With egg prices averaging $6 a dozen, people are looking for alternative ways to get poultry products. The operator of a Waddell chicken farm has some advice for those looking to purchase their own laying hens.
Colwyn Wickersham has owned Az Chickens since 2019. He sells everything from chick kits to mature laying hens.
“It’s been a blessing to share with a lot of families and serve our local Arizona community,” Wickersham said. “It has really been inspiring to help either provide eggs for their family.”
On average, one hen can lay around 240 eggs a year. The recommended ratio for hens to humans is two to one.
“Ten dollars a dozen, by George, that's $240 dollars worth of just eggs that I am not buying from the store that I am saving for myself, or maybe you decide to sell them,“ Wickersham said. “But either way, when you are talking just one hen being able to provide that for a year, that's a big difference for a lot of families right now.”
The best breed for egg production is the white leghorn, Wickersham said. Hens can lay eggs in most temperatures under 90 degrees. Chicken coops don’t have to be extravagant, according to Wickersham.
“Chickens in general, you can almost get away with almost anything as far as a living space for them,” Wickersham said. “The most important aspects are having a place where they can get out of the wind and the rain, of course shade in the summer time.”
He said simpler designs might be a dog kennel with a cover on top of it. Others have used children's playsets or have bought purpose-built chicken coops.
He also recommends buying from farms rather than auctions since bird exposure and sanitation of coops can’t be tracked.
Signs of a healthy chicken are shiny feathers, clear breathing, bright eyes and red combs, according to Wickersham.
A local bird and livestock vet KJZZ spoke to over the phone says it is relatively low for a backyard flock to be infected with bird flu unless a bird was already exposed before entering the coop.
Bird flu symptoms can include discoloration of body parts, lack of energy, discharge and changes in breathing. The sudden death of a bird may be an indicator it was infected as well.
Wickersham encouraged those who are interested in getting poultry to do research and ask questions.
“A lot of the time we go online and we get into a fearful mode, an analysis paralysis if you will,” Wickersham said. “Like anything in life, you just don’t know until you jump into it.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Colwyn Wickersham's name.
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