When Can Chicks Start Eating Veggies?

Mom is the best teacher That’s true with both people and chickens

While a mother hen is teaching her chicks, she can also instruct observant people

Years ago, most baby chicks had the good fortune to have a mom  In those preindustrial days broody hens patiently sat on fertile eggs for 21 days until they miraculously hatched into peeping babies Then, for the next couple of months, she kept them warm, protected them from danger, and taught them how to choose a healthy and balanced diet

That’s not common today  Nearly all baby chicks are

How to Stop Egg Eating

Most families tend a small backyard flock for the precious eggs hens generously give each day  Few human foods are as delicious or nutrient packed  Add the pride of caring for productive chickens as a benefit beyond food

Sometimes problems arise  Once in a while a hen becomes a thief She’ll eat eggs in the nest, making a mess in the process  It usually starts when a hen spots a cracked or broken egg in the nest, pecks the nutritious contents, and decides it’s a delicious addition to her diet An egg eater is a parasite that can’t be tolerated

Prevention

VIDEO: Broody Hen Chicks and Integrating Them Into the Coop

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: How To Beat the Heat and Using Hens In Your Farm

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