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

VIDEO: Essential Tools and Devices to Have When Housing Chickens