Animals are identified through the class where they belong as well as their breeds. Just like humans, they live like a family in a certain place. Chickens are one of the best examples. They forage, preen, and nest together.
What do you call a group of chickens? A group of chickens can be called a flock, brood, clutch, or charmingly but less common peep. It’s a wonderful sight to spot the chickens that peck seeds and pull up grass together. They sometimes take a bath in the sand too.
While hens and chicks sit side by side, the rooster keeps watching for upcoming danger. Therefore, they don’t just share food but also look after each other.
They live and work as a team since a group of chickens is like a family because there’s a mention of hen, rooster, and chicks. Why are there any terms to call their group?
You can’t help but think about the most suitable word to use when referring to a group of chickens. Normally, you want to be specific when using a term in a sentence.
Don’t worry as this article is filled with information that can clarify things. So, spare some time to read everything here.
Group Chicken Terminology
Curiosity about the different terms used for a group of chickens is inevitable. So, here they are with their definitions:
Flock
Flock is mainly used for a group of adult chickens that are of different ages and gender. They usually live together in a coop with an established pecking order.
It needs time to form a flock, but you can add more chickens to an existing one. However, the new additions need adjustment to label their place in the hierarchy.
Brood
Brood refers to a group of chicks in a brooder pen or together with a hen. A brood can be a part of the flock.
Clutch
The clutch stands for a hen and its eggs. This group grows as the eggs are hatched. It’s usually composed of 12 to 15 eggs which are incubated under the hen.
Peep
Peep or peeps is represented by very young chicks since they peep when the eggs crack.
Is Chicken Farming Profitable?
Chicken farming is profitable. Profitability and financial growth are seen in small-scale chicken egg productions. This type of business is profitable, and the owners can even pay off their loans while gaining profits.
Aside from eggs, selling chicken meat is also profitable. So, it’s worthwhile to improve broiler production. Eggs and chicken meat are not the only parts that you can make money from.
You can collect feathers for decorations, clothing items, and pillows. When thinking about investment and profit within chicken farming, a poultry profit calculator can help you.
How Can I Start Poultry Farming?
It’s daunting to start poultry farming, but once you commit to the following steps, you’re on the right track in reaching your goal.
1. Learning About Poultry Farming
Even a novice can start poultry farming, but it’s essential to learn the dynamics about it first. Consult a farmer or enroll in classes about poultry farming.
2. Chicken Product
You must decide the chicken products that you can work and they are as follow:
- Broiler – chicken meat
- Layers chicken – egg production
- Hatchery
- Poultry feed production
- Processing of chicken
3. Finding an Ideal Location
Find an ideal location for your poultry farm to flourish. Make sure that roads, clean water, electricity, security, and medical facilities are accessible. It’s also a good location if it’s adjacent to the market where you plan to store your chicken products.
Due to regulation constraints, a poultry farm can’t be built in a residential area. To consider this matter, you don’t have to choose a place that is too far away from the town as transportation can cost you more than you expected.
4. Setting up Poultry Cage
After you find the ideal location, you can set up your poultry cage. You can visit other farms to get some ideas and inspiration.
There are different styles of poultry cage, and you can follow any of them as long as it has a comfortable environment for the chickens. In this part, purchasing farming equipment should also be done.
5. Buying Chicks
Make sure that you buy quality chicks from a reputable source. You can research the chicken breeds that match your intentions of poultry farming.
6. Employing Reliable Workers for Help
There are many reasons why someone who ventures into poultry farming hires workers. This person is a beginner or doesn’t have much time to take care of the business. Of course, large-scale businesses need a lot of help.
7. Health Management Program
A health management program in poultry farming is crucial since it can minimize the mortality rate. Prevention is better than cure as various chicken diseases can downsize the number of your fowls.
8. Selling the Products
Once your chickens grow healthily and they do the things that you expect from them like laying eggs, you have to think of a marketing strategy. You have to know how to sell them fast, so you can gain profit.
How Much Does it Cost to Start a Chicken Farm?
A small-scale poultry farm costs from $5,000 to $25,000. This price range includes three months of maintaining your farm and the salaries of your workers. You’ll also need money for farming land, buying chickens, and registration.
Aside from the cost of the poultry farm, you have to include other things that require payment. If you need assistance from a business consultant and an accountant, you have to pay for their service too.
How Many Chickens Do You Need for a Chicken Farm?
Family-run chicken farms usually have 4,000 to 10,000 chickens. The biggest one has 50,000 chickens that are operated with the help of hired labor. Large-scale business like this proves to be profitable.
How Many Chickens Do You Need to Make a Profit?
As mentioned, chicken farms run by families have 4,000 to 50,000 chickens to make a profit based on the study of UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. With these numbers of chickens, an average of 14,500 chickens can be sold per year.
Chicken farms with only 2,000 chickens or fewer may struggle to come up with $18,000 yearly. This is the amount that compensates for the labor and management.
How Do Chicken Farmers Get Paid?
There are independent chicken farmers who work for a chicken company. They don’t only get a base pay but a bonus as well in raising healthy fowls. At the same time, companies also invest in chicken farms.
Chicken farmers who don’t have contracts with a chicken company can sell their goods to farmer’s markets, retailers, and restaurants.
The highest price can be applied in farmer’s markets and the next favorable earnings are from restaurants. Thus, the lowest price is adapted when selling products to retailers.
What Is Chicken Farming Called?
Chicken farming is called poultry farming. It’s composed of various chickens for egg production, meat breeds, and dual breeds for both eggs and meat.
Related: What to Know About Chicken Farming? | Explained for Beginners!
What Is the Best Chicken for Eggs?
The best chickens for eggs are:
- White Leghorn
- Golden Comet
- Rhode Island Red
- Ameraucana
- Golden Laced Wyandottes
- Barred Plymouth Rock
- Buff Orpington
- New Hampshire Red
- Speckled Sussex
- Australorp
Related: What Chicken Lays the Most Eggs? | All You Need to Know!
Do You Need License to Keep Chickens?
You need a license or permit to keep the chickens. There are specific requirements in every state, so it’s best to research first before application.
A license or permit for keeping chickens should be renewed every year. It all depends on the area where you live. The process can be conveniently processed online, and you need to make a citizen account.
How Do Poultry Farms Work?
Commercial poultry feeding is widely practiced since it’s an efficient way of giving maximum energy for growth. There’s a balanced amount of protein that enhances muscle, skin, feathers, and organs.
A chicken coop should be comfortable and safe. Aside from providing the basic needs of the chickens such as shelter and food, there are other essential procedures before production.
Chicken coops should be managed well to prevent crowding, overheating, and chilling. ‘Cannibalism’ occurs in poultry and it means picking of tails, feathers, and toes.
This circumstance is controlled by debeaking. Another crucial thing to manage in poultry is to fight several diseases.
To overcome diseases, there are strict sanitary precautions with the support of a smart way of utilizing vaccines and antibiotics.
There’s also a space for confinement in case sick chickens need to be isolated. After winning over challenges in poultry farms, the farmers can sell their products.
Related: What Does a Chicken Coop Need? | All You Need to Know!
Summary
It’s a common sight to see that chickens are like family, as they live and do things together. What do you call a group of chickens? Whether they’re outdoors or in a coop, they can be called flock, brood, clutch, or peep. That’s why they can be in the same cage even when raised commercially.