Chickens lose feathers for any number of reasons, some of which are seasonal, while others can occur at any time of year. Here are the most common reasons chickens and other poultry lose feathers and what you can do to help your feathered friends remain feathered. Feather Picking Feather picking is most likely to […]
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Raising a flock of chickens to put food on the table for you and your family? If so, the Cornish Cross is an excellent breed to consider as it will provide you with more than enough meat to make some delicious meals. Give this herb-stuffed roasted chicken recipe a try with your Cornish Cross hens. […]
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In honor of Mother’s Day, we’d like to take a moment to appreciate the remarkable maternal instincts of mother hens. Although some hens tend to make better mothers than others—Silkies and Orpingtons are widely-regarded as some of the best breeds for hatching—all hens have natural maternal instincts that kick in as soon as their chicks […]
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Chicks shipped by mail require a little extra TLC compared to chicks you might hatch at home. Think about how you feel after a long journey — dehydrated, exhausted, probably a bit cranky. What you look forward to most is a long drink and a warm bed. Baby chicks are no different. They suffer the […]
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Chick Chain is a 4-H activity that introduces youngsters, and often their parents, to the fun of growing baby chicks into laying hens. It’s called Chick Chain because participating youngsters receive baby chicks in the spring and sell some of their grown layers in the fall, with the proceeds funding the purchase of chicks […]
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After handling poultry or visiting the coop, you should thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water, as recommended in “Protect Yourself and Your Family From Germs,” a poster distributed by the Centers for Disease Control. If soap and water are not readily available, the CDC recommends using a hand sanitizer until you are able […]
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Colonel Sander’s recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken, made with 11 herbs and spices, is no longer a well-kept secret. The original KFC recipe appeared in the Chicago Tribune after being submitted by Colonel Sander’s nephew Joe Ledington. Mr. Ledington found the recipe in a scrapbook belonging to his late Aunt Claudia, the Colonel’s second wife. […]
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Chickens need to be confined to protect them from the elements and from predators, but what do you call the structure in which they live? Chicken coop is a common term for a stationary structure. The word coop derives from the Old English word cype, meaning a small structure for confining birds. Hen house is […]
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As you decide on the best way to raise your chickens, it’s important to get some things straight about free range. The first thing you should know is that the USDA defines “free range” as chickens that have been “allowed access to the outside.” This is a pretty loose definition, and basically means that […]
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Imagine you walk out to your chicken coop and find a soft-shelled egg, or even an egg with no shell at all. It would be a pretty disturbing sight, especially if you’ve never seen one before. Besides the fact that these eggs are pretty messy to handle, they could also be an alarm that something […]
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