Commercially formulated rations are developed to maximize nutritional benefit based on a flock’s age, beginning with chick starter, then moving up to grower, developer, and lay ration as chickens mature. Meat birds have their own formulas for starter/grower rations and finisher ration intended to induce rapid growth. Aside from different formulas for different age groups, […]
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Chicken keeping has a long and successful history, dating back to antiquity. Some 19th century writers would have their readers believe that prior to the Victorian era poultry breeding was not a specialized occupation. It was certainly elevated in status once poultry shows began awarding prizes for quality and for new breeds, but the number […]
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A lot of chicken keepers who are unfamiliar with both barred Rocks and Dominiques have trouble telling the difference between them. Once you’ve seen both, though, you’ll have no trouble readily identifying which is which. First let’s get one thing straight: “Barred Rock” is not a breed. The breed is Plymouth Rock. The original color […]
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With their large, hawk-like eyes, flattish head profile, downward turning beaks and striking feather patterns, Easter Egger chickens are often described as looking like hawks. Easter Eggers are related to Ameraucanas, which also have a somewhat hawk-like appearance. Easter Eggers are not considered to be a true breed, because they lack uniform conformation and plumage […]
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This September marks the 75th anniversary of World War Two’s Operation Market Garden, during which a hen named Myrtle parachuted into the Battle of Arnhem with Britain’s 1st Airborne Division. Summer of 1944 was hot in Leicestershire, England, as paratroopers of Britain’s Tenth Battalion, Parachute Regiment waited for deployment. Irritable after a series of proposed […]
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Goose flesh makes a delightful dinner entrée and the feathers can be used to make a comfortable pillow, but the eggs are yet another reason to raise geese. When we don’t need them for hatching, we use eggs from all our flock – turkey, duck, chicken, goose, guinea and occasionally pheasant. Nothing goes to waste. […]
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Raising Cornish cross chickens can put meat on your table faster than any other livestock. In just a few weeks you can fill your freezer with broilers that are tastier and better for you than anything you could buy at the supermarket. The Cornish Cross chicken — also known as Jumbo Cornish Cross, Broiler, […]
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Olive Eggers — chickens that produce eggs with olive colored shells — are developed by mating a pure breed that lays eggs with blue shells with a pure breed that lays eggs with brown shells. Blue shells are blue throughout; brown shells have pigment only on the outside. The olive colored shell occurs when a […]
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Chicken eggs in the United States were once available in two basic shell colors — unimaginative white and traditional farmstead brown. Along with the ongoing boom in backyard chicken flocks comes an interest in eggs with shells in a wider array of colors, including pink, blue and green. One of the most startling colors is […]
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Before a box full of peepers arrives, it is imperative to have a plan for a chicken coop. Chicks that have recently graduated from the brooder should have a coop to call home, and not be left homeless. Ideally, the coop will be prepared and ready for move-in long before the babies arrive. Chickens, […]
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