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Q&A for How to Raise Chickens for Eggs
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QuestionCan you use sand as grit?Community AnswerNo. Sand and grit are not the same. Grit is more like tiny rocks that chickens need to help digest their food.
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QuestionHow many chickens I need to start with?Community AnswerIf you want a dozen eggs a week, then around 4 chickens is good, but you can start with fewer chickens if you don't need that many eggs.
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QuestionCan chicks and hens survive in the winter? How do you care for them in the cold?Community AnswerChicks require a heat lamp during the winter, and so do the hens if temperatures get too low. Avoid letting the chickens out into the snow as this can cause frostbite. Supplement them with a chicken scratch, too.
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QuestionDo I need a rooster in order for the hens to lay eggs?Community AnswerNo. The only time a rooster is usually handy is to protect the flock and fertilise the eggs. Hens will lay year-round without a rooster around. A rooster will not affect the hens laying.
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QuestionWhat can you use as an artificial egg?Community AnswerYou can purchase fake eggs online or from certain poultry stores to encourage egg laying. You can also try golf balls.
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QuestionHow can I keep my chickens warm during the cold Montana winter?Community AnswerYou could reinforce your coop. Add more bedding, a heat lamp or insulation.
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QuestionDo the chickens have large talons?Community AnswerNo. If their talons feel or look too long or sharp, you can simply give them a trim. The same goes with rooster spurs.
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QuestionHow big should my flock be?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererChickens need 4 square feet per chicken in their coop and 8 square feet each in the run. It's up to you how much space you have/are willing to give them. The measurements are a rule of thumb, by the way.
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QuestionWhy do I need a scratching post for chickens? What does it do for them?Community AnswerIt helps strengthen their beaks so they will be able to eat well and remain healthy.
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QuestionIs paper digestible for chickens?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererPaper isn't digestible for any animals. Do not feed your animals paper.
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QuestionIf I have a rooster, how do I know whether or not the eggs I'm eating have been fertilized?Community AnswerThere isn't really a way to tell for sure. However, if a hen or rooster is seen sitting on the eggs, they have very likely been fertilized.
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QuestionSome of the eggs have brown spots in the whites, what causes that?Community AnswerIt is totally normal to have that. It's just a bit of membrane or blood, and can be eaten safely.
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QuestionOnce I get my chickens I will probably sell eggs. How do I make sure they do not contain salmonella?Community AnswerYour chickens have to have salmonella for the eggs to be contaminated. If your chickens appear healthy, you should be just fine. I believe there is a test if you'd like to pay for it. You could ask your veterinarian.
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QuestionHow do I know if the eggs I'm eating have been fertilized? Does it matter?Community AnswerIt doesn't matter. You can eat fertilized eggs, but unless you have a rooster in with the hens, the eggs are unfertilized.
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QuestionCan I use lime in the coop to cut down on odors? I also read somewhere that diatomaceous earth can be used on the ground to cut down on lice. Will either of these harm the chickens?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererA lime solution can be used when cleaning the coop, however vinegar might be more effective. You can still have both in one solution though. Diatomaceous earth is a great and natural solution in discouraging mites and lice.
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QuestionMy hen laid some eggs but she threw them out of the coop, what can I do about this?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererUnless you have seen your hens chuck the eggs out, it's safe to say that this ''egg-tossing'' ritual may simply be an accident by your chickens. When they lay, they might be pointing their tail out over the nest instead of inside the nest, or simply accidentally knocking them out. Even if it's purposely done, you can avoid this by installing a ''lip'' to each nest box or making the box deeper to make it harder for your chickens to roll the eggs out of the nest.
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QuestionCan I get a contract with local grocers to sell home grown eggs?Community AnswerYes, but you will have a better shot with small, local grocers.
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QuestionWhere can I buy chickens in New York?Community AnswerYou could buy them from a hatchery that ships chicks. A really good hatchery that ships nationwide is Murray McMurray Hatchery. Just go to its website.
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QuestionIt gets in the triple digets during the summers where I live. What practices are used to keep backyard birds comfortable in extreme heat?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererA few tips are to provide your birds with plenty of shade, cool water, a frozen water bottle in their run, incorporate a mister and ensure they have a ventilated coop.
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QuestionWhy do I need a compost pile?Community AnswerYou don't require a compost pile when raising chickens. However, composting is good for the environment because it quickly and locally recycles organic waste. Chicken waste can be added to compost to increase its usefulness as a fertilizer, because it contains nutrients that plants need to grow.
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QuestionAt what age should I consider harvesting the chicken for meat?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererAs soon as the chickens mature, they are ready to be slaughtered. Or you can grow them up a bit more.
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QuestionWhat breed of chicken is most common for laying large eggs?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererAustralorps, Rhode Island Reds, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Buff Opringtons and Isa Browns are all large and popular chicken breeds that have the highest egg laying production and some even the longest. Buff Orpingtons tend to lay very large eggs and are large, fluffy chickens that can be culled for meat, too.
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QuestionWhy have my chickens stopped laying eggs?Community AnswerIt may have been the weather or diet of your chickens. During the colder months, such as winter, hens tend to lay less eggs. If your chicken is suffering from malnutrition, it will also stop laying. Provide your hen with nesting boxes and materials, calcium content and try artificial lighting too.
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QuestionAt what age should my hens start laying?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererPullets begin to lay eggs at the average of 6 months of age. Their laying cycle may be a bit unsteady when they first start laying, which is normal. You can help them when they lay their first egg by switching them to a layer pellet feed, which increases their calcium intake.
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QuestionHow can I tell if the eggs don't have chicks in them?Community AnswerIf you have a rooster, it is possible that the eggs are fertilized, but if you collect eggs daily then the eggs won't have a chance to start developing embryos. You will need to put them in a cool area such as your refrigerator. They will not hatch if such precautions are taken.
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QuestionWhy is the person in this wearing gloves when touching hens and their eggs?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererGloves are just a way to stay sanitary. This isn't a rule of thumb, however, as chickens are sanitary birds that rarely transmit diseases to humans.
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QuestionI am finding blood on my chicken's eggs; what should I do?Community AnswerYour hens might be missing lacking calcium. You can add crushed eggshells or oyster shells to their feed, or consult your vet.
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QuestionI live in a warm climate. Hawaii. Will this mean the chickens will lay more eggs year round?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererPossibly if they're kept healthily considering frost can stop a hen from laying. However, they will still go through a molting period.
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QuestionHow do I tell the difference between roosters and hens when they are young chicks?Community AnswerChicks can only accurately be sexed by a professional chick sexer. Other than that, there is no proper way to determine whether they're roosters or hens. If you want to know more about determining the sex of a chicken, try reading this wikiHow article .
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QuestionCan a double-yolk egg hatch two chicks?Amy HarrisonTop AnswererYes, as they develop into twins. But it's quite difficult for the survival of the chicks, especially hatching out of the egg. There are very few success stories.
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