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12 Benefits of Keeping Ducks

A young man herds some ducks

Maybe you already keep chickens or other poultry and are considering adding ducks. Or maybe you’re thinking of starting with ducks as your first foray into the world of poultry. To help you decide whether or not duck keeping is for you, here are some of the benefits of keeping ducks. Ducks are easy to […]

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Craft Your Coop

Infographic showing 7 essential tips for first-time chicken owners, including coop setup, daily care, feeding, and beginner chicken care FAQs.

7 Great Tips For First Time Chicken Owners Start with chicks or mature birds instead of eggs Choose dual-purpose chicken breeds (meat and egg layers) Keep your first coop simple Keep your coop clean Get a heated water bowl Use natural foods and scraps from your own kitchen Establish a daily routine for filling feeders, […]

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Best Place to Buy Baby Chicks

A baby chick stands on a Scrabble board. The tiles in the foreground spell out "Cackle"

by Cackle Hatchery What is the best place to buy baby chicks? Without a doubt, Cackle Hatchery® is by far the best place to buy baby chicks, along with everything you might need to raise them to be happy, healthy chickens. Here’s why: Largest Selection Cackle Hatchery offers 230 varieties of poultry. That’s more varieties […]

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What You Can Learn from a Chicken’s APA Class

A mixed flock of chickens in a backyard

For exhibition purposes, large chicken breeds recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) are organized into six classes. Most of the classes represent the geographic region where the breeds originated or were developed. Knowing a chicken’s APA class lets you infer a number of things about the breed, including temperament, laying ability, climate tolerance, and […]

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Chicken Heredity and Genetic Basics

An illustration that shows a DNA strand

Heredity describes how traits are passed from a hen and rooster to their offspring. These traits are encoded in genes, which in turn are found on chromosomes. Since only the end results — but not the genes and chromosomes themselves — are clearly visible, the mechanics of how heredity works can sometimes seem rather vague. […]

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Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Cooking Chicken

A bunch of pieces of chicken frying in a pan.

Homegrown chicken can be more flavorful than any other kind. But if you make any of the following mistakes, you may end up serving something unpalatable or even unsafe. Avoid these 5 common mistakes when cooking chicken: Thawing Frozen Chicken When you plan to cook frozen chicken, thaw it in the refrigerator for a day […]

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Cackle Hatchery Meets Omlet

We recently had the pleasure of hosting Johannes from Omlet at our facility nestled in the heart of Lebanon, Missouri. It was more than just a visit; it was a meeting of minds, a shared understanding of the profound bond between humans and their feathered companions. As we sat down with Johannes, the story of […]

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Swedish Duck in the Heritage Breed Spotlight

Blue Swedish Duck sits on a pond

The Swedish duck has its origins in the early to mid 1800s in Pomerania, a region on the Baltic Sea that was once controlled by Sweden. The breed first came to the United States in 1884. The only variety listed in the American Standard of Perfection is the blue variety, accepted in 1904. Physical Attributes […]

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Which Poultry Breed Lays a Black Egg?

A black chicken egg

The internet is rife with photographs of eggs from chickens and other poultry that have black shells. Are they a trick of the imagination? Poor photographic lighting? Or true poultry eggs with inky shells? If so, which poultry breed lays a black egg? Maybe Ducks Among ducks, the Cayuga sometimes lays eggs with black shells. […]

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