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Is Permethrin a Safe Treatment for Poultry Lice and Mites?

Is Permethrin a Safe Treatment for Poultry Lice and Mites?

All insecticides are toxic to some extent, or they wouldn’t work. Permethrin is a synthetic version of pyrethrins — natural insecticides that are extracted from daisy-like flowers. Compared to natural pyrethrins, synthetic versions persist longer in the environment and therefore need to be applied less often.   Permethrin comes in the form of a dust […]

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What is Feather Sexing? Separating Fact from Myth

What is Feather Sexing? Separating Fact from Myth

Feather sexing is the ability to determine the gender of a newly hatched chick based on the rate of growth of its wing feathers. The trait is sex linked and works only if the chick’s father is of a breed that grows feathers rapidly and its mother is of a breed that grows feathers slowly. […]

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How to Handle Baby Chicks, Ducklings, and Goslings

How to Handle Baby Chicks, Ducklings, and Goslings

When those fuzzy little chicks, ducklings, or goslings arrive in the mail, the first thing you want to do is pick them up and cuddle them. Young children, especially, can’t resist snuggling those cute little fluff balls. The more time you spend with your baby poultry, the friendlier they will become. However, among the important […]

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Why Does a Rooster Have a Comb?

Why Does a Rooster Have a Comb?

One of the most outstanding features of a rooster is his comb — that fleshy crownlike protrusion on top of a chicken’s head. So why do roosters have such ornate combs? At about 3 to 8 weeks of age, depending on the breed, baby chicks start developing reddened combs. A cockerel’s comb will gradually become […]

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