The Chicken Before the Egg?

I’ve been working in a garden my entire life, from the time I was a tot helping my dad plant tomatoes until I graduated college and started a plot of my own.  Within the past 5 years my small plot has tripled in size and has slowly turned in to more of a homesteading operation.  This spring, I took the leap into livestock; I bought 6 barred rock chickens for egg production.  It’s really been a great learning experience, and I have a new-found respect for poultry farmers.

There are more than 60 breeds of chickens that farmers use for commercial poultry production.  Some breeds are best suited for either egg or meat production; others can be raised for both.  Egg layers are generally smaller in size and primarily lay either white or brown eggs.  You can tell what color egg a chicken will lay by looking at its earlobes: chickens with white earlobes will lay white eggs while chickens with any other color earlobes will lay brown eggs.

The most common commercial egg layers are the White Leghorn hybrids and Production Reds hybrids.  These commercial layers can produce between 200 and 260 eggs per year.   Purebred breeds can lay between 100 and 180 eggs per year.  Last year, across the state, there were 24.6 million chickens laying approximately 7.14 billion eggs.  

For small scale operations, only one nest is needed for every 4 birds since the chickens do not lay eggs at the same time.  Nest boxes are generally 12” x 12” x 12”.  Eggs need to be gathered from these boxes twice per day by hand.  Large scale operations have automated belts and rollers that collect, wash, grade, store and package the eggs.  

Most hens will begin laying when they reach 20 weeks of age.  Once they reach 80 weeks of age, farmers “molt” or rest the flock from egg laying.  This resting period is achieved by altering the amount of light the chickens receive and altering their diet.  Once they rest for 10 to 12 weeks, regular lighting, feed and egg production are resumed.  After 3 or 4 years and several laying cycles, egg production will decrease.  At this point, most farmers cull the flock and order more birds.

Sources: Ag Alternatives, Penn State Poultry

Support Your Farmer:

LEHIGH VALLEY:  HOLBEN VALLEY FARM has been family-owned and operated for over 50 years.  Currently there are 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th generations committed to providing delicious and nutritious pastured beef, as well as free-range chickens and eggs.  Check out their operation on the 2013 Open Gate Farm Tour!

BERKS:  Gooselane Egg Farm specializes in brown eggs from their free-range, all natural chickens.  The eggs are available for purchase from their self-service store along with freshly made baked goods, homemade rootbeer and produce when in season.  Over the summer, they also offer pasture raised, all natural chickens and turkey. 

BUCKS: The Little Farm Store at Meadow Brook Farms, located in Riegelsville, raises all natural grass-fed black Angus beef, organic chicken and brown eggs.   They also sell fresh bread, milk and dairy products, ice cream, baked goods, coffee and vegetables. 

I want my local peaches!

By Erin Frederick

The summer solstice is approaching, and that means July is just around the corner.  July marks the beginning of peach season.  Peaches, considered “stone fruit” because of their large, hard seed, can be found on Pennsylvania farms starting July through early September, depending on the variety.    According to NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service), Pennsylvania had 4,400 acres of peach trees in 2012, yielding over 41 million pounds of peaches.

I visited a local orchard not long ago, and I was surprised to learn about the incredible amount of work required in the orchard BEFORE the fruit is even close to ripe.  Peach trees need to be pruned and thinned each year.   Pruning – removal of the branches - needs to occur between late March and early May.  Timing is key:  prune too early and you risk cold injury; prune too late and you could decrease the size of your fruit.  The majority of peach trees in Pennsylvania are pruned with the open center system, which establishes 3 to 5 major scaffold (primary) limbs on the outside of the tree with an open middle, forming a bowl-like shape with the branches.  Trees are also pruned to keep the height low enough so that the peaches can be easily picked from the ground.

Thinning – removal of fruit - is also necessary for a healthy yield of appropriately sized fruit.   Thinning begins early June and continues until the tree is done fruiting.   Peaches are generally thinned so fruit is 6 inches apart, sometimes more to accommodate for larger fruit or if there is a period of drought stress. Thinning also reduces weight on branches, which reduces the chances of breaking limbs.  The tree also takes care of this on its own to some degree by what’s known as “May drop” or “June drop”, depending on the region.  During May or June, the smaller fruit that were not pollinated correctly typically fall off.

Pruning, thinning and the eventual harvesting, must all be done by hand!

 

Sources: Ag Alternatives , National Agricultural Statistics Service

Photo sourced from Minnesota State University

Support Your Farmer:

LEHIGH VALLEY: Pappy’s Orchard is a second generation, family owned and operated orchard and bakery. They offer a wide variety of stone fruit and an extensive selection of eating and baking apples.  Their bakery, Lisa’s Kitchen, is a recent addition and utilizes the products of the orchard to make seasonal fruit pies and cakes, along with traditional Pennsylvania Dutch staples, various cookies, and jellies.  They are located a short 20 minutes from Quakertown and Allentown and easy to find.   Come visit Pappy’s Orchard on the 2013 Lehigh County Open Gate Farm Tour!

BERKS:  Weaver’s Orchard has been family-owned and operated for four generations.  They offer homegrown fruits and vegetables, baked goods, deli items, dairy, canned goods, jams & jellies, and custom made fruit baskets. 

