The Amish Way of Raising Healthy Chickens - Chicago Live Poultry (2024)

FAQs

The Amish Way of Raising Healthy Chickens - Chicago Live Poultry? ›

Chickens raised under Amish care are typically free-range

Chickens need to be fed and water changed daily. They need to be let out of the coop each morning and put into the coop at dusk each night to protect them from predators. Eggs should be picked up twice a day. The coop and pen should be cleaned out weekly to maintain sanitation and odor control.

Raising chickens is profitable - if you can control your losses (we'll show you how later) you can expect to net 40-50% of your sale price. In other words you can just about double your money in 10 weeks. Beats the stock market, eh?

Only a portion of chicken farmers claiming that they sell Amish chickens are actually Amish, and even the Amish don't all raise their chickens organically. It mostly refers to the area that the chickens were raised in, such as Pennsylvania, but the birds are treated just the same as your standard grocery store chicken.

Definitions. Brooding - refers to the period immediately after hatch when special care and attention must be given to chicks to ensure their health and survival. Rearing - refers to the remainder of life after brooding until sexual maturity.

Planning for Egg Production Per Week

If you wanted to get about a dozen eggs per week, you would need between 3 to 5 laying hens. For two dozen eggs a week, you would need to double those numbers for a flock size of between 6 to 10 laying hens.

Assorted layer co*ckerel chicks are the cheapest of the cheap. Often hatcheries will sell assorted-breed (their choice) rooster chicks for half or even less what they charge for meat birds – and while the cost of the chick is only a small part of the price tag for raising meat birds, this is still a savings.

The answer is… it depends. If you're looking to become more self-sufficient and enjoy the process of raising chickens, then it may be worth the investment for you. Additionally, if you have a large family or use a lot of eggs in your cooking, then the cost savings may be more significant.

This farming method, popularized by Joel Salatin, author of Pastured Poultry Profits, moves birds in a mobile bottomless coop, called a chicken tractor, several times per day or week. Salatin recommends one acre per 500 birds per this method to be sustainable and profitable.

What do Amish feed their chickens? ›

In fact, most of our Amish and Mennonite family farmers grow their own organic grains to feed their hens. Our cage free farmers feed their hens a conventionally grown diet, formulated by local feed mills.

The treatment of our chickens and workers will always come first and set us apart. Raising chickens natural, antibiotic free, on local Amish farms following the most humane standards. We not only treat our chickens with the highest degree of care but also our workers.

Gerber's Amish Farm Chicken® tastes better because our family has taken the time to perfect our feeding formula and the way we raise our chickens. WHAT'S IN OUR FEED? THAT'S SIMPLE, TOO. Corn and soybeans are used to make our specialized, antibiotic free vegetable-based, all natural feed.

Not only do chickens enjoy being petted, but they also have a strong sense of empathy. During a session with a chicken, he'll likely peck at you, peep, and purr until you give him a treat. Besides being very smart, chickens are also incredibly affectionate.

Giving your flock a “flock block” to peck in instead of their flockmates may help alleviate pecking. Try encouraging your flock to go outside, even in the winter. Scatter treats across their yard to make them go search. Exercise, sunshine and fresh air are good for them.

Chicken liver, gizzards and kidneys are all edible and quite nutrient dense sources of minerals.

Additionally, if you have a large family or use a lot of eggs in your cooking, then the cost savings may be more significant. However, if you're simply looking to save money on eggs, then it's likely that buying eggs from the store will be more cost-effective in the long run.

In the long term, layer farming on a big scale will be more profitable and generate more money than broiler farming since the birds may be sold as meat after producing eggs, albeit at a lower price than broilers.

For beginners just starting out with backyard chickens, it's usually best to start small. A beginner-friendly flock size would typically consist of three to four chickens. This allows you to gain experience caring for and managing your chickens without becoming overwhelmed.