Poultry Farming

The main difference is in the breed of chicken. Nutritionally, they can be the same. That depends on feeding and management. White eggs are usually the most popular commercially because the chickens (usually white leghorns)are smaller and more feed efficient. The large commercial operations are "battery" or cage operations with one or two birds to a small cage. In home flocks they may be treated much differently.98% of commercial operations are cage raised according to the United Poultry Producers.

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"Standard" chickens weigh 4-7 pounds depending on the breed and the sex (roosters weigh more than hens). "Bantam" chickens -- which are the same as standard chickens, only smaller -- weigh 1-2 pounds.

Housing chickens in cages does not abuse them. The egg producer does not intentionally abuse chickens because the birds will not be healthy and happy and good egg producers. The certification program mentioned in Question 9 is designed to increase cage space and modify other production practices that may be in question. Research has shown that keeping hens in cages actually may be less stressful since there is less competition and interaction with other more aggressive birds.

Frozen chickens and turkeys should be thawed in the refrigerator. This prevents all parts of the bird from getting warm enough to encourage the growth of spoilage bacteria before the entire birds is thawed completely. Depending on the size of the bird, two or three days may be required to complete the thawing process. If faster thawing is necessary birds can be immersed in cold water. Directions on the label concerning thawing should be followed.

No more so than a gardener would growing tomatoes. If you're currently buying cage-free organic eggs, you may be able to break even by having your own chickens. There are lots of great reasons to have your own chickens, but saving money is not one of them.

A double yolked egg is not likely to hatch. An embryo may begin to develop from the germinal disc on both egg yolks, but usually there is not enough room for two chicks or the conditions are not adequate for two embryos and the chicks do not hatch.

To determine if an egg is fertile, incubate it for a few days and then candle it to see if cell division has begun.

Sort of. Smaller (lighter) breeds, and "bantams" -- which are the same as "standard" breeds but about 1/4 the size -- can fly 25-50 feet and will roost in trees if allowed to. Heavier breeds have much more limited flight.

Under optimum conditions; good nutrition, ideal day length, adequate housing and good management practices, most layers should begin egg production at about 20-22 weeks of age.

There is essentially no nutritional difference due to shell color. White, brown or blue-green eggs from birds being fed similar rations are very similar. Research has shown that the cholesterol content of eggs is about the same regardless of color and whether or not the egg is fertile. In simple terms an egg is an egg regardless of the color or whether it is fertile.

No. This is one of the most common misconceptions about chickens. Hens will lay eggs just as well in the absence of roosters. If roosters are present, however, the eggs may be fertilized!

When a rooster mates with a hen, the semen is stored in the oviduct for later use. When she gets ready to lay the egg,a sperm fertilizes the egg before the shell surrounds it. The sperm is viable for about a month in the oviduct.

It is not something they can prove 100%! We divide matter up into 3 categories - animal, vegetable and mineral. Animal includes all critters that can move on their own- this includes oysters (we use oyster shell for grit and extra calcium), insects and other critters. If a chicken breaks an egg they usually will eat it. If they catch a mouse in their travels they will rarely pass it up as a meal! The more free range a hen is, the more likely she will have animal products in her diet! The Federal Govt. forbids PROTEIN PRODUCTS OF RUMINANTS (cow, sheep, goat) to be included in chicken feeds (not ALL animal byproducts)[title 21 CFR589.2000]

Everybody loves chicken! Daytime, we have hawks, cats and dogs. most predators are nocturnal and include fox, opossum, skunk and raccoon. By far, my worst one is raccoon. They are persistent, clever, can climb or dig and their paws can manipulate. Any opening is a challenge,and they will keep at it until the whole flock is gone.

Some references list the egg laying interval as 27 hours. However that number is across all breeds, all conditions, etc.(If this were true, in practice we would have to alter egg collection by 3 hours each day. This is just not so!) In general, a chicken lays an egg every 24 hours.

All eggs sold in the state of Maryland must be sold by the following weight classes as specified by USDA standards (The minimum weight of each class increases by 3 oz more than the one smaller than it):

EGG WEIGHTS

SIZE OZ/DOZ

Small 18

Medium 21

Large 24

Extra Large 27

Jumbo 30

No.A chick will only develop from a fertilized egg. Secondly, if the egg were refrigerated, that would also prevent the development of a chick in a fertilized egg. Eggs must be incubated at about 93 degrees for 21 days to produce a chick.