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Chicken Breed Abbreviations

A BBROEGB Chicken

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 […]

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Causes of Water Belly in Laying Hens

A chicken suffering from waterbelly

Water belly is a condition in which a chicken’s body cavity fills with fluid, causing the abdomen to bulge. It is not itself a disease, but rather a sign of heart failure. Let’s take a look at the various causes of water belly in laying hens. Heart Failure in Laying Hens As with people, aging […]

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Get Your Chicks On Route 66

A sign that reads "Get Chicks on Route 66"

You probably know you can get your kicks on Route 66, but did you know you also can get your chicks on Route 66? Cackle Hatchery® opened for business in downtown Lebanon, Missouri, in 1936, just ten years after the opening of historic Route 66. Four blocks off Route 66, the hatchery today is one […]

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Breed Spotlight: Aseel Chicken

An Aseel Chicken

The Aseel chicken is an ancient game fowl from India. The name of this indigenous breed means trueborn or purebred. Aseels have an upright stance, square shanks, and short legs set wide apart. Their ears are red, and they have a pea comb and minimal wattles. These slow-growing chickens have well developed muscles, although their […]

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Why Chickens Drink More Water

chickens drinking water

When chickens drink more water during hot weather, new chicken keepers often become alarmed and worry that something is wrong. But increased water consumption during summer is perfectly normal. It is one of the ways chickens keep cool. The water intake of chickens varies for many other reasons besides hot weather. Some of those factors […]

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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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What is NPIP? National Poultry Improvement Plan

National Poultry Improvement Plan

Cackle Hatchery® and Cackle’s Chicken Breeder Farms are members of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). But exactly what is NPIP? What is NPIP? The National Poultry Improvement Plan is a nationwide collaboration between state and federal departments of agriculture. Its purpose is to monitor member flocks and hatcheries and certify them as being free […]

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Garlic for Chickens

The Benefits of Using Garlic for Chickens

Garlic (Allium sativum) has so many beneficial properties that researchers haven’t yet discovered them all. What is well known is that garlic has broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, making it effective against many bacteria, fungi, viruses, and internal parasites, including protozoa. That’s why so many people are enthusiastic about using garlic for chickens. Allicin and Ajoene Garlic’s […]

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Broody Chicken Hens as Foster Moms

Brahma Chicken Hen Fostering Baby Chicks

A setting hen doesn’t know (or doesn’t care) whether or not the eggs she hatches are her own. Under natural conditions her nest may consist of a collection of eggs from various hens in the flock. So, you might deliberately use your broody chicken hens as foster moms to hatch eggs laid by other hens, […]

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