Do the Benefits of Eating Eggs Every Day Outweigh the Downsides? Yes. For most healthy people, eating an egg or two a day delivers high-quality protein, a wide range of vitamins and minerals, and brain-supporting choline, all for around 70 calories per egg. Research from Harvard Medical School has found that normal daily egg consumption … Read more
What are the most common egg incubation problems and solutions?The four most common incubation problems are temperature fluctuations, incorrect humidity, poor egg turning, and infertile eggs. Ideal temperature is 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit throughout incubation. Humidity should run 40 to 60 percent for the first 18 days and rise to 75 percent for the final three … Read more
What do different chicken sounds mean?Chickens have a surprisingly complex vocal system. Chicken communication sounds include the egg song after laying, urgent alarm calls for predators, contented clucking during foraging, broody hen growls when disturbed on the nest, rooster crowing for territory and alerts, and baby chick peeping for warmth and attention. Learning to recognize … Read more
What are common chicken behaviors and what do they mean?Common chicken behaviors include scratching and foraging, dust bathing, establishing a pecking order, and a surprisingly complex vocal communication system. Most of these behaviors are instinctual and healthy. Understanding what they mean helps you spot problems early, respond to distress signals, and keep your flock comfortable. … Read more
How do you deal with aggressive chickens?Chicken aggression is almost always caused by one of four things: overcrowding, competition for food and water, boredom, or a bird that is sick or in molt. Dealing with aggressive chickens means fixing the conditions first before trying to manage individual birds. Add space, add feeding stations, provide enrichment, … Read more
Can you raise chickens without a rooster?Yes, and most backyard keepers do exactly that. Hens lay eggs just fine without a rooster. The eggs simply will not be fertilized, which only matters if you want to hatch chicks. Raising chickens without a rooster means less noise, simpler flock management, and fewer potential legal headaches in … Read more
Why should you raise backyard chickens?Chickens provide fresh eggs, quality meat, and high-nitrogen compost for the garden. They eat bugs and ticks, cost relatively little to keep, and are genuinely entertaining to have around. For most backyard keepers, the combination of practical value and daily enjoyment is what keeps them going. Once you have kept … Read more
Are free-range eggs better, and should you let your chickens roam?Free-range eggs from hens that actually spend time outdoors foraging are nutritionally superior to cage-raised eggs, with higher levels of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and lower cholesterol. The USDA definition of “free-range” is loose enough to be nearly meaningless, so the label alone doesn’t … Read more
Chickens cluck when they are content. It is their baseline conversational sound, the vocal equivalent of a flock just going about its day. But clucking is only one small part of a surprisingly rich communication system. Chickens produce a range of vocalizations, and each one means something specific. I have kept backyard chickens for years, … Read more
You’ll be amazed to know that chickens are more than just feathery lawn ornaments. Contrary to popular belief, they’ve got a few tricks up their feathers, capable of learning and understanding in ways that might surprise you. Chickens are often underestimated. Many folks lump them into the “barnyard dullards” category, but this couldn’t be further … Read more