In our recent blog post about what to consider when starting an egg-laying business, we talked a bit about determining the market you want to target with your products.

As a new business owner, you’ll more than likely sell your eggs at a roadside stand on or near your property instead of across the seas in the export market. However, a recent trade deal that the United States signed with Japan back in October 2019 has now created a lucrative time to begin an egg-production or other poultry-focused business, no matter your business goals.

Today’s post highlights the details of this new trade deal and provides a look into why US poultry farmers have applauded this move by the US and Japanese governments. Continue reading “What the New Trade Deal With Japan Means for US Poultry Farmers”

There’s something inherently rewarding about having your very own farm-fresh eggs every day. When you raise your chickens from the egg to chick to egg-laying hens themselves, there’s a sense of pride and accomplishment in what you’ve helped cultivate. And as your egg production increases, you may be wondering if you should start an egg laying business. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place.

At Freedom Ranger Hatchery, we believe in traditional, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly farming methods. As a result, we’re always happy to help local chicken hobbyists dip a toe into the egg business. While Freedom Ranger is a more extensive hatchery operation in Reinholds, Pa., we started just as simply as you—with a love for raising chickens. Here are a few things to crack into and consider before you get started. Continue reading “5 Factors to Consider When Cracking Into the Egg Laying Business”

When you hear the words “lice,” “fleas,” or “mites,” if you’re anything like us, you likely already start to feel itchy. Just the thought of those tiny eight- or six-legged pests crawling anywhere near you, your family, or pets probably has you on edge. But did you know that your chickens can also contract pests called chicken mites or chicken lice?

With all of the possible illnesses or diseases your flock can get, a lice infestation can be one of the most annoying to get rid of. Even if you get new birds from a reputable source like Freedom Ranger, you always want to practice good biosecurity and check your chickens before introducing them to your flock.

In today’s post, we’re going to take a look at different types of chicken mites or lice, the symptoms to look out for in your flock, and a few other common questions you might have. Continue reading “How to Get Rid of Chicken Mites and Lice Naturally”

Anyone who has had chickens most likely already knows how difficult sexing chicks can be. When the birds are young, the ways to tell what gender your chicken is aren’t always 100 percent foolproof.

Whether you’re a new hatchery owner or you just purchased a straight run of chicks from Freedom Ranger Hatchery, we want to provide you with helpful information to increase your success in raising your flock. That includes sexing chicks as accurately as possible. Continue reading “Sexing Chicks: How to Determine Gender of Your Chickens”

What to Know About Salmonella and the Impact on Different Flock Types

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths in the United States every year.” Those are staggering numbers, and most of those salmonella infections come from food. While you can find the bacteria in foods such as beef, pork, fruit, sprouts, vegetables, and certain processed foods, we’re here to talk about salmonella in chickens and their eggs. Continue reading “Salmonella: What it Means for Broilers and Egg-Layers”

It’s no secret that here at Freedom Ranger Hatchery, we’re all about happy, healthy birds. From chick vaccinations to chicken feed, we’ve covered a variety of topics to optimize your flock’s health. And while we always guarantee you the highest-quality birds, we also want to help make sure you recognize how to keep your flock thriving after they leave our farm and come to yours. Continue reading “What is Marek’s Disease? And How to Not Lose 40% of Your Flock”

When it comes to raising chickens, health is always a top priority. After all, healthy chickens are more productive and more profitable in the long run. Unfortunately, many diseases can wipe out a large percentage of your chickens or leave them more vulnerable to other infections, costing you time and money.

The good news is that vaccinations exist for many of the most common chicken diseases, providing effective preventative measures to keep your chickens healthy.

Curious about vaccinations your chickens should receive and when? Read on to find out which chicken vaccinations are right for your flock. Continue reading “What Chick Vaccinations Should You Get?”

For any chicken farmer, the health of your birds should be at the top of your priority list. Without a healthy flock, egg production lowers, sickness can spread, and in the end, you may lose chickens (and profit).

There are certain diseases, like wry neck, that can be very alarming for first-time farmers. At Freedom Ranger Hatchery, we want to alleviate some of those fears with our years of chicken-raising knowledge. Continue reading “Everything You Need to Know About Wry Neck in Chickens”

No matter what you use your chickens for, keeping your birds happy and healthy is always a priority in raising them. Healthy chickens mean a better profit for your hatchery. To keep your birds healthy and free of poultry diseases, your biosecurity needs to be up to snuff.

At Freedom Ranger Hatchery, we are dedicated to producing high-quality chickens for our customers through traditional, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly farming methods. And this means biosecurity is extremely important to us so we can keep our hatchery healthy at all times. To further keep the chickens we sell to you healthy, today’s post shares some of the ways to prevent the most common chicken diseases. Continue reading “How to Prevent and Treat the 5 Most Common Chicken Diseases”

Aspergillosis is a non-contagious respiratory disease caused by a fungal species known as Aspergillus. Commonly referred to as mycotic pneumonia, brooders pneumonia, or fungal pneumonia, Aspergillosis affects chickens, ducks, turkeys, waterfowl, game birds, and many other bird species.

Young birds are the most susceptible to infection, though older birds under stress or with compromised immune systems can develop chronic Aspergillosis.

Infection with Aspergillosis occurs through the inhalation of spores, typically from contaminated litter or other contaminations in the hatchery. Infection in young chicks is usually the result of inhaled spores from a contaminated hatching machine. Infections can also occur when infected eggs hatch during incubation and release large numbers of spores which are inhaled by other chicks.

Incidence and severity of the disease increases under warm, wet, or humid conditions. Dusty conditions and environments that result in high levels of ammonia are also perfect breeding grounds for Aspergillosis. That’s why contaminated poultry bedding is one of the most common sources of infection. Continue reading “What is Aspergillosis? Plus How to Prevent It in Your Flock”