Breeding backyard chicken in enclosed pens allows the farmer to easily monitor the health condition of his fowls and protects them from predators like dogs and crows but it is hardly the ideal set up.
Chicken bred in enclosures tend to indulge in feather pecking because of boredom and sometimes because of deficiency in protein and they lay less eggs than those in the free range.
However, in an area like my farm where I have to contend with predators like neighbors' dogs and crows which poach on the eggs in the nest, breeding chicken in enclosures offers a lot of benefits.
First, it allows me to easily check on the health conditions of my chicken. By simple looking at the color of the face, I could determine whether the rooster or the hen has health problems.
Second, I could identify which hens are laying well and which are unproductive, making culling easier.
Third, I do not have to worry about the crows, the dogs and other predators.
Given a choice, however, breeding in the free-range where the fowls have access to green grass and sunlight is still the most ideal set-up.
#FarmIsTheBestClassroom!
9 сен 2024
