can also serve as a source of food to the poultry.

 It is important to get a land location that is very to access, in terms of movement and transportation of eggs. 

It is good to go for a land that will be easy to locate and ensure that it is a bit far from people living around the area because of air pollution. 

You should also make sure to provide electricity and clean water, which will help in the proper management of your chicken. 

5. Design a Suitable Building to House The Hens

It is important to create an adequate building to properly house the hens. If you do not prefer cages, then it requires about 1.5 square feet of floor space for each bird. 

Make that there is the availability of feeders and water fountains. A nest box is needed for every five hens. It is good to keep them in place that allows pasture grazing. 

So, therefore, it is necessary to build a proper chicken coop that will help in protecting the hens from bad weather, as well as predators.  

6. Ensure Natural Medication

You should know that it is not advisable to be giving them antibiotics or any other genetically modified drugs. Everything regarding their health should base on natural medications. 

It is important to create sufficient ventilation and space for the poultry birds, in order to ensure the proper flow of air to prevent any spread of diseases or flu that might lead to a breakout.

Consulting a veterinarian regularly is good, in order to ensure that your birds are in good health. 

Always make sure to keep the buildings clean and also properly dispose of the dead birds. New birds should be kept in a separate area and properly check on the disease symptoms before allow you can keep them with other birds. 

7. Organic Feed Only

Organic egg farming requires that the chickens must be fed with the certified organic feed throughout their entire lives. 

Their feeds should include only approved organic grains, supplement, and feeds. Certified organic chicken feed should not contain animal by-products like grains with treated synthetic chemical herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides or any synthetic amino acids. 

Organic chicken feed should be free from the antibiotic. It is important to know that organic farms are been supervised annually by the third party to make sure that the standards are met. 

If you are buying your grains from a farmer or feed mill, if it is not written as organic or non-organic, you are required to ask the feed mill if the grains are genetically modified organic feeds. So ensure that you take proper care of your organic farming products and the equipment.  

8. Have a Budget 

It is important for you to create a budget for organic egg farming and know if the profit is possible. 

A hen normally starts laying eggs at about 18 weeks of age. Some hens can molt at 52 weeks and can be sold out as a stewing hen at 110 weeks of age, because of the molting period, it is difficult for hens to lay eggs. 

They are likely to lay four to five eggs in a week depending on the kind of breed.  A day-old chick needs about 18 weeks of proper care before they can start laying eggs. 

In Conclusion

In order to produce healthy eggs, it is important that your poultry birds have to be healthy. There are lots of challenges associated with organic egg farming, which include the high cost of their feed and its medications. 

Organic egg farming is a profitable farming business one can engage in, because it is now preferred by most people than other ones, due to its nutritional health benefits, and also has a good taste.  

With basic knowledge about organic egg farming, from the write-up, it is also good that you research on how much organic poultry products are in your area. 

Visit other organic egg farmers around you and make some enquires about the farming business before you can set up your own.