Chicks shipped by mail require a little extra TLC compared to chicks you might hatch at home. Think about how you feel after a long journey — dehydrated, exhausted, probably a bit cranky. What you look forward to most is a long drink and a warm bed. Baby chicks are no different. They suffer the […]
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Chick Chain is a 4-H activity that introduces youngsters, and often their parents, to the fun of growing baby chicks into laying hens. It’s called Chick Chain because participating youngsters receive baby chicks in the spring and sell some of their grown layers in the fall, with the proceeds funding the purchase of chicks […]
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After handling poultry or visiting the coop, you should thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water, as recommended in “Protect Yourself and Your Family From Germs,” a poster distributed by the Centers for Disease Control. If soap and water are not readily available, the CDC recommends using a hand sanitizer until you are able […]
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Colonel Sander’s recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken, made with 11 herbs and spices, is no longer a well-kept secret. The original KFC recipe appeared in the Chicago Tribune after being submitted by Colonel Sander’s nephew Joe Ledington. Mr. Ledington found the recipe in a scrapbook belonging to his late Aunt Claudia, the Colonel’s second wife. […]
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Chickens need to be confined to protect them from the elements and from predators, but what do you call the structure in which they live? Chicken coop is a common term for a stationary structure. The word coop derives from the Old English word cype, meaning a small structure for confining birds. Hen house […]
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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 […]
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Imagine you walk out to your chicken coop and find a soft-shelled egg, or even an egg with no shell at all. It would be a pretty disturbing sight, especially if you’ve never seen one before. Besides the fact that these eggs are pretty messy to handle, they could also be an alarm that something […]
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Chickens may not get the typical head cold like we do, but they are subject to some illnesses that are really tough on their immune systems and can even lead to death. One such illness, called coccidiosis, is very common among young chickens, but can be treated effectively if caught early. Coccidiosis is […]
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People take great pride in their DIY chicken coop designs, and rightly so. There are few things more satisfying than stepping back to appraise the fancy new coop you poured weeks of blood, sweat and profanity into. As admirable as this achievement is, however, it’s only the beginning. Now that you’ve built a happy home […]
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As concerns about the ethical implications of factory farming operations have come to the forefront of society’s consciousness, more and more Americans are becoming interested in producing their own food in order to free themselves from reliance on store-bought alternatives. In an effort to educate suburbanites about the viability of backyard farming operations, Rutgers has […]
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