Precisely how long an egg takes to hatch depends on a lot of factors including species, breed, strain, conditions under which the egg was stored prior to incubation, and conditions during incubation. But whether you plan to hatch eggs in an incubator or under a hen you need a more definitive answer the question: How […]
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Wry neck is a neurological condition in which a chicken’s head turns to one side or to some other abnormal position. Also called crookneck, the technical word is torticollis, from the Latin words torquere, meaning “to twist,” and collum, meaning “neck.” Wry neck in chickens takes on different forms, including these (illustrated) five: Head tilted […]
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Preventing heat stress in your backyard chicken flock involves a combination of commonsense management measures. The following seven simple strategies will help your chickens stay cool in summer. Heat Tolerant Breeds If you live in a climate that’s warm year-around, you might consider keeping a heat tolerant breed. Some chicken breeds naturally tolerate warm weather […]
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In addition to the miniature versions of large warm weather chicken breeds, five other bantam breeds also do well when the temperature rises. Of those described below, four of the five bantam breeds that tolerate warm weather are true bantams. Bantam Chickens The history of bantam chickens follows that of the Industrial Revolution. As families […]
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Once you have weighed the pros and cons of keeping peafowl, and have decided the pros outweigh the cons, you are ready to embark on your peafowl-raising venture. To help you get started, here are six tips for raising peafowl. Brooding Peachicks House peachicks in a brooder until they grow enough to stay warm on […]
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Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) are large, attractive birds that originated in India and Sri-Lanka. They are about the same size as turkeys (Meleagridis gallopavo), to which they are closely related. The term peafowl denotes the species. The male is a peacock, the female is a peahen. The babies are peachicks. Like everything in life, raising peafowl […]
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Seasonal/Shipped Feb thru September
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A broody hen stops laying eggs when she starts setting. Therefore, throughout the ages poultry keepers who have raised chickens primarily for eggs have culled persistently broody hens. In other words, they selectively bred in favor of non-setters. As a result, the breeds best known for superior laying ability are less apt to brood than […]
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In the normal course of events, two yolks appear in approximately 0.1% of eggs laid, or about one in every 1,000. So why are we lately hearing so much about those rare double yolk eggs? And what causes double yolk eggs in the first place? Causes of Double Yolkers A double yolk egg occurs while […]
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An egg’s internal qualities cannot be determined by looking at the outside of the egg. Detecting such things as blood spots, double yolks, hairline cracks, and thin shells requires candling the eggs. Candling means examining the contents of an egg by placing it against a bright light. It’s called candling because the bright light was […]
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