The Where, What, When, Why & How of Chickens

Where do chickens come from? Chickens are descendants of wild jungle fowl, which were domesticated thousands of years ago.   Where are chickens native to? No one is really certain where chickens originated. Evidence indicates that chickens most likely originated in southern China or northern India.   Chicken Characteristics   Are chickens birds? Yes. Chickens […]

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Poultry Breed Finder Index Page

STANDARD CHICKEN BREEDS Austra White Barnevelder Barred Cochin Barred Plymouth Rock Bielefelder Black Ameraucana Black Australorps Black Breasted Red Aseel Black Breasted Red Phoenix Black Cochin Black Jersey Giants Black Laced Gold Wyandotte Black Laced Red Wyandotte Black Laced Silver Wyandotte Black Sex Link Black Sumatra Blue Ameraucana Blue Cochin Blue Laced Red Wyandotte Blue […]

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Raising Pet Chickens for Your Backyard

Cackle Hatchery offers customers a diverse range of chickens to choose from, so you can find the right backyard chickens for your needs. If you are looking specifically for pet chickens and you are new to raising chickens, here is a handy guide to help you find the perfect fit and tips on how to […]

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Chick Sales Sheets

PRINTABLE CHICK SALES SHEETS Tips for printing: Make sure your printer settings are set to landscape orientation and that the scale is set to “Fit to Page”. Ancona Duck Austra White Barnevelder Barred Cochin Barred Plymouth Rock Barred Rock Bantam Bielefelder Black Australorp Black Breasted Red Aseel Black Breasted Red Phoenix Black Cochin Standard Chicken […]

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Chicken Breeds List Comparison Chart

Use the chicken breed list below to help you choose the right chicken. This list includes all of the chicken breeds that are for sale at Cackle Hatchery. Click the name of the chicken breed for more information, to see an image of that breed and for purchasing options. Chicken Breed Name Egg Production Egg Color […]

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Blue Egg Chicken: Ameraucana or Americana?

Ameraucana-Eggs

How do you spell the chicken breed that lays eggs with blue shells: Ameraucana or Americana? If you said Ameraucana, you are correct. So how did this breed get such an oddly spelled name? To answer that question requires reviewing the breed’s origin.   Araucana In 1925 a breed of chicken discovered in Chile was […]

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Why Do Chicken Eggs Come in Different Colors?

Why Do Chicken Eggs Come in Different Colors?

Most eggs sold at the supermarket have white shells. So where do brown eggs and blue eggs come from? The color of the shell is determined by the breed of the hen that laid the egg. Most white eggs sold at the supermarket are laid by Leghorn hens. Many other breeds lay eggs with white […]

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Best Chicken Breeds for Free Range

Best Chicken Breeds for Free Range

When chickens are allowed to free range, certain breeds fare far better than others, especially in terms of avoiding predators. Ideal characteristics for free ranging chickens include wariness, inconspicuous plumage, acute vision, and foraging ability.     Predator Wariness Chicken breeds that are best able to evade predators are the wary, high strung, excitable, so-called […]

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