Hatching Chickens Since 1936
Nine decades of hard-won flock knowledge including care guides, breed profiles, and stories from the hatchery floor.
Chickens that otherwise get enough to eat typically won’t eat anything that’s bad for them. Or at least they are unlikely to eat enough to make them sick. And feeding kitchen scraps can be a nutritious way to add variety to your chickens’ diet. But feed scraps only in moderation, and avoid feeding these four […]
Properly stored chicken feed keeps the nutrients from degrading and the feed safe to eat. A number of things can cause feed to go bad including rodents, insects, mold, moisture, and light. To ensure freshness, use up feed within 2 to 4 months. Meanwhile, store chicken feed in a durable container with a tight-fitting lid. […]
Keeping chickens in your garden can be beneficial or it can be detrimental, depending on how you manage your flock. Here are 6 tips for managing chickens in your vegetable garden so you can enjoy both your chickens and your garden. Make sure the flock remains in the garden A fence around the entire garden […]
Train your hens to use a nest box when they first start producing eggs and they are less likely to lay eggs on the coop floor. Once they start laying on the floor, getting them to stop can be difficult. Here’s how to train your hens to lay eggs in a nest, not on the […]
Name the place where your chickens live. Is it a chicken coop? A hen house? Or do you have a more creative name for the place where your chickens live? Stationary Buildings A stationary building where chickens live is usually either a chicken coop or a hen house. The word coop comes from the Old […]
Whether or not to heat your chicken coop in winter depends on your climate, your facilities, and your type of chickens. Here are some factors to consider when trying to decide whether to heat or not to heat the chicken coop. Avoid Frostbite Although relative humidity tends to be low in winter months, the air […]
Molting is the periodic shedding and renewal of a chicken’s feathers. Mature chickens usually molt once a year, at the approach of colder weather and shorter days. During winter, old tattered feathers don’t provide the same good insulation as a fresh coat of plumage. So what are the signs that tell you your chickens are […]
First, let’s dispense with a few myths. Green muscle disease is not a disease. It is a disorder involving muscle degeneration. Second, among chickens it affects only Cornish-cross broilers, but not other types of meat chickens. Third, it is not new, having been identified since 1968. And fourth, green muscle is highly preventable. What is […]
A pullet’s nutritional needs vary with her stage of growth. A pullet that is nutritionally deficient, and therefore too thin at maturity, won’t be able to consume enough dietary protein to both lay eggs and continue growing. As a result, her first eggs will be delayed, and they will be smaller and fewer than normal. […]
A chicken is most comfortable when the environmental temperature hovers around 70-75°F. As the temperature goes up, so does the chicken’s deep body temperature. Fatalities occur if the chicken’s deep body temperature reaches 115°F or above. When summer temperatures start to rise, here are 8 strategies you can observe to keep your chickens comfortable. 1. […]
Fielding questions from customers is one of the pleasures enjoyed by our team here at Cackle Hatchery®. Below are the 12 most answered questions about chicken characteristics. Where do chickens come from? Chickens descended from wild jungle fowl, domesticated thousands of years ago. The exact origin of modern chickens is a much studied subject that […]
The word “chicken wire” implies wire that is excellent for use around chickens. Nothing could be further from the truth. What Is Chicken Wire? Chicken wire — also known as hexagonal netting, hex net, hex wire, or poultry netting — has been around since the mid 1800s. It consists of strands of thin wire twisted […]