Poultry farmers raise chickens, ducks, and turkeys, as well as their eggs, for wholesale and retail sale. She has the option of selling only the eggs or only the poultry for food. A farmer in this profession is only allowed to breed and sell poultry that is solely used for the production of eggs.
Individuals or families frequently own and operate poultry farms. The rest are frequently owned and operated professional poultry farmers as corporations. The latter have frequently received formal training and education in poultry production methods.
Farm managers are frequently employed commercially owned farms to oversee daily operations and supervise workers in the care and feeding of poultry. All of these tasks are typically performed family members on family farms. If a farming family has a contract with a corporate poultry or egg production company, they may be limited to only using the company’s chicks and feed.
Poultry farmers who have signed a contract with a commercial producer are usually required to sell only their eggs and chickens to that company. Eggs and poultry are typically sold on the open market to the highest bidder small-scale family farmers. They frequently strike deals with retailers who agree to buy their eggs and poultry exclusively from them.
Processing fresh eggs is a time-consuming process that necessitates meticulous attention to detail. The poultry farmer collects the eggs for washing almost as soon as they are laid the chickens. She carefully places them on a conveyor belt rack, where they will be washed automatically.
Each egg is held against a bright light to examine its interior to determine its viability and stability of the yolk. If the egg appears to be in good condition, it is rolled down a ramp with dozens of others and automatically sorted into sizes and grades. The eggs are crated and refrigerated the poultry farmer at this point in preparation for their journey to market.
Instead of selling eggs or fully grown birds, a poultry farmer might sell chicks. The eggs are usually hatched in trays inside incubators in this case. The incubators cause the eggs to hatch simulating the moisture and warmth of a hen’s underbelly. This method is more efficient than waiting for the hens to hatch the eggs.
To become a poultry farmer, there are no formal educational requirements. Many people who choose this profession gain knowledge and experience while still in high school working on poultry farms or on their family’s farm. Many colleges, technical institutes, and universities offer poultry and animal husbandry, as well as farm management, classes. This education is generally thought to be beneficial to a poultry farmer’s success.