My business was first conceived in my mind and then later set rolling by me after a few considerations. But what if these birds weren't there? Well I'll tell you what, there'll be no business for me at least there'll be no business for me where I sell eggs cos there'll be no eggs in the first place.
Layers are birds reared commercially for the purpose of eggs production and maybe some meat too after they must have finished their laying circle. Breeding layers is a part of the broader Poultry farming that involves rearing domesticated birds such as ducks, geese broilers etc, all of which are either for eggs and/or meat.
I love poultry business and all that has to do with it. Selling eggs was not the original idea I had conceived in my mind, although it was part of a bigger picture. I plan to be a big time farmer, for livestock especially. I really wanted to raise these birds myself and then sell off their products but I checked the cost of it and saw it beats me and I won't sustain it for long with the little cash I had, especially when there was no other source of income for me.
So I decided to sell eggs first. That is to say, I buy the eggs and sell them off for a profit. It's been growing steadily for a while now and I hope with time, I'll be able to start a poultry of my own and sell my own Eggs, that will give me a greater joy.
As for the layers, I come to find out there are 3 main ways you can rear them. Intensive system involves the part where you place them in battery cages, this reduces natural activities of the birds but is deemed to be the most productive. There's also the semi-intensive system where you place them in an open-close space like a barn or a big hall. The extensive/free range where you place them in a monitored open field. This gives them their natural activities fully but affects eggs production too.
In the farms where i go to buy the eggs, they have two periods they pick eggs, in the morning by 9-10 am and in the afternoon by 3-4pm. They claim that this is when the birds do lay and its after they've been fed, at least one hour before picking time.
I prefer the battery cage system ( intensive) as they are easier to manage in my opinion. There's a pipe tun through the cages with nipples at each cage. The birds only have to peck at the nipples for them to drink water whereas you have to manually fill the drinkers each time in the other methods.
I can't wait to own my farm but I still have to cos I don't have the necessary cash and experience yet. Till then, I'll just have to be patient and learn.