Wooden and ceramic eggs have lots of uses, ranging from enouraging hens to lay in the nests you provide, to creating stunning home decorations, to keeping kids busy with fun and educational activities. Here are just some of the countless things people do with wooden and ceramic eggs: Nest Eggs A “nest egg” is a […]
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British farmer Glenn Haggart is the latest to discover that playing music for laying hens reduces anxiety and stress, creating a safer environment for the chickens. After four years of playing music for his layers, he’s become a strong advocate. But what kind of music do chickens like? Music and Chicks Let’s start with embryos […]
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Raising chickens for meat involves first deciding which to choose: Cornish broilers or a heritage breed. The fundamental difference is the amount of time needed to grow them from hatch to harvest. The quicker they grow to the target weight of about six pounds, the cheaper they are to raise and the more tender the […]
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A rooster’s wattles come in flexible pairs that dangle beneath the beak, while its comb is a single structure prominently affixed to the top of the head. Researchers have determined that hens base their choice of mates, in part, on characteristics of the comb. But when it comes to wattles, they scratch their scholarly heads […]
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Brooding Cornish cross broilers is similar to brooding any chicks, with the notable exception that the hybrid Cornish broilers get bigger faster. They eat almost constantly, and rarely move far from the feeder. They also drink a lot of water to wash down all that feed. So they need plenty of room to accommodate their […]
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Starting a backyard flock with a small incubator and some hatching eggs can be fun and educational. How successful you are at hatching chicken eggs in an incubator will depend on a number of factors, some of which are out of your control — such as the inherent degree of difficulty in hatching eggs from […]
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The coronavirus pandemic has shut down businesses, closed schools, and disrupted supply chains. It has also led to a dramatic increase in chick sales. “We are totally swamped,” says Jeff Smith of Cackle Hatchery. “It’s a little overwhelming.” Indeed, at Cackle Hatchery alone, sales have doubled over the previous year as more and […]
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The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a run on chickens, causing people to ponder the age-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The Columbia Missourian votes for eggs: “Panic-buying the eggs came before panic-buying the chickens this year, though people have been doing both.” But Newsweek opts for chickens, saying, “Many […]
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Placing a value on chickens killed by a dog is not always easy. To start with, most backyard chicken keepers value their chickens much more than the birds’ economic value. However, anyone wishing to obtain compensation from the dog’s owner must set aside emotions and try to make the best case for the chickens’ monetary […]
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Production chickens are efficient producers of eggs or meat. “Efficient” means outputs are maximized, while inputs are minimized. In other words, production chickens are bred to produce more eggs or meat while eating less feed. The main difference between production chickens and show chickens is that efficient production is not a consideration in breeds developed […]
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