Having a laying hen workshop

Technical articles - Living soil agronomy

Benefits of having laying hens

The laying hen workshop allows you to diversify the range of products sold by the farm, especially for consumers who appreciate buying different types of products in the same place. Eggs are products that can be very well valued, notably because consumers seek quality and assurance of animal welfare : do not hesitate to emphasize the production conditions of your eggs! The laying hen workshop is particularly interesting because it requires little time from you daily : expect about one hour per day. However, it requires a permanent commitment. Hens also have other functions : they control pests, weed, fertilize plots, and reduce the amount of organic waste. Within the MSV Normandy network, several farms have decided to have a laying hen workshop. Most consist of small flocks of hens, often fewer than 100, with little investment in buildings and runs, intended only as a supplementary income. Economically, feed is the most significant expense.

Legal obligations

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, any breeding of more than 250 poultry must be declared to the DDPP of the department where the breeding site is located. To sell your eggs through an intermediary (restaurant, bakery, store, etc.), the breeding must also be declared to the departmental livestock establishment which will provide you with the necessary identification numbers. For resale to intermediaries, eggs must pass through an egg packing center (either a neighbor's or one to be built). Eggs must weigh more than 53 g, the producer must hold a CEO and carry out candling (detection of dead eggs) and grading. As a reminder, eggs must be stored in a dry and cool place, without strong temperature variations.

Eggs are considered “extra-fresh” between 1 and 8 days and “fresh” between 9 and 21 days.

Setting up a run

Why have a run

Given the evolution of values and ethical concerns, considering having a free-range laying hen farm is very interesting. Moreover, setting up a run provides many ecosystem services.

Healthy hens

Hens with access to a wooded run can freely express their natural behaviors. They are less stressed, which greatly limits feather pecking (behavior where birds peck themselves or their peers), and are generally healthier. By going outside, hens have better constitution, they have less abdominal fat

and their musculoskeletal system is stimulated. The use of veterinary products is thus reduced. The major difficulty related to hen breeding is health-related : ensure to limit dirtiness, reduce contamination risks, perform a sanitary break between batches,...

Other advantages

Saving money

On feed : This may not be the case initially but it is conceivable that eventually the run provides 5% of the daily feed intake. The primary biotope of the hen is the Asian tropical forest. In this environment, food sources are diverse and the hen is autonomous. The goal is to aim for this autonomy in your run, knowing that you will hardly achieve it fully : it would require about one hectare for about fifteen hens, which is not feasible. Continue feeding your hens : the balanced daily ration is 135g of grains per hen, accompanied by fresh, clean water ad libitum. Then supplement their diet with a diversity of trees producing a variety of products, ideally succeeding over time (berries, leaves, grass,...).

On energy : According to Philippe Guillet (2014), a hedge windbreak can reduce heating costs by about 250 to 400 euros per year for 400 m² in broiler poultry.

Generate additional income

With a wooded run, you can produce timber, firewood, RCW, stakes but also fruits. However, it is not possible to collect fruits from the ground that are in contact with droppings and difficult to wash. To avoid health risks, it may be relevant to isolate trees during harvests. Still, be cautious about multiplying activities on the farm, in addition to market gardening, at the risk of becoming overwhelmed.

Acting for the environment

Tree planting contributes to carbon storage, as does the establishment of a meadow (storage of 0.3 to 1t/ha/year of carbon). The run also allows water regulation, maintenance of agricultural landscapes and biodiversity.

Arranging the run

A hen in a wooded run needs :

Space : The maximum authorized density indoors is 9 hens per m² for floor or free-range farming, and 6 hens per m² to obtain the organic label. Outdoors, the run density is 4 m² per hen. However, do not hesitate to exceed these indicators and avoid undersizing your project. Offering more space to hens will be a winning bet in terms of feeding, health,... Above all, ensure that the space can be occupied by hens as evenly as possible.
A stable environment : The run must be functional both summer and winter, regardless of weather. Also limit noise, which is the primary stress factor for hens.
Shade : Hens are very sensitive to heat, which can notably cause a drop in laying. Be vigilant in the afternoons, when the ground heated by midday sun rises in temperature, and provide your hens with adequate protection : plan for 30 to 50% shade in the run.
Protection against wind : The wooded run creates a microclimate during winter. Hedges slow wind up to 20 times their height, protecting hens from climatic hazards and allowing them to leave the building.
Security : Hens are directly threatened by many predators such as foxes, birds of prey and humans but also health-wise by birds and rodents around the farm which can carry diseases. It is therefore important to have good fencing to secure the run.

