We kept you informed about our new Hen Barn as we built it, so now it is time to talk about what we are doing with that beautiful building. First of all, it has been renamed, “The Production Palace”. The Hen Barn staff was put in charge of naming the facility and we think they made a clever choice.
The Production Palace is a white bird production facility where we are breeding the birds that produce the eggs that will hatch our birds that will be raised for meat production! Doesn’t that sound like a Dr. Seuss story? This new Hen Barn is a palace! It is a brand new 4900 square foot building, with all new equipment. Our staff says, “It’s decked out like a palace.”
The Production Palace went into use on May 22, 2017, and the first group of chicks were placed on June 5, 2017. The Production Palace has 4 rooms. Room 1 is where we start the hens at day one of age and they remain there until they reach 24 weeks of age.
At that point, they are of breeding age and are moved into the laying room, which is Room 3. We have a young male room that the males are moved into from the Hen Barn at eight weeks of age. At 24 weeks, males are moved into Room 4 for light stimulation and where they will produce semen for artificial insemination.
We are currently at the highest production levels ever at MacFarlane Pheasants! Fertility is being maintained at a high level in the newest Hen Barn and I believe our birds are satisfied with their Production Palace! The end result is awesome white pheasant meat for our customers to enjoy.
