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In the 1920s and 30s, egg farms were still mostly backyard systems. Many farmers had laying hens to supply their own families with eggs and would sell any extra eggs at local farmers’ markets. As selling eggs became profitable, some farms started building up flocks of about 400 hens. The hens roamed around outside with a coop for roosting.
Living outside presented some problems, mainly with weather and predators. Social issues within the flock included the “pecking order” in which bigger and more aggressive birds would eat more of the food, leaving less for the other birds.
Diseases were also a problem and selective breeding helped to cultivate healthy flocks. For parents of new chicks, hatcheries chose the strongest, healthiest birds with good egg-laying records. These parents passed along favorable genetic factors, such as disease resistance, to their offspring.
Special medicines were developed to help combat parasites, such as leg mites. Scientifically controlling what the birds ate was another major step forward in maintaining healthy hens and ensuring eggs of consistent quality.
While these advances helped, the hens were laying only about 150 eggs a year and had a mortality rate of about 40%.
Research on moving hens to indoor living showed many benefits. While they were expensive, specialized large henhouses resulted in much healthier birds. When living indoors, the hens weren’t exposed to predators and the elements, including temperature extremes. Indoor housing also helped to prevent parasite infestations and reduce the spread of diseases from outside carriers, including rodents and even humans.
Instead of the hens eating whatever they found outside, feed could be better controlled indoors, too. Better feeding practices improved both hen health and egg productivity.
These changes reduced hen mortality to 18% a year. But some of the same old problems remained, including sanitation, waste control and the pecking order. The eggs were often dirty and exposed to some of the same waste-related bacteria as the hens. |
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