I have been watching a great
conversation surrounding heritage breeds on the APPPAPlus list. It’s a great
dialogue surrounding the potential profitability of using standard-bred
poultry, an increasingly popular topic. One thing to keep in mind is that the Black
Australorps set an egg laying record in the 1920’s of 346 eggs laid in a 365
day year.
According to the Livestock
Conservancy (1), “By 1922-23 ‘Australian Laying Orpingtons’ were setting
records. At Geelong, Victoria, a pen of six ‘Australorp’ hens set a world
record by laying 1857 eggs in 365 days – an average of 309.5 eggs each. At the
Grafton contest in 1923-24 an Australorp hen laid 347 eggs in 365 days. Soon
after a hen of the Burns bloodline broke the world record, laying 354 eggs in
twelve months. Another hen set a new world record when she laid an amazing 364
eggs in 365 days!”
High lay rates are only possible
under outstanding management, environment, and feed protocol. As I travel
around and meet with producers, I find that simple and cost effective changes
to management, environment, and feed would make a huge difference in the
profitability bottom-line.
To help figure out cost per
dozen, I created an Excel spreadsheet for calculating cost per dozen that
calculates the cost of raising the pullet and the feed cost per dozen eggs. The
output of sample calculations are included in Table 1. The worksheet I shared
on the APPPAPlus list is a live worksheet that you can change numbers according
to your production model. It’s demonstrating two management points: scale
and feeding.
Table 1: Cost to Raise 100
Heritage Pullets
| |||
Units
|
Cost
|
Total
| |
Chick
|
100
|
$10.00
|
$1,000.00
|
Feed to Production
|
20 lbs.
|
$0.50
|
$1,000.00
|
Labor
|
150 hrs.
|
$12.00
|
$1,800.00
|
Misc.
|
100
|
$3.00
|
$300.00
|
Total
|
$4,100
| ||
Per
Bird Cost of Pullet
|
$41.00
|
Part of the lack of
profitability is scale of operation, especially while raising pullets from
chick to point-of-lay. This is why buying replacement pullets is often a better
option for operations trying to make money. The calculations in Table 1
demonstrate how the scale of the pullet flock can reduce the cost of
production by making more efficient use
of labor.
My challenge to you as a group
is to work collectively to raise pullets in larger numbers for your production
and to sell excess pullets in your area. Currently most ready to lay pullets
are Sexlinks with beaks trimmed because Sexlinks (on paper) are one of the most
profitable breeds to raise for egg production. However, the breeding for the
Sexlink is for commercial confinement laying operations.
The Sexlink is a great egg
producer. But it is not a great forager, doesn’t have the same predator skills,
and it’s not the most weather hardy breed. Whereas the heritage breeds are
outstanding in weather hardiness, predator detection, and foraging.
I think that the right selection
of heritage breed layers with outstanding management, environments, and feed
are as profitable as a Sexlink when all things are taken into consideration.
The choice of breed has to fit
your production model, management skills, and lifestyle.
Effect of Scale on
Cost of Egg Production
Tables 1 and 2 compares a 100
bird and 5,000 bird flock from day 1 to laying age. For each line item,
multiply the units x cost to arrive at the total. Then add the total column to
determine the cost per pullet.
Adjust the values according to
your input and actual values. For example, these calculations make an
assumption that you will use 20 pounds of feed and require 150 hours of labor
to raise a flock of 20 week old pullets. The miscellaneous line can be adjusted
to account for incidental and overhead costs as needed.
Table 2: Cost to Raise
5,000 Heritage Pullets
| |||
Units
|
Cost
|
Total
| |
Chick
|
5,000
|
$10.00
|
$50,000.00
|
Feed to Production
|
20 lbs.
|
$0.50
|
$50,000.00
|
Labor
|
150 hrs.
|
$12.00
|
$1,800.00
|
Misc.
|
100
|
$3.00
|
$300.00
|
Total
|
$102,100
| ||
Per
Bird Cost of Pullet
|
$20.42
|
Cost of Egg of
Production
Table 3 calculates the average
rate of lay percentage for the whole lay cycle by feed amount. Layers should be
fed 1 ounce of feed per day per pound of live weight for optimum production. A
five pound hen would consume 5 ounces (.313 lbs.) of feed per day and would
cost $0.157 per day to feed. If that hen laid at a 50% rate of lay, each dozen
of eggs would cost $3.00 in feed (see Table 3 on page 24).
When hens are given free choice
grains, they waste more feed and typically consume more feed than they need. An
overfed hen weighs too much, which reduces her production.
Calculating a Cost
Per Dozen
Let’s assume you have a 70% rate
of lay with a feed cost per dozen of $3.22. A 70% rate of lay will yield
approximately 250 eggs a year (e.g., 365 x .7).
If the cost to raise a pullet is
$41.00, then each egg costs $0.164 or $1.97 per dozen. The cost of production
including Feed Cost ($3.22) + Pullet Cost ($1.97) is $5.19 per dozen.
If the cost to raise a pullet is
$20.42, then each egg costs $0.082 or $0.98 per dozen. The cost of production
including Feed Cost ($3.22) + Pullet Cost ($0.98) is $4.20 per dozen.
Table 3: Cost of Egg
Production Per Dozen
| |||||||
Per Dozen Feed Cost by Rate of
Lay for Whole Lay Cycle
| |||||||
Feed Amount
|
Feed Cost per Pound
|
Daily Feed per Hen
|
50%
|
60%
|
70%
|
80%
|
90%
|
0.250
|
$0.50
|
$0.125
|
$3.00
|
$2.51
|
$2.15
|
$1.88
|
$1.68
|
0.313
|
$0.50
|
$0.157
|
$3.76
|
$3.14
|
$2.69
|
$2.35
|
$2.10
|
0.375
|
$0.50
|
$0.188
|
$4.50
|
$3.76
|
$3.22
|
$2.81
|
$2.52
|
0.435
|
$0.50
|
$0.219
|
$5.26
|
$4.39
|
$3.76
|
$3.29
|
$2.94
|
0.500
|
$0.50
|
$0.250
|
$6.00
|
$5.01
|
$4.29
|
$3.75
|
$3.36
|
This article was republished, with permission from APPPA Grit Issue 97 in
January/February 2017. Jeff Mattocks is livestock and poultry nutritionist with
The Fertrell Company. He serves on the APPPA board of directors.
Resources
Resources
Livestock Conservancy. “Australorp Chicken.”
https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/australorp
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