Tour a Broiler Hatching Egg Farm

Michael Kautzman is the General Manager of the Saskatchewan Broiler Hatching Egg Producers. This group represents farmers who raise the chickens that produce broiler eggs instead of the kind of eggs that you buy in the grocery store. These eggs hatch into the chickens that are raised for their meat. We followed Michael as he toured a brand new broiler hatching barn in Saskatchewan to learn more about this type of farming.

Michael: We’re here at the Clear Spring Hutterite Colony with Mike Wurtz and Alvin Kleinsasser. They’ve been kind enough to show us their facilities for broiler hatching eggs. Right now we’re standing in the pullet barn, which is one of a few barns that they have here. Definition: “pullet” refers to a young female chicken before she starts to lay eggs. We’ll ask a couple of questions so you can learn a little bit more about hatching eggs and the whole process behind it.

So, Alvin, how old are the birds you have right now in the pullet barn?

Alvin:  These here are one week today.

What do they eat generally?

Alvin: Well, we’re on starter crumbles for the first four days. Just so it fares better in their gizzard. And then after four days, we go to home ground starter for about three weeks and then they go onto a broilers feed.

I assume that they just drink typically water. Do you guys have well water or do you have city water?

Alvin: We have well water.

How many birds do you typically get in a placement?

Alvin: Normally around 17,000 females and 2,500 males every 11 weeks.

What temperature do you have the barn at when they first get in?

Alvin: 35 Celsius for the first 24 hours. And then we usually try and cool it by about a half a degree Celsius every day.

And where do these chicks come from?

Alvin: Normally out of Sallisaw, Oklahoma. And if they can’t supply them, then Atlanta, Georgia.

Okay. And they come as chicks?

Alvin: Yes. As one day old chicks.

And then how long are they in this facility before they move?

Alvin: Normally about 20 weeks. And then they get moved to the breeder facility.

How old are these birds that are in here?

Alvin: These birds that we’re going to take a look at here would be 11 weeks.

We are at the heating system for this area of the colony. Alvin, what can you tell me about this barn?

Alvin: This is a breeder barn and the birds are 23 weeks of age. Until about 25 weeks of age, or when they hit the right weight, then we start lighting them. Exposure to a certain amount and intensity of light helps the birds mature at about the same time.  When the birds are sexually mature, that’s when they start breeding and that’s when we would drop those nests.

What do you mean by lighting?

Alvin: We provide hundred percent of the light capacity in this barn, whereas, in the growing stage, they only get 4% of the light, so they don’t sexually mature.

Now we’re in the last barn we’re going to visit today. What do you have in this barn?

Alvin: This is the main breeder barn here and the breeding area in here. The nesting is over here, and the females eat in the back. And there’s a grill where the rooster can’t get their comb through. He would get stuck. So the roosters would eat off of this line, which comes down once a day to about this height. And this way you can control their weight by feeding them a different amount every day.

The males and the females eat different amounts of feed.

Alvin: Yes, and also a different blend of feed.

Tell us about the nest boxes. Is this where they go to lay their eggs?

Alvin: That is correct. And then they roll down onto a belt and then out to the main collection station.

Is the collection station behind this door here?

Mike: Yes. This is the egg storage. It’s a climatized room that keeps the correct humidity and temperature 24/ 7. The hatchery picks up the broiler eggs twice a week. Right now it’s empty except for crates.

They pick up from you about twice a week.

Mike: Yes, they will pick up twice a week. Once we’re in full production, maybe three times a week.

Thank you for explaining what it’s like to be at a hatching egg facility. I would like to thank Alvin and Mike, for letting us come in and tour the facilities.

Alvin: Thanks for coming.