December 2024
Conner Davis holds a Barred Rock chicken named Chatterbox one of the laying hens in his FFA supervised agriculture experience project. (photo courtesy Matt and Sarah Davis)
RINER, Va. — Conner Davis, 13, has been raising layer chickens for the past six years and is an active member of the Auburn Middle School FFA program. Davis started by raising six Blue Sapphire and Australorp chickens rescued from the animal shelter six years ago. After a few years, he knew he’d found his passion.
Today, his operation has grown to 14 birds, raising Blue Saffire, Bard Rock and Australorp breeds.
Every fall, students involved in an FFA program must complete their supervised agriculture experience project (SAE). This project allows students to apply the material they have learned from the classroom to real-life agriculture scenarios, allowing students to gain experience in the agriculture industry. It helps students discover their strengths and weaknesses, gain finance and research skills, further pursue their interests, and provide career learning opportunities.
The goal is to provide students with the chance to create and experience operating their own agriculture related business. Students wanting to expand their project can apply for competitive grants through the National FFA Foundation. From the start, Davis knew he wanted to complete this year’s SAE on his layer chicken operation. Over the course of his project, Davis logged how he cared and fed his chickens, challenges he had to overcome, and expenses and profit associated with his operation.
Recently, he presented his project in front of his FFA class.
Davis raises his chickens in two coops at his home. The first coop holds the eight older birds and he houses the six younger ones in a separate, smaller coop.
Each coop holds one feeder and waterer. Davis consistently rotates new chickens into his flock once a year.
Every evening, Davis feeds, waters, and collects eggs. Occasionally, as a treat, the chickens are given soldier flies, mealworms, lettuce or bread. He purchases one bag of layer feed and two bags of pine shavings each month.
Once a week, the chickens are set free while he cleans the coops and disperses fresh pine shavings. Manure is dispersed into his family’s garden.
The chickens lay between three to ten eggs per day ranging from light to dark brown in color. After they’re collected, Davis washes the eggs and puts them in recycled cartons. They are given to family and sold to customers for $4 a dozen in Montgomery and Floyd County.
“Interacting with chickens has been my favorite thing about this project,” said Davis, “One second you’re doing one thing and next thing you know, you look back to see them following you looking for food.”
Although he loves all his chickens, his favorite is named Chatterbox. She is one of his younger Barred Rocks and lays a brown colored egg. She became his favorite because of how well she listens and interacts with him.
During his project, he encountered several challenges including disease and predators. One evening, Davis noticed white, crusty particles on some of the chicken’s tail feathers.
After doing some research, he learned it was bacteria growing on their tail, and he found that applying one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar killed it. Along with disease, he had to constantly be on the lookout for predators.
Davis said that the biggest concern was hawks. To protect his chickens, he made sure they were secured in their coops when he was not home. He inspected the coops regularly, looking for any holes or loose wire where predators could easily get in.
In the future, Davis plans to grow his layer operation. He wants to expand the runs and increase the size of the coops. Long term, his goal is to have a large-scale, free range, chicken operation allowing chickens ample room to run, which will result in happier and healthier chickens.
Davis recognizes that raising local, fresh eggs is much tastier, healthier and cheaper than store-bought. He plans to be a resource to the community, giving them the option to purchase fresh, local eggs.
“If the chickens are happy and healthy,” said Davis, “they will increase their egg production and have higher quality eggs.”
Davis credits his love for raising chickens to FFA and his ag teacher, Samantha-Ann McPhearson. She was responsible for initially getting him involved in FFA, he said.
“I recognized that Mrs. McPhearson knew what she was talking about given that she was raised on a farm,” said Davis. “I had one class in sixth grade with her and after taking her class, I wanted to join FFA.”
Being involved for the past two years in FFA has provided Davis with many learning and hands-on opportunities, he added. His chapter has competed in small animal care and poultry judging competitions in Carroll County and Wytheville. They also grow and sell flowers in their greenhouse every spring. In the fall, the chapter holds its annual FFA fruit sale, where Davis was one of the lead salesmen.
“These past few years in FFA have been a blast,” said Davis, “and I cannot wait to continue to learn and grow in the next few years.”
This article comes from The Delmarva Farmer, an agricultural newspaper for the mid-Atlantic region.
