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Do Chickens Really Need a Dust Bath?

chickens taking a dust bath

Yes, chickens really do need a dust bath. Providing a suitable area for dust bathing has several benefits. It helps chickens condition their feathers. It minimize mites and lice. And it gives chickens something pleasurable to do, which helps keep them from pecking each other out of boredom. Plus wallowing in dust can help chickens […]

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Planning a Road Trip to Missouri? Be Sure to Visit Cackle Hatchery!

Planning a Road Trip to Missouri? Be Sure to Visit Cackle Hatchery!

No trip through Missouri would be complete without a visit to Cackle Hatchery®. The facility is not merely a mail-order poultry hatchery. It also operates a year-around poultry-only products store and museum, and sponsors a popular annual chicken festival. The best time of year for you to visit depends on your purpose and on the […]

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Cackle Hatchery Chick Ship Dates and Store Pickup Dates

A child holds a box of chicks

Baby chick ship dates and Cackle Hatchery® store pickup dates change with each calendar year. For this year’s ship dates, consult our Chick Season® calendar. Chick Ship Dates We hatch and ship baby chicks from February through September. To avoid weekend layovers at the post office, we ship on Mondays and Wednesdays. We make exceptions […]

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Why Do Chickens Molt?

a molting hen

Finding lots of feathers in your chicken yard is a sign that your birds are molting and will soon develop healthy coats of fresh new plumage. This annual loss and renewal of feathers is perfectly normal and is not an indication of disease. So let’s examine the question of why do chickens molt? What is […]

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F2 Olive Egger

F2 Olive Egger
F2 Olive Egger™ – Sold as Baby Chicks Only 
       Minimums – Not Sexed = 3 
                          Female = 3
                          Male = 1    
                                Total of 3 birds to ship       

Seasonal/Shipped Feb thru Sept

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Buff Orpington Exhibition Type

Buff Oprington Exhibition Type Rooster
  • Buff Orpington Exhibition Type – Sold as Baby Chicks Only
       Minimums – Not Sexed = 3 
                          Female = 3
                          Male = 1    
                                Total of 3 birds to ship      

Seasonal/Shipped Feb thru September

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How to Help Your Chickens Through a Molt

a group of hens molting

Molting is energy intensive. Chickens therefore don’t normally molt during times when they need dietary energy elsewhere. For example, in the spring roosters use energy for fertility and hens use energy for laying eggs and hatching chicks. In cold weather chickens need energy to keep warm. During a molt, nutrients that otherwise go toward such […]

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