What is a Chicken Breed?
It’s easy to get confused when buying chicks for the first time Should a family buy a breed”, “hybrid” or “sex linked” chick? It’s helpful to know what these terms mean
It was once simpler Chicken husbandry started before the dawn of history when people in Southeast Asia caught and domesticated wild jungle fowl For thousands of years chickens were so useful for producing food that they spread to nearly everywhere people lived For most of history chickens were mongrels roaming around villages and towns and mating without human interference These were tough birds well adapted to their local climate
VIDEO: Managing A Chicken Run
VIDEO: All About Eggs
VIDEO: Why Do Chickens Molt?
VIDEO: How To Beat the Heat and Using Hens In Your Farm
VIDEO: Surplus Eggs
Too Many Eggs? Dealing with a Surplus
Bringing fresh eggs from coop to kitchen is a backyard flock owner’s delight Trouble is, sometimes there’s too much of a good thing
Hens lay on their own schedule Adding light during winter’s short days tricks birds into thinking it’s spring so they lay more eggs during the dark months But lighting a coop isn’t a perfect solution
All hens seem to lay more as daily natural sunlight expands and days warm Families who don’t use artificial winter light see egg production strongly rev up come spring Those that do use lights often see a smaller increase Fancy breeds, not known