Easter Egger chicken farming is popular in the western world. They are highly popular mainly for their eggs production. They actually lay exceptional blue colored eggs, which is not common in many other domestic chickens.
The Easter Egger is not actually a breed of chicken. Rather it is a variety of chicken that does not conform to any breed standard defined in the American Poultry Association’s standards.
Actually, any chicken that possesses the ‘blue egg’ gene, but doesn’t fully meet any breed standards is an Easter Egger. The Easter Egger chickens lay medium to large eggs that vary in shade from blue to green to olive to aqua and sometimes even pinkish.
The name ‘Easter Egger’ derives from the resemblance of their colorful eggs to Easter eggs. The Easter Egger chickens are raised mainly for their colorful eggs, but they are also large enough to be used for meat production.
Blue colored eggs have good demand and value in the market. So starting commercial Easter Egger chicken farming business will be profitable if you can manage everything perfectly.
How to Start Easter Egger Chicken Farming Business
The Easter Egger chickens are extremely hardy and active birds. So starting commercial Easter Egger chicken farming is just like starting a chicken farming business with any other domestic breeds. Even a beginner can start raising these birds.
Here we are trying to describe more information about starting and operating a successful Easter Egger chicken farming business from purchasing birds to caring and marketing.
Purchase Chickens
First of all, you have to purchase very good quality, healthy and disease free birds for starting your Easter Egger chicken farming business. You can purchase either day old chicks or mature birds depending on the price and availability in your area.
Mature birds are generally sold at a very high price in the market. On the other hand the day old chicks are much cheaper. We recommend starting with day old chicks.
You can purchase the chicks from any of your nearest chicken breeding centers or existing farms. You can also search your local online classified websites for purchasing chicks.
Housing
Making a good, comfortable and secure housing system is very important for Easter Egger chicken farming business. Because a good house not only helps the birds to stay healthy, but also helps them to stay free from all types of predators and adverse weather conditions.
The house can be of full concrete setup, or you can build the house with cheap and easily available materials such as bamboo, wood etc. It actually depends on your budget.
Install good ventilation system and ensure flow of sufficient amount of fresh air and light inside the house. Because good ventilation system helps to reduce gas from the house, and keeps the birds healthy.
Try to build the house in such a way so that you can easily clean the house. The Easter Egger chickens are classed as a heavy breed, so each bird will require around 5 square feet of housing space.
Feeding
This is the most important part of Easter Egger chicken farming business. Because good food not only helps the birds to grow better, but also helps them to stay healthy and produce more. So always try to feed your chickens with good and nutritious food.
You can feed your chickens either with ready-made/commercial layer poultry feeds or you can prepare the feeds of your own. Just ensure that the feeds are good, nutritious and healthy for your birds.
Never feed your chickens with contaminated feeds. And always try to provide your chickens with enough clean and fresh drinking water as per their demand.
Breeding
The Easter Egger chickens are naturally very good breeders, just like many other domestic chicken breeds. They will breed easily and produce enough fertile eggs for hatching if you keep good ratio of hens and roosters in your flock. Generally one healthy rooster is enough for breeding around or up to 10 mature hens.
Caring
The Easter Egger chickens are extremely strong and hardy birds. They can do very well in both warm and cold weather. So they generally require less caring and other management as compared to many other common breeds. Although taking additional care will help them to grow better and produce more.
Monitor your birds on a regular basis for any signs of diseases or illness. And take necessary steps if you notice anything uncommon. Always provide them with good food and clean drinking water. Vaccinate them timely and keep good contact with a vet in your area.
Marketing
Marketing chicken products is not a problem. Because chicken products have very good demand and value in the market. So you will probably be able to easily sell your products in the local market. Although you should set your marketing strategies before starting this business.
These are the common ways and steps for starting and operating a successful Easter Egger chicken farming business. Hope this guide has helped you! Good luck & may God bless you!
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Thanks for your honest opinion! Good luck!