Joinsupermoms

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

Farming in general teaches you responsibility and patience. But poultry farming taught me a special love for responsibility and a patience that determines how to get the best out of your birds.

Having children is similar, but you always have to expect the joyful reality that mature children must spread their wings and may start families of their own, away from you. Birds don’t necessarily want to get away from you and will keep giving back if you treat them with love.

I don’t know if it’s the loyalty of chickens, but as long as you feed them, they always literally return home to roost.

When you welcome a day old chick from the hatchery, it’s instant love. Love for this chirpy energetic little fur ball that just wants to discover the world. Then it starts to grow, and through feeding and care it gains increasing independence.

Everything is rewarding, the hard work of keeping pens clean and caring for the birds, keeping them healthy, patiently waiting for them to start laying – if they are layers – and then picking eggs and filling crates.

Before raising poultry for profit, raise poultry for love. Treat them with dignity and let them roam at regular intervals. This is how to get the best out of your birds.

Love In, Love Out

I had layers and as long as they were richly fed, I would get beautiful eggs. It was a constant reminder that what you put into life is what you get out of it.

Whatever I did, I had to be patient and consistent with my birds. First, I had to learn their best feeding patterns and their sensitivity to light. Too much made them sick, too little left them exhausted.

For my birds, I realised when they were fed their main meals before 6 a.m., they thrived better, and I got bigger eggs. They also liked to have constant clean water and occasional treats like yoghurt.

Their droppings were great manure for my plants, so I learned to waste nothing. But they love the pen clean, so I learned to separate them from the droppings.

Overall, poultry farming taught me such valuable lessons as patience, consistency and sustainable living. It has shaped the way I approach business and self-development.

Someday, I hope to get back to the farm, and when I do, it’ll be with the added benefit of experience.