Interest in locally raised poultry had folks "flocking" to Brodhecker Farm's Poultry Workshop

In response to the increased inquiries about the "how-to's" of raising layer hens for egg production, Brodhecker Farm, Newton NJ hosted a free two hour Poultry Management workshop on April 1. Pre-registration was requested and the response was much larger than anticipated. Actual attendance exceeded sixty participants who came from all over the northernwest NJ region.The workshop covered topics related to poultry management and care. Starting off the afternoon with a focus on the specialized shelter, nutrition and care needed to get  those cute, fuzzy chicks off to a healthy start and continuing on through to the basics for keeping a healthy, productive flock of layers, the workshop focused on nutrition, housing, general sanitation and health and basic care of layers hens in egg production.

Phil Brodhecker of Brodhecker Farm, conducted the two hourinteractive workshop. An attentive audience represented a broad cross section of families and individuals who currently care for- or are planning to raise their own flock of two or more chickens.

Local interest in food production and locally raised products has increased significantly in recent years. Due in part to increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of buying local and in part to the rising cost of food, people are taking a hard second look at were their food comes from and how they can add home-grown foods to the family table. Workshop attendees expressed some other reasons for their interest in backyard poultry including the opportunity to give their children a first hand  agricultural experience and a knowledge of food production.


Some simply want to add another dimension of home-raised to their gardening efforts and for many...raising chickens promises to be rewarding and fun.

Brodhecker Farm is one of Sussex County's largest family owned, fully operational farms-raising field and forage crop, livestock and poultry. Phil Brodhecker has a degree in animal husbandry and had at one point in his career managed a large poultry production operation in the mid west. His expertise, resources and credential gave participants a well rounded perspective as he spoke to the shelter, nutrition and health needs of layer poultry. Brodhecker offered pragmatic management options and shared with the group some of the most common questions he fields from his customers but underscored that "...the best management systems are the ones that work for your lifestyle and objectives. There's a lot of information and opinion on what's the best- once you meet the basic nutrition and shelter requirements, and gain a little insight into the biology of your layer hens, the management style you choose is a matter of what fits best into your routine and lifestyle."
Brodhecker emphasized the importance of a good nutritional plan and explained how altering the chicken's diet with too many "chicken snacks" can quickly impact the health and production of the birds who have a high metabolic rate. "A chicken's heart beats over 200 times a minute," he said, "their bodies produce an egg per day-an egg with three separate components (shell, white and yolk). Meeting the nutritional demands of that kind of output takes with consistency and moderation on the snack side, will help your birds stay healthy and productive."

The interactive workshop concluded with an opportunity for participants to discuss their individual questions with Brodhecker Farm staff who were on hand throughout the afternoon. A coop and run display was available for closer inspection-as were feeders and watering equipment of varying sizes. Brodhecker Farm just recently introduced a chicken run- designed and built by farm staff-to their coop and poultry offerings. The run is designed with an entrance access customizable to fit the layout of existing shelters.  The ability to customize caretaker access to the shelter makes it easier to integrate the coop and run into the backyard or landscape. Constructed for durability and with protection against preditors in mind, Brodhecker's chicken run gives the birds access to forage. exercise and fresh air while still protecting them from the elements and keeping   them safely contained.

Sussex County has a rich agricultural heritage and a growing population of small farm operations and backyard producers. New Jersey's agricultural picture has changed over the decades and is continually making room for small acreage farms who add to the beautiful mosaic of agriculture in the Garden State.

Learn more about Sussex County Agriculture and locally grown/locally produced foods by visiting the Sussex County Board of Agriculture .