Business Management

Penn State Extension offers extensive advice on poultry farm management to help growers establish commercial viability and business success. When it comes to raising meat chickens, turkeys, and game birds such as pheasants and partridges, coming up with a detailed flock plan is of utmost significance. Such plans are also needed for growers focused on egg production and egg sales. Detailed advice on biosecurity, farming laws and regulatory compliance, and the handling of egg and meat poultry sales is available here.

Starting a Poultry Farm

For those just starting out, the planning process is an essential step that can save a lot of time and money later. Factors such as permitting, local ordinances, and zoning laws, as well as the scale of the desired production, must all be considered carefully at the start.

Slaughtering and marketing of poultry meat is strictly regulated with different regimens applying to operations of different sizes. A thorough description of the requirements for different types of producers as well as the possibility of USDA exemptions for some producers is described here.

Chicken farmers will also benefit from some basic knowledge of the current requirements for feedstuff quality as outlined by the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Growers can find the most updated poultry farming and market information by attending the Pennsylvania Poultry Sales and Service Conference and the Northeast Conference on Avian Diseases. Important aspects of pest and nutrient management will be discussed during the Dairy, Livestock, and Crop Compliance Conference.

Starting a Turkey Production

While demand for turkey meat is mostly seasonal in the United States, it can be an attractive proposition for growers. Those interested in trying out small-scale turkey production can find here advice on common turkey breeds, feeding and watering, health issues, and the marketing and processing of turkey products.

Pricing the product is something that small-scale turkey growers can control and need to consider carefully by first calculating their cost of production.

Commercial Poultry Industry

A quick overview of how modern facilities manage to keep the cost of raising chickens low is available in this article which summarizes the latest scientific breakthroughs and discusses the prevalent business model for the commercial poultry industry. Information on the stages of egg production, such as primary breeders, hatching eggs, pullet rearing, and egg collection and marketing is available here. Growers can also find information on meat hybrids and the different stages in their rearing.

Like in poultry, turkey growing has also seen significant modernization, allowing for the quick and efficient production of turkey meat products. Penn State Extension offers an overview of stages of this process such as incubation, hatching, grow-out farms, and harvesting.

Game Birds Industry

The rearing of game birds is mostly related to demand from regulated hunting grounds and wild restocking efforts.

In Pennsylvania, game bird propagation is licensed and regulated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The Pennsylvania Game Breeders and Hunting Preserves Conference provides interested professionals with an opportunity to find out the latest information about raising game birds and operating regulated hunting preserves.