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Keeping Ducks for Eggs

Keeping Ducks for Eggs

Some breeds of duck have been developed for their outstanding laying habits. Unless this ability is maintained through continued selective breeding, though, the laying potential of the strain will decrease over time. For this reason, not all populations of a particular breed known for laying are equally up to the task. Here are four outstanding […]

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8 Reasons to Store Poultry Equipment Clean

Storing Poultry Equipment

Most chicken keepers have some amount of equipment in storage. They might be things used only seasonally, like chick feeders, drinkers, incubators, and brooders. Or they might be feed cups, waterers, and pet carriers used only during the show season. Other things might simply be spares that can be swapped out so the dirty ones […]

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Why Are Some Egg Yolks More Yellow Than Others?

How Egg Yolk Gets its Coloring

Egg yolks get their golden yellow color from the same plant pigments that result in the skin color of yellow-skin breeds. These pigments are also responsible for beak and bill color in chickens and ducks, and for their brightly colored feathers. The pigments are of two main types— carotene and xanthophyll. Carotene is orange to […]

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Sexing Ducklings and Goslings

sexing waterfowl

Male and female waterfowl of the same breed and variety are difficult to tell apart until they are several weeks old. Except for a few autosex breeds of geese, the only way to determine the gender of waterfowl hatchlings is by vent sexing. Happily that is not nearly as difficult as it is for chickens […]

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Catalog Request

To order your Free Breed Guide Catalog, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page and click submit (once). The catalog you will receive is our 2024-25 catalog. New catalogs mailing soon. 2024 – 2025 Color Guide Catalog does not have pricing or mail-in order forms enclosed. You will need to reference […]

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How to Prevent Angel Wing in Ducks and Geese

How to Prevent Angel Wing in Ducks and Geese

Angel wing is a condition in which the flight feathers of one or both wings of a duck or goose twist away from the body. It occurs when either the primary feathers overlap in reverse order — over each other, rather than under, from outer to inner feather — or, more commonly, the entire last […]

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4 Ways to Tell Male and Female Chicks Apart

Four traditional methods are used to tell male and female chicks apart. Which method is most appropriate for any specific batch of chicks depends on their breed and variety, their age, and the skill of the observer. Vent Sexing Vent sexing, also called cloacal sexing, is a method of determining a hatchling’s gender by examining […]

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