Reintroducing a Recovered Hen Back Into The Flock

“I had a chicken last weekend who when I went to put them to bed, couldn’t walk/ jump/ fly and was rolling her head, I picked her off of the bottom of the floor level coop (not her coop) and brought her inside, alarm bells obviously raised thinking it was Marek’s or Newcastle disease with…

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Chicken Reproduction – Sperm & Eggs

“Does the rooster have to cover the hen each time a egg is formed for it to be fertile? I understand, and perhaps I misunderstand, that the sperm of the rooster is stored in the hens body until a egg passes by and then it is fertilized? So does a rooster deposit sperm that effects…

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Forced Molting In Hens

“I’ve heard that large egg producers will cause their hens to molt early. How do they do this and what is their reasoning? Why would they want their hens to go out of production? Aren’t they in the business of selling eggs?” ~ David Horton, Marana, Arizona Thanks for the question David. You can induce…

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“Should I Be Worried If My Hens Don’t Molt?”

“I have a lovely flock of 21 hens and 3 roosters. 14 are standard sized and 10 are bantam. My standard sized flock are all good / very good layers. The bantams are fair layers. Its actually been pretty cold, its definitely been at least cool since October. Not ONE has gone through a molt…

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