EGG PRODUCTION

Several types of egg-producing poultry can be found on the Weikel farm. Leghorn chickens (from the Mediterranean) produce the white eggs and the hybrid sexsal chickens (a hybrid from Europe) produce brown eggs on this farm. Broiler chickens which are raised for their meat are not found on the Weikel farm right now, though they have raised these chickens in the past.

At this farm chickens are replaced after a year. April chickens will begin producing eggs in September or October of the same year. The following October the chickens are sold to other farmers where they are sold as stewing (not roasting) chickens.

1. A bantum chicken family scurries around the farm yard. From left to right are a young chicken ( white bird), hen (light rust), and rooster (multicolor with red crown).		2. Inside the chicken coop the young chickens find their feed (long tray at the right) and water (circular container in center). They eat a store-bought mash of ground corn and other ingredients.
3. On a daily basis one of the Weikel family members gathers the eggs from the nesting areas in the coop.		4. Baskets of eggs are lowered into the egg washer. The washer heats to a specific temperature and a light indicates when each batch is finished.
5. This washing cleans the dirt off the eggs and helps to reduce bacteria on the outside of the eggs.		6. Though chickens spend much of their time in their coops, they are allowed out of the coop for exercise.
7. At the Weikel farm 230 egg-producing chickens yield approximately 1 basket of eggs per day; each basket holds 12 - 15 dozen eggs depending on the size of the eggs.		8. Eggs have traditionally been a part of the American breakfast for many centuries. We still enjoy them as a source of protein in our diets today.