As concerns about the ethical implications of factory farming operations have come to the forefront of society’s consciousness, more and more Americans are becoming interested in producing their own food in order to free themselves from reliance on store-bought alternatives. In an effort to educate suburbanites about the viability of backyard farming operations, Rutgers has […]
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Chickens are often taken for granted. They are common features of just about every farm, and we all know that they lay healthy, delicious eggs. But don’t let their unassuming characters fool you. We bet the chicken is a much more interesting character than you think. Chickens see the world in full-color. Unlike many other […]
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Anyone who’s had the pleasure of raising chickens knows there are plenty of reasons to love farm fresh eggs. Their shells are typically thicker and more robust, they can be left unrefrigerated because their protective bloom hasn’t been compromised by industrial cleaning operations and most importantly, they just taste better than grocery store alternatives. Many […]
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For those of us who raise chickens in temperate climates, the winter is an expensive time of year. Grasses go dormant and many chicken owners are forced to buy extra feed in order to supplement the diets of their birds. Over the course of a few cold months, these feed costs can add up fast. […]
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Your coop provides your flock with the safety and security they need to live happy, healthy lives. Without adequate shelter, chickens will be more prone to stress and less likely to produce large clutches of eggs. Likewise, it’s important that chicken owners do whatever they can to provide their flocks with the best living environments […]
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Have you noticed one of your hens waddling like a penguin? Is she going in and out of her nest box without laying? Is she struggling to defecate? Does her abdomen feel hard to the touch? Your hen may be egg-bound. This is a potentially life-threatening condition wherein an egg becomes trapped between the Uterus […]
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For those of us who already have an existing flock of chickens, planning to order more chicks can be a stressful thought, mainly because integrating new chicks into a flock can be a challenge if you don’t know what to do. Here are some tips to make the integration process as smooth as […]
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Large chicken farms see thousands of chicks hatch every day. Once they’re hatched, the farms have to determine their sex as quickly as possible before they can be sorted and sent to their respective destinations. Unfortunately, judging the sex of baby chickens is no easy task. Chicken sexers must rely on their intuitions […]
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As more and more have started raising small backyard flocks of fowl, a lively dispute has erupted over the merits of washing eggs. On one side of the isle, we have staunch no-washers who argue that cleaning eggs with water can actually invite harmful bacteria through the shell membrane. On the other side, we have […]
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When many homeowners decide to start raising a small flock of their own, they have one thing on their mind: Fresh, delicious eggs. While the eggs gathered from your hens will no doubt be far superior to anything you can find in a grocery store, eggs are just one of many great reasons to keep […]
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