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Are Guinea Hens the Worst Moms of All?

Do guinea hens really make bad moms? Is there really a concern? What exactly is the problem with guinea hen moms, and why do people say things against these very entertaining birds that are such a benefit to have around the farm, by making negative statements about guineas

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How a Broody Hen Hatches Chicks

Modern breeding has pretty much eliminated broodiness in most large fowl breeds, although there still may be one or two within a flock that have retained those mothering instincts.

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8 Interesting Features of the Silkie Chicken Breed
January 6, 2020 · · Chickens 101

Silkies are distinctly different from any other chicken breed. They share a unique combination of genetic and behavioral features. In 2003, a group of Japanese researchers mapped the mitochondrial DNA of a Silkie to determine the breed’s genetic position in relation to other birds in the genus Gallus.

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What’s the Best Bedding for Chickens?

What is the best bedding for chickens? Should you choose pine shavings or straw? And what else can keep chicken nesting boxes fresh? 

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Ask the Expert — April/May 2019
April 21, 2019 · · Ask The Expert

Add to Favorites Tough Winter We’ve had a tough winter here in Central New Hampshire. Lots of snow and ice. The door to my chicken run becomes frozen often and …

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Cannibalism And Chickens Pecking Each Other

Add to Favorites By Cynthia Smith – It’s happened to all of us who raise poultry: chickens pecking each other and feather picking. One day you look at the chicks …

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A Beginner’s Guide to Keeping Ducks in Suburbia
March 14, 2019 · · Poultry 101

Add to Favorites Ducks can be charming companions in suburban backyards. As someone who never raised so much as a parakeet on her own, the idea that I could look out …

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A Vocabulary List Built Just for Chicken Owners
March 14, 2019 · · Chickens 101

Add to Favorites My substitution for Sports Illustrated, Men’s Fitness, and Harper’s magazines were always easy: Strombergs, Murray McMurray Hatchery and Holderread Waterfowl. These magazines would keep me occupied for not …

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Spring Cleaning From Chicken Coop to Kitchen
March 14, 2019 · · Coops

The chickens are always a little frantic as I begin to clean, wondering what’s happening to their little world, but they’re all so happy to be out in the spring sun with a light breeze blowing that no one complains too much.

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Can Chickens Make You Sick?

Backyard chicken keeping is at an all-time high. Chickens are really the easiest livestock to add to your homestead – they are the gateway livestock. But should you be worried about chickens getting you sick?

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