Whether or not to heat your chicken coop in winter depends on your climate, your facilities, and your type of chickens. Here are some factors to consider when trying to decide whether to heat or not to heat the chicken coop. Avoid Frostbite Although relative humidity tends to be low in winter months, the air […]
By Cackle Hatchery Here at Cackle Hatchery® we are constantly fielding questions from our customers. Below are answers to 17 of the most common questions we hear about chickens and eggs. Why do chickens lay eggs? Chickens lay eggs to reproduce more chickens. However, unless a rooster is present, the eggs won’t be fertile and […]
Enjoy your free downloadable gift for updating your dealer listing with us here at Cackle Hatchery! Click Here to Download As an added bonus after downloading feel free to print any Cackle Hatchery sales sheets for poultry you may need instore: PRINTABLE CHICK SALES SHEETS Tips for printing: Make sure your printer settings are set […]
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 […]
Chicken breeds with beards came about as a genetic mutation. Chicken keepers liked the appearance, and so they continued to breed more of the same. Other than the cuteness factor, scientists have yet to find any significant advantage or disadvantage to a beard on a chicken. A beard appears as elongated feathers growing beneath a […]
Chicken keepers often use abbreviations and assume their listeners know what they mean. Here are some of the more common chicken breed abbreviations, along with abbreviations for variety features and those used for show that may be puzzling when you see them in poultry publications, forums, and websites. Note that abbreviations may be combined to […]
Like a lot of chicken keepers, you might want to include a variety of breeds in your backyard flock. Maybe you look forward to gathering baskets full of colorful eggs. Or, rather than all one breed of the same color and type, you prefer a more interesting variety of colors, sizes, and personalities. Or maybe […]
All chickens have spur buds. Roosters are well known for their spur buds developing into full-blown spurs. But hen’s can grow spurs, too. While some roosters — notably certain strains of Cubalaya — maintain only rudimentary spurs, some hens develop long rooster-like spurs. As with roosters, the longer the spur, the older the hen. Which […]