12,000 Chicken egg farm

[retlaw]

I was taken on a tour of a 12,000 chicken egg farm a couple days ago.

WOW

There was 6 rows of cages 3 hundred feet long.
11,000 eggs per day.

Everything was automatic and the gear was imported from Germany.
One man show.
A couple hours in the morning, a couple in the afternoon, was all that he needed to run the show.

Chickens were raised to 5 months before they were placed in the laying cages.
The layers we there for 1 year before they were replaced.
The chickens were then gassed and replaced.
The gassed birds are then used for "chicken by products" like dog/cat food etc.
They used to gas them on site but regulations changed and now they do it at the processing site.

Farmer told me the feed had flax added to make them an omega 3 egg.
Also said what they put in the feed to control the colour of the yolks but i forgot what he used.
The colour was to please the consumer only and nothing else.

It smelt nicer in the barns then out side the barns.

In the hot summer months water mist is sprayed to control temperatures after 32C.
If the temps get to 35C the birds only have a couple hours before they would die.

Very impressive and very weird all at the same time.
Glad I seen it, glad I am not one of those chickens.

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

that's a pretty small operation comparatively. The chicken farm up where I used to live has a million birds and they are considered small to medium sized. The largest farms have anywhere from 10 to 20 million birds.

 

[retlaw]

Yes its small to those numbers but its in Northern Saskatchewan and he sold half his quota.
All of Saskatchewan only has a population of just over one million people.

In the lower main land of British Columbia there are in total 3.5 million laying chickens in commercial farms.
The population of the lower main land is just over 2.5 million.

The farm quota size reflects people population.

Those insanely large ones that you speak of 10 to 20 million must be in highly dense people population zones.

Could you imagine 10 to 20 million birds in a barn?
That's roughly 1 1/2 million dozen eggs a day.

4x4x4 pallet size holds 11,000 eggs (half a cord)
So 1 1/2 million eggs is roughly around 68 cords of eggs a day.

The Saskatchewan farmer said he was selling them at $2 a dozen.
After "set up" costs, feed is the biggest cost this days.

3 million dollars a day gross those large farms pump out.
That's 1 billion, 95 million dollars a year gross in eggs sales.

 

[Gargoyle]

Could you imagine 10 to 20 million birds in a barn?
That's roughly 1 1/2 million dozen eggs a day.

Those operations have multiple buildings, not all the birds in a single building.

This facility has 2.3 million chickens, they call it a "luxury hotel". They claim it protects the birds and keeps them healthier.
They claim this is way better than "free range". Take it with many grains of salt. With a little bit of youtube searching you will find other videos that are much less pleasant.

 

[heartbreakdiet]

Those operations have multiple buildings, not all the birds in a single building.

This facility has 2.3 million chickens, they call it a "luxury hotel". They claim it protects the birds and keeps them healthier.
They claim this is way better than "free range". Take it with many grains of salt. With a little bit of youtube searching you will find other videos that are much less pleasant.

major sadface.

 

[Whispering Winds]

The guy down the road has 180+ chickens in a 40 x 60 shed, or close. They never see sun, never get to pick at fresh green grass, and I guess any bug that is venturing thru is eaten, but other than that, they are nothing more than battery hens. I wouldn't buy eggs from him, for all the tea in China. I buy mine from the guy just two houses up from this guy (we are country, but we have a little settlement here and there) for $1 a dozen, he tries to GIVE me the pullets eggs, but I pay him anyway, because like I tell him, you have to feed those girls too!!! His hen house is old and antique, but his eggs are wonderful. .. .just makes me sad everytime I think about those poor old hens never seeing sunshine or "feeling" it. I even asked the guy, and he said NOPE like it was no big deal. I feel the same way about this, as I do people who don't shear their Alpacas, Llamas, etc. YOU put on a wool coat when its 90 degrees out and see how YOU feel. You stay in the house with NO sun, or fresh vegetables and see how YOU feel. .. . . .

 

[heartbreakdiet]

:-( that really bums me out.

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

Quote: OMG yes we need to bring all birds indoor to protect them from diseases. Because communicable diseases are not a thing apparently.

Poultry diseases in general are really only a problem for large poultry operations who keep their animals confined.

 

[fireflyhatchery]

Poor birds.

 

[Jennsbirds]

I know big operations need to be efficient, but this sounds counterproductive due to trying too hard.

If I could cheaply and easily buy eggs from a local farmer with more humane practices, I would. The eggs would probably taste better, too.