US: Purdue announces webinar for small-scale poultry producers

A series of online workshops will help those running a small-scale poultry operation better understand the fundamentals of raising chickens for eggs, meat and income – from selecting their birds to marketing their products.

The webinar, “Raising Poultry for Pleasure & Profit,” is sponsored by Purdue Extension and the Purdue School for Successful Poultry Production and Marketing. It begins Feb. 2 and will contain five webcasts, shown weekly at Extension offices across Indiana. They also can be watched at home or as recordings.

Topics cover the basics of poultry production, keeping the flock healthy and productive, developing a forage and production system, making a profit, and creating a customer-ready product. The content is appropriate for both current and prospective poultry producers.

The final session, organised by county, will be a tour of a pastured poultry production farm and an optional workshop on chicken tractor construction.

“This workshop is perfect for anyone interested in poultry – from people wanting a few chickens to people managing a small flock, ” said Kelly Heckaman, Purdue Extension educator in Kosciusko County. “The online delivery method allows us to feature poultry experts from across the Midwest. The topics are approached from so many different angles, both as a hobby and as a business, that they will apply to almost anyone who has an interest in small-scale poultry.”

More information and registration forms for the event can be found at http://www.ag.purdue.edu/counties/kosciusko/pages/default.aspx under “Hot Topics.”