Because of school closures during the pandemic, elementary school embryology programs are not presented in classrooms. To fill the gap, The Livestock Conservancy, of which Cackle Hatchery® is a member, has teamed up with North Carolina 4-H Extension to develop a virtual learning experience. The series is called “From Embryo to Chick” and is offered […]
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Wild turkeys, indigenous to the Americas, were kept by Native Americans for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Early Spanish explorers are credited with transporting American turkeys to Europe. There the birds were selectively bred for a couple of centuries before being brought back to America by early settlers. From those birds sprang the domestic […]
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How much feed a chicken eats each week varies with the chicken’s age, breed, and strain, degree of activity, and condition of health. Other factors include the ration’s palatability and texture, and its energy and protein content. In cold weather, a chicken stays warm by eating more than it does during the heat of […]
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A century ago the goose was considered among the most desirable species of the farm yard, and while many of its traits are still apparent to those who keep them, their popularity decreased as breeding practices for marketability of poultry advanced. Why raise a goose that will be in its prime for cooking in about […]
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A lot of chicken keepers who are unfamiliar with both barred Rocks and Dominiques have trouble telling the difference between them. Once you’ve seen both, though, you’ll have no trouble readily identifying which is which. First let’s get one thing straight: “Barred Rock” is not a breed. The breed is Plymouth Rock. The original color […]
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Chicken owners who collect and hatch eggs from their backyard breeder flocks may be divided into two camps: the so-called propagators or multipliers, who emphasize quantity, and the breeders, who emphasize quality. Both groups hatch lots of chicks. To the propagator, the end goal is the large numbers of chicks. To the breeder, a […]
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No one knows how many different chicken breeds exist in the world, because no one keeps track. Wikipedia estimates hundreds. In her book The Behavioural Biology of Chickens, Professor C.J. Nichol of the University of London has counted more than 500 “fancy breeds” worldwide, described as ranging “from the sublime to the ridiculous.” These vague […]
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Some chicken breeds make great broody hens. Others are iffy. Still others are completely unreliable. And some never go broody at all. What does broody mean and why does it matter? Broodiness, in a nutshell, is maternal instinct. After a hen has accumulated a nestful of eggs, maternal instinct tells her to keep the eggs […]
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Chick season® for most birds is in the spring. Poultry, like other birds, gear up for laying eggs and hatching them as the days start growing longer in spring. Also like other birds, most poultry are seasonal breeders. The length of the breeding season depends largely on the type of poultry. Chickens and other […]
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Australorp and Black Jersey Giant chickens look and behave a lot alike. Both are good foragers, and the hens of both breeds tend to become broody and raise their own chicks. Both breeds have a bright red single comb, red earlobes, a black beak, and dark brown eyes. Australorps come in one color — black. […]
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