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Journey of the Egg |
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Down on the Farm
The Hens
- It all starts at the hatchery: eggs from breeding flocks are placed in incubators. After 21 days, the eggs hatch and the chicks are housed in a pullet barn (a pullet is a young hen).
- At 19 weeks of age, the hens are transferred to another barn to begin producing eggs. In Canada, hens continue to lay eggs for about 12 months.
- Younger hens are more likely to produce double-yolked eggs than older hens.
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- Hens are more productive when they're healthy. In 1945, the average hen laid 151 eggs per year. Now, with breed selection, better nutrition, improved housing and lighting programs, and more efficient management of facilities, the average hen lays approximately 300 eggs per
year—that's one egg every 1½ days.
- A hen's diet does not contain hormones or antibiotics, but plenty of grains, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fresh water.
- Pullets are vaccinated for the same reason children are—to prevent disease. Veterinarian-prescribed antibiotics are administered only in the rare event that a hen requires medication.
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- The most common laying hen in Canada is the White Leghorn, a small bird that lays white eggs. Another common breed, the Rhode Island Red, lays brown eggs.
- A hen's feed determines the color of the egg yolk. A hen that eats a wheat-based diet (more common in the western provinces) produces a pale yellow yolk, while a hen consuming a corn- or alfalfa-based diet produces a yolk that is dark yellow.
- As a hen ages, the size of her eggs increase. The younger the hen, the smaller the egg.
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