The general recommendation regarding the right height for chicken nests is 18 to 20 inches above the floor. But that’s not a hard and fast rule. The proper height depends on breed and age, and the hens’ ability to access the nests. Importance of Nest Height Nest boxes must be easy for the hens to […]
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Since you like chickens, you’d love the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Chickens are everywhere. Tourists like to lure them with treats to get close-up photos. Local residents like having the chickens gobble up the island’s numerous native venomous centipedes. But some people complain that feral chickens are a nuisance. Nuisance Chickens The feral chickens of […]
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Mice in the chicken coop can potentially spread diseases and parasites to the flock. And they will increase the cost of keeping chickens by eating that expensive chicken feed. One mouse can eat about one pound of chicken feed in one year. And think about this — mice reproduce fast! Each female mouse weans 30 […]
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Chickens have three primary goals in life — to eat, to avoid being eaten, and to make more chickens. Thus, flock necessities involve providing your chickens with everything they need to achieve these goals. Nutrition A chicken’s nutritional needs change, depending on the chicken’s age. Commercially prepared poultry feed therefore is variously formulated for baby […]
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The stunning single laced plumage pattern of both silver laced and golden laced Cochins is genetically one of the most difficult patterns to perfect. That’s because the single laced plumage pattern involves a number of different genes that must influence each other in specific ways, some of which remain unknown. In simplified form, here’s how […]
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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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Cackle Hatchery® offers Assorted Peafowl Chicks for sale. What you receive when you order this assortment depends on what’s available at the time. To help you determine which is which, here is a brief guide to the peafowl varieties that might be included. Color vs. Pattern Color refers to the dominant color of the peafowl. […]
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Backyard geese are nearly as majestic as swans, but are a whole lot less expensive to buy and to raise. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they also serve many useful purposes. Here are 12 wonderful reasons to keep geese in your backyard. 1. Goose meat is delectable Most breeds of domestic geese originally […]
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One of the most common health conditions of laying hens is vent prolapse. Other names for the condition are blowout, cloacal prolapse, and prolapsed oviduct. What Is Prolapse? Prolapse is actually the natural process by which a hen lays eggs. When a hen is ready to lay an egg, her vagina tightly grips the completed […]
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Chicken keepers in the United States are a diverse bunch in such things as where they live, how many chickens they keep, and what they feed their flock. A paper published in Poultry Science offers some interesting insights about who, exactly, chicken keepers are. Urban or Rural Backyard chicken keepers in the United States are […]
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