A hen can stop laying eggs for any number of reasons. At the top of the list is the fall molt. As winter approaches, chickens shed their worn feathers and grow a set of new plumage to better keep them warm through cold weather. During the molt, all hens slow down in production, and some […]
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Despite the rising popularity of vegan diets and plant-based alternatives to animal proteins, America’s per capita egg consumption is currently at its highest point in two decades, according to data from the American Egg Board (AEB). The average American ate 279 eggs per year in 2017, up from 275 in 2016. “When you start multiplying […]
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It’s no secret that farm fresh eggs are tastier and better for baking and cooking than the store bought kind. Raising chickens for their eggs can be a very rewarding endeavor, but there’s a lot of preparation that goes into it. So what do you need to know to get started? Prep Before […]
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We know that eggs must be properly incubated in a warm environment for them to form healthy, well-developed chicks. But what if the amount of light that eggs are exposed to during incubation could have an effect on the temperament of chickens as well? According to a paper recently published in Applied Animal Behavior Science, […]
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With the days getting shorter and the cold weather driving us indoors, we could all probably use a little extra vitamin D this time of year. Well, according to a study conducted at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, you can find a whole lot of the “sunshine vitamin” right in your back […]
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The age at which a healthy hen lays her first egg depends, in large part, on her breed. Chicken breeds that are developed primarily for high egg production may start laying soon after they reach four months of age. Many backyard breeds start laying at the age of about 5 months. Chicken breeds that are […]
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Rare is the hen that will lay an egg every day, year round. Most hens lay in cycles. Depending on the hen’s breed and age, one cycle may last for 12 days or as long as a year. The total number of eggs laid within one laying cycle is called a clutch. Eggs […]
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An egg tooth is a tiny horn-like projection at the tip of the upper beak of a newly hatched chick. Soon after the chick hatches, the egg tooth falls off. Domestic poultry and other birds share this trait in common with most reptiles. When a chicken egg is incubated, the egg tooth begins to […]
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Homegrown chicken eggs are seasonal. Sometimes you have too many, sometimes not enough. Here are five ways to extend the shelf life of your fresh homegrown eggs, to preserve the surplus for days when your hens take a vacation from laying. 1. Do Nothing You may be surprised to learn how long clean, […]
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A team of researchers from the Dresden University of Technology and the University of Leipzig has developed an innovative new way to sex chicks before they hatch. The technique is 95 percent effective, and could potentially eliminate the need for commercial poultry operations to cull millions of day-old male chicks each year. So how […]
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