BUCKS:  Tabora Farm & Orchard has been a family owned and operated farm market for over twenty years. Owners Caleb and Patricia Torrice, along with their four children, offer the freshest quality products from their from-scratch bakery, full service deli, country store, gift basket business, and fresh fruit and vegetable farm.  Tabora orchards are a true Bucks County delight - bringing visitors in to pick their own. Their orchards are conveniently located near Doylestown, Lansdale, and Quakertown.

The Cow Forecast: The cows are lying down, is it going to rain?

By Erin Frederick

I was driving to a meeting with a colleague a few weeks ago and passed a dairy farm along the way.  As we drove by, conversation turned to the “cow ‘cast’”.  Old folklore claims that if the cows are lying down in the fields, rain is on the way.   Can seated cows really predict the weather? If half of the cows are standing, and the other half are down, does that mean there is a 50% chance of rain?   Not likely. 

Cows lie down for many reasons and most likely, they’re just resting and chewing their cud – a task that could take them 8 hours per day, for almost 30,000 chews daily.  Cud is the portion of food returned from their first stomach to be chewed a second time and re-swallowed.  Like other ruminant animals (i.e., deer, sheep, goats), cows have 4 stomach compartments, each designed to perform a different function.  Having multiple stomach compartments allows the cows to digest foods high in cellulose, like grass and hay, which humans and non-ruminant animals (i.e., pigs, chickens) cannot digest with only one stomach compartment.  The cow’s knack for digesting grasses allows us to produce a food source on lands that are generally not suitable for crops.   Utilizing areas with poor soil quality for grass that cows can turn into food for all of us, improves the efficiency of our food production. 

In conclusion, the cows are just biding their time chewing, and are not a substitute for Doppler radar. 

 

Photo courtesy of Lehigh Co. Farmland Preservation

Support Your Farmer: 

LEHIGH VALLEY:  Klein Farms – Dairy and Creamery is located in Forks Township, Northampton County, about 6 miles north of Easton’s Centre Square. Klein Farms has been in business since 1935. The farm is run by Layne and Beth Klein who are third generation farmers on the current property. The farm has gone through many structural changes over the years, but one thing remains the same...quality animals and a quality product. Klein Farms is now pleased to offer gourmet cheese, raw milk, eggs and farm raised beef. Layne and Beth welcome you to the farm and hope you enjoy this site. Come and visit!!  Catch them on the 2013 Northampton County Open Gate Farm Tour on October 12th & 13th!

BERKS: Way-Har Farms is located in Bernville, Berks County. They farm on 450 acres, raising corn, alfalfa, soybeans and wheat to feed to their cattle.   They have a milking herd that consists of Holsteins, Jerseys, Brown Swiss, Milking Shorthorns and Ayrshires. Their farm market highlights their milk, bakery items,  handmade chocolates, candy and  ICE CREAM (at the height of the ice cream season, you can find over 60 flavors).

Sources: Oklahoma 4H, University of Kentucky Extension

This week at the market: Strawberries

By Erin Frederick

Strawberries are grown on more than 55,000 acres across the U.S. with just over 1,200 acres in Pennsylvania.  On most of this acreage, each berry must be handpicked!  Strawberries bruise easily and need to be handled very carefully; ample time and care have gone into getting that strawberry from the field to the stand at the farmers’ market.  

There are two main types of strawberries – June bearing and day-neutral.  In Pennsylvania, June bearing strawberries produce their fruit in the late spring and early summer.   The exact time of fruit varies between May and early July depending on the variety, production methods, and location.   June bearing strawberries constitute most of the current strawberry acreage in Pennsylvania.  Day–neutral strawberries bloom and fruit repeatedly, usually in flushes, throughout spring, summer and fall and typically perform the best in cooler regions.

Farmers in Pennsylvania utilize two different types of production systems to grow strawberries: matted row and plasticulture.  In matted row production, farmers fill a 12 to 18 inch wide bed with strawberry plants.  Farmers can yield an average of 10,000 pounds per acre with this system.   Plasticulture production involves planting the plugs in plastic mulch in double rows, 12 inches apart; however, this method works best in warmer regions with long growing seasons.

The overall yield of a strawberry bed declines after about 2 to 3 years.   Farmers need to have several plots of varying ages to maintain yields.  Farmers are also able to extend the strawberry season be planting different varieties.  The chart below lists different varieties and time of season they generally ripen.

Support Your Farmer:

LEHIGH VALLEY:  George Schmidt Berry Farm is a place where you can pick your own fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, peaches, blackberries and sour cherries, and certain vegetables, such as sugar peas, pod peas, and string beans.  They also sell fresh fruits and vegetables at their farm stand.

BERKS: Strawberry Hill Farm - South is a family operated, preserved farm that has been raising small fruit for 25 years, and vegetables for 15 years. The stand in Kutztown, has been in operation for the past 5 years. They sell their own raised fruits, including strawberries, blackberries and gooseberries as well as vegetables, plus other produce from local farmer friends. They sell honey products from Dannenhower Apiaries and jams and homemade baked goods from Ol' Schoolhouse Bakery.

Sources:  Ag Alternatives