So you have decided to try your hand at incubating and hatching some chicken eggs, or maybe your hen is sitting on a couple of eggs. As it nears the time to welcome your cute little chicks to the family, you might want to start looking out for some signs of the impending hatching. So…
When you see the massive chicken batteries on, it seems very cruel to the bigger chicken farms; it is a good motivation to try and improve the lot of your flock of chickens. The high volume methods are necessary when you consider that in 2017 each American consumed 122.75 pounds, meaning that almost 20 million…
Chickens will eat feathers for many reasons. There are calm, reasonable explanations and those that are like something straight out of a horror movie! Chickens may seem harmless; however, they can become extremely violent if their living conditions are compromised. So, why do chickens eat feathers, and how do you stop it? Chickens eat feathers when…
It’s a contradiction in terms, but getting clean by having a dust bath is one of the most important (and enjoyable) activities in a chicken’s life. Dust bathing is a combination of good fun and good health, and unlike human children, young chicks don’t need to be persuaded to take a bath. But just why…
Suppose your chicken keeps trying to take off. In that case, clipping its wings is one of the ways that you can prevent this from happening. Clipping a chicken’s wings may seem inhumane, but it is necessary at times, and there is a way that you can do it painlessly. So how can you go…
Keeping chickens looks easy enough, but like any animal, they can get sick. The last thing I wanted to see was one of my chickens looking less than healthy. I rushed it to the vet, where I was told it was a good thing I brought her in as she was egg-bound. It bothered me…
In our busy and chaotic world, watching your flock forage peacefully in the backyard can be rewarding. Chickens are happiest when they are well fed and can roam freely. These delightful backyard companions can be easy to take care of, and being able to call your flock back to the coop is invaluable. So, how…
Chickens are remarkably intelligent, highly social creatures who enjoy being part of a flock far more than being isolated on their own. To live harmoniously, chickens need a defined social structure called the pecking order. What it entails and knowing how it works is a topic that fascinates chicken keepers. It’s essential for them to…
Cracking open an egg and finding two yellow yolks inside is always a huge surprise. But what does it mean when an egg has two yolks? Has it been genetically modified, or does it happen naturally? Double eggs are very rare, but they do occur naturally. Hens produce an egg with two yolks when their…
A rooster’s crow is one of Earth’s most recognizable animal noises, second only to a dog’s bark or a cat’s soft meowing. Anyone with multiple roosters will attest that each one has a distinctive crow. But why do roosters feel the need to crow? Roosters crow in response to certain stimuli such as light, sound,…