Meyer Hatchery Poultry Resource
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My Journey to Backyard Chickens
Renee writes her first Meyer Hatchery Blog and talks about how she began with her backyard chickens. It’s not what you would expect!
Chicken Egg Anatomy 101
As an Agriculture teacher one of my favorite topics to teach about is poultry. There are so many topics and discussions to cover that I could teach a year round class on poultry alone and would not be able to cover everything. With that being said, I do believe it is important to understand the anatomy of the egg itself.
Breed Spotlight: The Delaware
The Delaware chicken breed has a rich history that begins in the early 1940’s in Ocean View, Delaware. Learn more about the Delaware here!
Meyer Hatchery Chicken Tractor Tour
Marie raises her Cornish cross meat birds in this chicken tractor set up. She raises 8 batches a year of 25 birds at a time, and this year she is trying all females instead of a straight run mix. So far she has noticed that the females tend to be less pushy at feeding time than the males.
Jess's Coop Tour – Protecting Against Predators
In this coop tour, Jess from the Remote Customer Service Team shows us her summer coop set up, how she deals with the challenges of their location, and how she protects her chickens and ducks from predators.
What is Marek’s Disease
Marek’s disease is a type of avian cancer caused by a virus. It primarily affects chickens between the ages of 4 – 20 weeks. There is currently no known treatment for Marek’s, but thankfully there is a vaccine available!
Perfect Classroom Setup For Hatching: Easy as 1,2,3
Hatching chicks in the classroom can be both rewarding and exciting, but is your classroom truly ready? Find out here!
Biosecurity for Your Backyard Flock
Any poultry illness can potentially become a national outbreak if backyard poultry owners fail to do their part in maintaining good biosecurity practices. Let’s outline the main points of good biosecurity for a backyard flock owner.
Too Many Eggs? Try Some of These (non-breakfast) Ideas!
Last summer you were undone by the chicken math, and for months you have been feeding your ravenous flock of tiny velociraptors through the winter with barely an egg in sight. Maybe you have even been forced to (gasp!) buy eggs at the grocery store, but longer days...
Using Eggshells to Start Seeds For Your Garden
Starting seeds in an eggshell doesn’t have to be another Pinterest pin and forget it. It’s an easy and very practical method of starting seeds for us chicken keepers. You probably already have everything you need on hand.
Giving Stories From You and Your Meyer Meal Maker Chicks
You all are the best! We recently asked for your stories about how you give back to your community through our Meyer Meal Maker free chick program and the stories are so encouraging to hear. Here are a few of our favorites.
January is Soup Month: Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ahhhh the Instant Pot, everyone’s new favorite kitchen appliance. I jumped on the bandwagon and glad I did. Last night I made homemade chicken noodle soup with it. Here is my recipe.
Chick Genetics: Auto-sexing versus Sex-linked Hybrid Breeds
The desire to have as many female chicks as possible is so great that there are specific breeds of chickens that have been bred so that the flock owner or hatchery can determine the gender of day-old chicks more easily. Breeds that are either autosexing breeds or sex-linked hybrid breeds produce chicks that are slightly different colors between the genders at hatch.
January is Soup Month: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Since January is National Soup month, we asked the Meyer Hatchery staff to share a tried and true chicken or egg soup recipe for you. This Chicken Tortilla soup recipe is shared by Cheryl, our store manager.
Crooked Toes in Chickens: Causes and Treatment
Crooked or bent toes in chicks can be an unsightly condition, but in the majority of cases, having bent toes does not affect the chicken’s ability to live a completely normal life. Crooked or bent toes (bending sideways) is different from a condition called curled toes paralysis (toes curl under causing the bird to walk on the top of the foot). Here are a few reasons when and why your chicks may develop curled or bent toes and how to treat them.
Breed Spotlight: The Rhode Island Red
The Rhode Island Red originated in Little Compton, Rhode Island in the mid 1800’s, making it one of the oldest American-bred chicken breeds. It began in farmers’ homestead flocks, where a highly productive egg layer was needed, but whose excess roosters could still dress out as decent table birds.
Managing a Remote Team for Meyer Hatchery
I started working for Meyer Hatchery over the summer of 2016 and was the first remote team member (I actually live in Missouri!). Since then, I have added an additional 7 team members that are employed year round in 3 different states and are adding on additional team members for our extended chat and email hours during the busy season.
DIY Chicken Ornaments
Now is the time of year to make some fun ornaments to not only display on your favorite tree, but share with your friends, and family as a great present. Learn how to make 3 “chicken” themed ornaments with simple supplies.
