Bob Hawes demonstrates how to tell whether a hen is laying by its pigmentation. MOFGA volunteer Fran Curtis helps. English photo. Bob Hawes, retired University of Maine professor of animal science, talked about laying hens at MOFGA’s Small Farm Field Day last August. He said that three groups of hens are available for egg production.
Cumberland County Extension Educator Dick Brzozowski provided these plans for a portable chicken coop, or “chicken tractor,” at MOFGA’s Small Farm Field Day last August. By Richard J. Brzozowski Raising broiler chicks on pasture can be profitable, and can require few inputs. The system involves purchasing day-old broiler chicks (meat type birds) in late May
A Narragansett turkey struts its stuff at Kelmscott Farm in Lincolnville. Bob Hawes photo. By Bob Hawes During 1996 and 1997, the seasonal poultry hatcheries in the United States were surveyed in cooperation with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) to determine the status of the non-commercial varieties of domestic turkey. Why worry about turkeys?
Toki Oshima drawing By Diane Schivera, MOFGA Technical Services Assistant Feed is the most expensive portion of the cost of raising chickens, and this expense is magnified by the fact that most folks feed a ground mash or pellet that is formulated and produced by a feed company. In an attempt to reduce this cost,
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy conducted a census of turkeys in the winter of 2002-2003. The results are encouraging – and concerning. Populations of standard varieties of turkeys are increasing, but the number of hatcheries actually breeding standard turkeys is declining. While standard turkeys are being brought back from the brink of extinction, they are
By Diane Schivera Many natural barriers help prevent bacteria from entering eggs. The “bloom” or “cuticle,” a gelatinous covering that dries after the egg emerges from the hen, helps seal the pores in the shell, reducing moisture loss and bacterial penetration. The many egg membranes also help prevent the passage of bacteria. The shell membranes
by Diane Schivera Cooperative Poultry Processors, COOPP, became a licensed, Maine State-Inspected poultry processing facility on October 15, 2007, and it plans to be certified-organic by MOFGA Certification Services LLC for the 2008 season. The facility is housed in a 42-foot refrigerated trailer at Snafu Acres farm, 259 Tillson Rd. in Monmouth. Snafu Acres is
Demand Creates Opportunity for Maine Farmers by Diane Schivera and Jean English Consumers’ demand for organic and cage-free eggs surpasses the supply that Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs and Nellie’s Nest Cage Free Eggs can offer, so for the first time in about two decades, a company is coming to Maine in search of growers
At the 2006 Farmer to Farmer Conference in Bar Harbor, Michael Darre of the University of Connecticut (and Extension Poultry Specialist for New England) and Ted Sparrow of Sparrow Farm in Gardiner, Maine, talked about poultry flock management and profitability. Sparrow and his wife, Karen, keep 200-plus layers to complement their market vegetable and cranberry
Unity College displayed a chicken tractor that student Sara Trunzo designed and built for use in the campus apple orchard. The 32-square-foot structure includes a closeable hutch for shade and nest boxes, water, feeder, and plenty of open space and sunlight. It also protects birds from predators and lets people access the birds and their
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