People who haven’t spent much time around chickens might not think they’re particularly bright, but those of us who raise our own flocks have probably noticed that these birds can actually be pretty shrewd when it comes to finding food and securing their position in the pecking order. In fact, an academic paper recently published […]
With the days getting shorter and the cold weather driving us indoors, we could all probably use a little extra vitamin D this time of year. Well, according to a study conducted at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, you can find a whole lot of the “sunshine vitamin” right in your back […]
The optimal mating ratio for chickens, turkeys, and other poultry is not the same ratio in which they typically hatch. Most poultry naturally hatch approximately 50 percent females and 50 percent males. If your goal is to obtain fertile eggs for hatching, that ratio will result in males fighting excessively with each other, and when […]
Last year, in the wake of an avian flu outbreak that forced states to cull over 43 million birds, egg prices in grocery stores throughout the country spiked to historic levels. The average price of eggs peaked at about $3 per dozen after more than doubling in a period of just a few months. For […]
If you’re looking for a new addition to your homestead, there are a number of excellent practical advantages to raising guinea fowl. These boisterous, black-feathered fowl can provide tremendous benefits to your property. They can also be raised in conjunction with a flock of chickens! Protection and Pest Control Two of the greatest […]
Roosters are strictly forbidden by Pittsburgh’s city code, but that hasn’t stopped one rooster from taking up residence in the Steel City. Now known as Rudy, the rooster began squatting on the property of 69-year-old Henry Gaston a few years ago. He was originally accompanied by two other roosters, but they have since been apprehended […]