Posted on 5 Comments

Bird Watching: A Look at Pheasants and Chukar

Bird Watching: A Look at Pheasants and Chukar

Spring is an exciting time at Cackle Hatchery and we’re busy getting ready for the season to arrive. Pheasants and chukar are some of our biggest sellers, with chicks beginning to hatch and prepare for shipping in May. As we get ready for the warmer weather to arrive, let’s look at each species.     […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 1 Comment

Egg Collecting Robot Gathers Eggs from the Chicken Coop Floor

Egg Collecting Robot Gathers Eggs from the Chicken Coop Floor

Like the Roomba robot eternally vacuuming a living room floor, the egg collecting Poultrybot searches for and gathers eggs laid by hens on the chicken coop floor. So-called floor eggs are the bane of every chicken keeper. When Europe banned caged layers, egg producers who turned their hens loose in the coop found that some […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 5 Comments

How to Get Your Hens to Lay Eggs in a Nest, Not on the Floor

How to Get Your Hens to Lay Eggs in a Nest, Not on the Floor

Floor eggs are the eggs your hens lay on the chicken coop floor, rather than in the nice cozy nests you provide. Floor eggs are undesirable because they easily get dirty or cracked, making them unsafe to eat and unsuitable for hatching. A cracked egg is likely to get broken, encouraging hens to sample the […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 1 Comment

Where Are All the Turkey Eggs?

Where are all the Turkey Eggs?

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Americans all across the country are gearing up for the biggest, most beloved feast of the year. For many of these folks, Thanksgiving dinner just wouldn’t be the same without a big, juicy turkey planted firmly at the center of the dinner table. Thanksgiving turkey recipes are often closely-guarded […]

Continue Reading
Posted on Leave a comment

Scientists Develop Avian Flu Vaccine for Birds and Humans

Scientists Develop Avian Flu Vaccine for Birds and Humans

Two of the latest strains of the avian flu (H5N1 and H7N9) can be contracted by birds and humans, but researchers have recently developed vaccines to protect both from the virus. The Journal of Virology recently described the development of the vaccines, and the scientists behind them are optimistic that they can significantly mitigate the […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 1 Comment

Do You Need a Rooster in Your Roost?

Do You Need a Rooster in Your Roost?

Wondering if you need to add a rooster to your backyard coop? The short answer is no, you don’t need to add a rooster into the mix to keep your hens occupied or to keep enjoying those tasty backyard eggs. But, there are some benefits that you’ll enjoy with a rooster that you might be […]

Continue Reading
Posted on Leave a comment

Is Free Ranging Really Right for your Flock?

Is Free Ranging Really Right for your Flock?

As you decide on the best way to raise your chickens, it’s important to get some things straight about free range. The first thing you should know is that the USDA defines “free range” as chickens that have been “allowed access to the outside.”   This is a pretty loose definition, and basically means that […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 1 Comment

Scientists Seek to Turn Chickens into Dinosaurs

Scientists Seek to Turn Chickens into Dinosaurs

Well, just when we thought we’ve heard it all: researchers have claimed that science is getting close to being able to adjust the DNA in a chicken to create a “chickenosaurus” or a chicken-dinosaur. Researchers have announced that they’ve successfully modified the beak area of a chicken embryo so that it looks like a dinosaur’s […]

Continue Reading