Corput Family

What is your family history?  

“My grandfather bought our farm in 1967 and he and my father milked cows until 1994. That year, we made the transition from dairy cows to broiler chickens (chickens raised for meat). In 2008, when I purchased the farm from my father, I decided to take on a new challenge - growing pullets.“

What is a pullet farmer? How is it different from an egg farmer?

“When we talk about eggs and egg farming, normally we are referring to laying hens. A pullet is a young laying hen who has not reached peak maturity yet, so it is not laying eggs. I receive chicks at about one week of age and care for them until they are 18-20 weeks. My day-to-day chores are very similar to an egg farmer, but without collecting and packing eggs every day. I walk the barns several times a day making sure my pullets are comfortable, healthy and have lots of feed and water. I monitor air quality, water and feed consumption, temperature of the barn and ventilation to make sure I’m doing what’s best for my birds.”