Starting from scratch is intimidating. You don’t know where to begin, and all the information online seems to point you in a million different directions at once. We’ve simplified the process of starting a chicken farm so you can move forward with confidence.
Here’s a rundown on how to start a chicken farm from (chicken)scratch
1. Determine which type of chickens you want
Before you do anything else, you need to decide what you want from your poultry farm: eggs or meat. Depending on where you fall, you’ve got a choice between two main chicken types: broiler chickens (for meat) and layer chickens (for eggs). The type of chicken you choose will affect everything from the amount of feed you need, to the income flow of your barn. So, make sure you do your research and choose the breed that is right for you.
2. Find a good location
Now that you know what kind of farm you want, you need to decide where to put your barn. For large, commercial operations, you’ll want to stay downwind of residential areas, and choose an area with lots of space. Though smaller hobby farms don’t need to worry about this as much, choosing a space too close to homes, whether yours or others, could potentially cause complaints.
3. Design + build the poultry barn
Now that you know the type of chickens you want, and where you want to put them, it’s time to design the space – which is the most technical part. You need to make sure all of your systems (ventilation, lighting, feeders, etc.) are placed in the proper locations according to your needs, and you also need to know the guidelines to accomplish this. This is where it pays to know an expert like SCLE. Not only do we help design livestock barns, we offer Free Barn Designs to help you build a barn that will fulfil your needs, and those of your livestock.
Once you’ve made all the decisions, you’ll have a plan of action to follow that will get you from where you are, to owning and operating your very own poultry farm.
Check out the products we carry to get started or contact us. We’d love to meet with you and help plan out your poultry barn.