Chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese and more!
Poultry
Breed Spotlight: Raising Heritage Turkeys
Everything that I read boasted about the amazing taste of the heritage turkey breeds and their great foraging abilities. So naturally, I needed to give them a try. Due to the minimum order requirement of 20 for heritage turkey breeds and not wanting quite so many turkeys I split an order with a fellow Meyer Hatchery Remote team member, Sarah. For my portion of the order, I received six Bourbon Red, three Black Spanish, and three Midget White. Sarah’s order included three Chocolate, three Royal Palm, three Blue Slate, and three Narragansett.
Top 10 Best Chicken Reads
Attention all chicken enthusiasts! Do you enjoy reading or learning about chickens? If so please be sure to check out what I call my top 10 chicken reads! I have selected a wide variety of books that cover anything and everything chicken related from identification, health, handling, and raising, showing and even cooking.
Heritage Turkeys and Coop Tour
In this coop tour, Amanda and Sarah from the Customer Service Remote Team are at Sarah’s farm to show you their new heritage turkey poults and give you a tour of Sarah’s coops.
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!
Let’s Learn: 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!
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.
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.
Why Isn’t My Frizzle Chick Frizzled?
The frizzle feathering sometimes found in chickens is a rare occurrence, and therefore highly desired in some breeds. Here is an overview of how the frizzle feather mutation occurs and why not all chicks sold as frizzles will have frizzled feathers.
Why Blue Chicken Breeds May Not Look Blue
One of the most enjoyable things about keeping chickens is the vast range of different colors and patterns that the chicken breeds can display, allowing us all to have a beautiful flock. But in a few breeds, the chick you receive in your flock may grow up to not resemble the breed’s photo on our website or in our catalog. Here’s an explanation of why the blue chicken breeds will also have black and splash chicks as possible color variations you may receive.
Cleaning and Storing Freshly Laid Eggs
Cleaning is not always necessary, as freshly laid eggs have a protective layer called the “bloom”, that seals out bacteria and allows the eggs to last longer outside of the refrigerator. Consider this when deciding where you’ll be storing them.
Always try to provide fresh bedding for your hens to help keep eggs cleaner (and keep your girls happier also!) Fresh bedding will not always guarantee cleanliness, but will give you a better probability.
Using the Incredible Egg WasherKit: Clean Eggs Sell!
You can certainly use plain hot tap water to wash the eggs, but I have found the Incredible Egg Washer kit to be a much more effective and efficient way to clean the eggs. Since I have a large flock and gather about 60 eggs a day, I was spending about 30 minutes hand washing each egg at my kitchen sink.
More Than Just Chicks: How to Raise Exotic Pheasants
Meyer Hatchery carries a variety of exotic pheasants, take a look at general overview on how to raise exotic pheasants to start your adventure today!
5 Dual Purpose Breeds To Consider
A dual purpose breed is one that lays eggs consistently, and can be used for meat. Here are 5 dual purpose breeds to consider this season!
What are Pullet Eggs?
It’s always an exciting moment when your chicken lays her first egg. Unless you are warned beforehand, you probably had no idea that they would lay such a small egg. These first eggs that your hens are laying are called pullet eggs.
High Production Layers Are Top Choices for Small Flock Owners
Three of our top-producing layer breeds for any small flock owner to consider adding to your flock for a steady supply of eggs!
How To Brood Broad-Breasted Turkey Poults
Brooding day old poults is very much like brooding chicks, with a few little adjustments to ensure the health and well being of your new little ones.
Why Is My Hen Not Laying? Reasons Why You May See a Decline in Egg Production
Why is my hen not laying? Let’s explore some of the most common reasons why hens slow down or stop laying eggs altogether.
