One of my recent posts was on when to cull roosters. But now you might be wondering about the best way to cull a rooster. I’ve read of many ways, from wringing their heads off to shooting them. However, if your birds are your pets, you want something more humane. Or perhaps you just don’t […]
We are officially in fall, when typical chicken owners cull their flocks. But at our chicken haven we don’t slaughter our hens, because they are the egg producers. If you have chickens, like we do, maybe you incubate eggs occasionally. Or a hen will go broody and hatch a clutch of eggs, in which case […]
If you have chickens, it’s very likely that you’ve seen eggs with some egg shell quality problems. And that mostly affects big farms that sell to grocery chains, since people like uniformity. However, for backyard chicken owners, it’s not that big of a deal to have a weird egg, unless it’s caused by disease. So […]
Eggs are considered a perfect food, because they’re one of the best sources of protein. And they contain all the essential amino acids. Not to mention there are supposedly 100 ways to cook them. Apparently that’s why chef’s hats have all of the folds they have, for all the numbers of ways to cook an […]
There are a variety of chicken egg colors. But most of the time we only see white and brown. Though I’ve heard that some stores carry blue eggs. I sell blue (and brown) eggs to some neighbors and people I work with. However I also give a lot away. Recently I was asked, “What causes […]
Perhaps you’re familiar with the term ‘Easter Egger’, if you have backyard birds. Or maybe not, if you don’t. No, they don’t lay Easter eggs, in case you’re wondering. However their eggs do resemble those we color for our kids. Which is how they got their name, after all. So, just what are Easter Egger […]
Both roosters and hens have spurs, though you might only see a nub on the latter. And both the breed of bird you have and their level of growth will determine the size of the rooster’s spurs. So in this post I’m going to discuss how to remove a rooster’s spurs. You’ll find a few […]
If you have chickens, have you ever heard the crow of a rooster when you don’t have a roo? Or if you do have a rooster, swear that it wasn’t his particular ‘crow’? Today I want to bring up the subject, do hens ever crow. You might not realize it, but yes, they do! And […]
Today’s post is about how to sex chickens. Some of you might not have ever had to do that. Especially if you order from a reputable hatchery. But even then sometimes you might get a cockerel you didn’t order. Or you might order a straight run. Also, if you ever incubate your own eggs, or […]
Today’s post is about a terrible habit that can afflict our backyard birds. And one that’s difficult to break, that can also become almost infectious. It’s about egg eating in chickens. And if the birds leave any evidence, it gets all over the place, producing a sticky, dirty mess. We’re also going to come up […]