In comparison to other poultry species, little is known about how turkeys were originally domesticated. What is known is that wild turkeys are indigenous to the Americas and were kept by Native Americans centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Various tribes ate turkey eggs, as well as enjoying turkey meat, both cooked fresh and dried […]
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International Heritage Breeds Week is celebrated each year during the third week in May. So what exactly are heritage poultry breeds? According to The Livestock Conservancy, heritage chicken and turkey breeds share the following characteristics: They can reproduce through natural mating. They have the genetic ability to live long and vigorous lives. They […]
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Birds (chickens, in particular) are very social creatures. They exhibit behaviors deeply engrained in their genetic code that maintain social order and promote the propagation of their species. One such behavior is broodiness, or the tendency for birds to sit on clutches of eggs to incubate them after they’ve been laid. This might be beneficial […]
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Back in the 1950’s, broiler chickens were, on average, about one fourth the weight of today’s broiler chickens. They’ve gotten bigger, bulkier and meatier. A recent article in the Huffington Post illustrates this point with photographs comparing broiler chickens in 1957, 1978 and 2005. The difference is striking; the broiler chicken from 1957 looks like […]
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