One of the most common questions about keeping backyard chickens is, "Do you need a rooster to get eggs from chickens?" The answer? No, your female chickens are perfectly capable of laying unfertilized eggs without a rooster. However, you do need a rooster if you want baby chicks to hatc...
Consult an almanac to determine how long the sun will be up on days occurring 24 weeks from the date of hatch. Add 6 hours to that day length, and start your pullet chicks under that amount of light (daylight and electric combined). Reduce the total lighting by 15 minutes each week, b...
and I have noticed that I’m not alone. Breeders with many years of experience in backyard poultry don’t take chances vent sexing chicks because it’s so easy to make a mistake.
On the morning of the 22nd day there were pip marks on an egg and then another, over the next 24 hours 4 eggs hatched. Two more hatched and another started both chicks that hatched later died and the one that started was never strong enough to hatch. Technically our hatch rate was 60%...
Day-old chicksare available from hatcheries. Most farm suppliers do one or two chick orders a year, so you can get your chickens where you plan to get your feed. They’re usually under $3 each. You’ll have to wait about 6 months for eggs. ...
Chicks to the Slaughter; the Disturbing Reality of How Fresh Eggs Get to Your Table
During natural incubation, this buys the chick some time while the remaining eggs in the nest hatch. After this, Mother Hen leads her chicks away from the nest to find food and water. Hatcheries use this to their advantage. They can ship chicks in boxes around the country without food or...
Chick Days are Here! How to Care for Baby Chicks The Best Chicken Breeds for Laying Eggs How to Collect and Clean Chicken Eggs When exactly this will happen depends on the chicken, though. Most of ours did go “off lay” as the days grew shorter in the fall and the seasons changed. ...
Do hens need roosters to lay eggs? One of the most common questions people ask regarding chickens is regarding the egg-laying process. The short answer is no, chicks don’t need a rooster to lay eggs. Depending on the size and breed, most chicks start laying eggs at around the age of...
How to Get Fertile Chicken Eggs If you’re starting out with chicken for the first time, you’ll need to source fertile hatching eggs. Some commercial hatcheries will mail you hatching eggs, but most often, they’re the same generic varieties available as day-old chicks, and they’re abou...