Hens are very fearful, especially of birds of prey. They need trees to feel secure, as they originally did in the jungle. Thus, developing low hedges starting from the henhouse and extending to the end of the run is a good idea so hens can take refuge at any time. Studying hen behavior in wooded runs, Philippe Guillet summarizes many studies with the following conclusions : in a classic run without arrangements, hens hardly leave the henhouse, on average only 12% go outside (Chielo et al. 2016), whereas arrangements can allow up to 70-80% of hens to go out. Especially, in classic systems, it is rare for hens to move more than 2.5 m away from their building. The wooded and reassuring run counters this reality. These figures are indicative, variations are frequent both within and between flocks. It has however been observed that the larger the size of the flock, the lower the proportion of hens going outside.

Landmarks : The wooded run must allow hens to orient themselves. Their movements must be guided, in other words, constitute their GPS. Hens need to feel secure, so do not place wooded areas too far apart, at most 15-20 m, so they can take refuge at any time.

Different parts of the run

Trap exit zone : This is the most used by hens. Ensure it is a transition space and not a stagnation area by making the rest of the run attractive. A corridor system starting from the building with movable fences prevents muddy zones near the henhouse.
Intermediate zone : Central zone, about 15 - 30 m from the traps. This is where the run truly takes shape, according to your wishes : alternate shaded areas by groves, ground cover, small shelters, herbaceous plants and meadow areas.
Peripheral zones : On the sides of the building, leave at least 15-20 m and place your hedges surrounding the run. In front of the building is the back run zone, go up to 30 m then stop heavy arrangements, hens will not go that far.

Choosing trees

There is a design work to be done beforehand. You can choose species according to hens’ needs and their ability to utilize them, according to the pedoclimatic context or your budget. The choice of trees allows optimizing the hen’s autonomous feeding. Forget all evergreen hedges, such as thuja, cypress, laurels,... which are too dense and tend to

limit ventilation. These hedges divert the wind more than they slow it down. A good hedge must let 50% of the wind pass to be effective. Take good care of your trees and shrubs so they provide biomass accessible at hen height,

thus maximum 50 cm. Avoid plantations too dense to penetrate which will repel hens, as well as toxic plants (small berries,...). There are many possible runs, just make sure to carefully implement it : local species, suitable mulches, quality plant choices, planting at the right time,..

Funding tree planting

Initial investments are quite significant, especially if you do not have buildings. Count on average 8 euros excluding tax per linear meter of hedge (Philippe Guillet) and add 5 euros for protection (wire mesh, fortification). Do not hesitate to seek external funders, public or private, emphasizing the economic, social and environmental services provided by your project. Finally, keep in mind that the return on investment will not be immediate and that setting up the run requires a significant initial workload.

The breeding building

Considering the mobile henhouse

The concept of the mobile henhouse is quite simple : it consists of frequently moving the habitat of your hens, characterized by its lightness. There are different types of mobile henhouses (possibility to self-build from livestock trailers notably or mobile homes, on chassis or not). The goal of the mobile henhouse is to allow space regeneration. Rotating the poultry park maximizes grass growth, regrowth and consumption. It is also a way to limit parasitism and adapt the

wooded run model to a small-scale farm. The rotation logistics are important : 10 to 20 parks per year. This implies frequently moving runs, thus having mobile buildings, preferably with wheels to facilitate handling, since a hen mostly goes out near its building. If you move your hens into your space dedicated to market gardening, make sure to delimit spaces so they do not threaten your crops.

Building management

Position the building : Place your building efficiently and functionally, not in the middle of the run but on one side for biosecurity reasons. Adapt it to the existing environment (water, landscape, geology,...).
Consider good insulation : Insulation is crucial for hens, very sensitive to temperature variations. Protect them from winter cold and summer heat.
Think about hen comfort : Provide good bedding with straw, sawdust or wood shavings. Bedding must cover at least one-third of the building’s surface.
Manage lighting : Legislation allows a maximum of 16 hours of light per day. Gradually increase lighting when days shorten from late summer and prefer mornings to maintain the natural decrease of light in the evening.
Manage surroundings : Keep the building and its surroundings clean, especially monitoring water runoff.

Equipment needed for the laying hen workshop

For breeding, you will need nesting boxes, drinkers, feeders, perches, wire mesh and stakes for the runs. For marketing your eggs, think of a stamp ink pad.

Economic figures

Here is a quick comparison of different egg production systems. You can adapt these figures to the current context and check the profitability of your project. It is noticeable that the laying rate has a huge impact on income. Also be careful about the price and quality of feed which can completely change the profitability of the workshop. The market gardener should start by successfully managing a small complementary workshop with a maximum of about one hundred hens.