To Vaccinate or Not

Due to human SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), vaccination is constantly in the news and on the minds of people worldwide Fortunately, scientists have developed effective vaccines that either prevent or reduce the severity of this sometimes-fatal disease

Chickens are also fortunate Although they don’t get COVID-19, they can contract Marek’s Disease, Coccidiosis and many other ailments that can kill them Science has developed vaccines and medications to help keep diseases from devastating a flock

Much of what we’ve learned about preventing human COVID-19 applies to many diseases that weaken or kill chickens In order to sicken or kill either a person or chicken

Making it Easy: Avoiding Sore Backs and Tired Muscles

Tending chickens comes with plenty of rewards, but lugging heavy water and feed isn’t one of them Lifting also risks a sore back and tired muscles

Twenty and thirty somethings don’t bat an eye at physical chores, but small children, gray haired seniors, and anyone unable to hoist a 50-pound feed bag may shun keeping chickens There’s good news  Several techniques make moving heavy water, feed, and litter easier and safer

 

Feed

Feed manufacturers know that many people aren’t able to lift a 50-pound bag, so they package the same product in smaller containers  It’s easier to carry a ten-pound pouch than

How Long do Hens Lay?

Homeowners with small backyard chicken flocks face a dilemma As hens age they gradually lay fewer eggs Eventually they decide it’s time to retire and totally stop  If a family wants to continue enjoying fresh eggs, aging birds must be replaced with younger ones  How do you know when to make the switch and just how do you do it?

Egg Laying Potential

Of the hundreds of chicken breeds and hybrids many are stellar egg layers, while some just don’t have the genetics to produce well Towards the back of the Hoover’s Hatchery catalog is a chart listing the characteristics of

Broody Adventures

Chickens have minds of their own Broodiness proves it When a flock owner wants a broody to mother a new generation of chicks it’s certain that no hens want anything to do with motherhood But, when that person needs the hens to lay lots of eggs, many will decide to go broody It can be maddening

One way to think about this is to remember that few chicken raising aspects are as fascinating as watching a broody hen incubate and mother a brood It’s also an easy way to acquire new chicks to replace aging hens

Broodiness

Before scientists developed hyper-efficient egg

An Egg’s Incredible Journey

Perhaps the greatest joy of keeping a small chicken flock happens when an egg hits the frying pan The bold orange yolk is as pleasant to the eye as it will soon be to the taste buds  No grocery store egg can compare with it That egg followed an amazing journey before becoming human breakfast

Months earlier, folks at Hoover’s Hatchery collected hatching eggs from their numerous brooder flocks and trucked them to Rudd, Iowa, then gently tucked them into incubators On each egg’s yolk is a tiny cell with combined genes from the rooster that mated with the hen