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What Is a Standard Chicken Breed?

Crele Old English Chicken

The term “standard breed” is often used in referring to large chickens, as distinct from bantam breeds. So what, exactly, is a standard breed?   A standard poultry breed is any breed that conforms to its ideal description, as formalized (or standardized) by a central organization and compiled into a periodically updated book. The book […]

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How to Feed Pullets for Optimal Egg Production

A man feeding pullets

A pullet’s nutritional needs vary with her stage of growth. A pullet that is nutritionally deficient, and therefore too thin at maturity, won’t be able to consume enough dietary protein to both lay eggs and continue growing. As a result, her first eggs will be delayed, and they will be smaller and fewer than normal. […]

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Selecting Guinea Fowl

Guinea Fowl together in an open outdoor space.

Guinea fowl are terrific foragers that wander around gobbling up ticks and other harmful insects. They are also wonderful watchdogs, noisily sounding an alarm whenever they detect something amiss. If you’re thinking of adding these unusual birds to your flock, the first thing to understand when selecting guinea fowl is the difference between African guineas […]

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Bantams Are the Best Chickens for Kids

Children holding bantam chickens at a youth expo

Bantam chickens make perfect starter birds for beginning poultry keepers, especially young ones. Here are 10 reasons why bantams are the best chickens for kids. Bantams Are Small Pint-size bantams rarely weigh more than two pounds. Because of their smaller size and lighter weight, these diminutive chickens can be less intimidating for kids than some […]

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Ancona Duck in the Rare Breed Spotlight

A group of Ancona Ducks

The Ancona duck originated in the 1910s, yet remains a rare breed that has never been listed in the American Standard of Perfection. Cackle Hatchery® is one of its few long-term breeders, having maintained Ancona genetics since 1977. Physical Attributes Anconas are typically white and black, or any combination of white and color, in irregular […]

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Heritage Breed Spotlight: White Pekin Duck

Two white Pekin Ducks

The White Pekin is the quintessential duck that most people think of when they hear the word “duck.” This big white duck derives from an ancient Chinese breed, the name of which translates as “ten-pound duck.” The first Pekins in the United States arrived in the early 1870s, hatched in the Chinese city of Peking, […]

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Heritage Breed Spotlight: Welsh Harlequin Duck

Welsh Harlequin ducks swimming in a pond

The Welsh Harlequin duck was developed in Wales in 1949 from a pair of light colored sports hatched from Khaki Campbell ducks. The breed was first imported to the United States in 1968 and admitted to the American Standard of Perfection in 2001. Physical Attributes Welsh Harlequins are slightly heavier than Khaki Campbells, but similar […]

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