In the egg industry, the sex of day-old chicks is determined at the hatchery. Sexing chicks (determining whether they are a hen or a rooster) requires considerable skill and is done at this very early stage to determine their...
Jacqueline P. Jacob, Henry R. Wilson, Richard D. Miles, Gary D. Butcher, and F. Ben Mather2
The laying cycle of a chicken flock usually covers a span of about 12 months. Egg production begins when the birds reach about 18–22...
Quick Facts…
Chick selection is the first step to developing your family flock. It is recommended to buy quality chicks from a reliable hatchery.
Chick breeds fall into three categories: egg production, meat production or dual breeds for both eggs...
Source: Purina News Release
Team Purina answers top questions on how to handle farm fresh eggs when they arrive.
– There’s palpable excitement when it comes to your hens producing their first eggs. How many eggs will be in the coop?...
For many people, the ideal laying hen would lay Grade A Large sized eggs from the first day to last day of her production cycle. A Large egg gives you a bigger breakfast than a Medium egg but is...
Cobb-Vantress, Inc. recently hosted a diverse group of animal welfare experts at its global headquarters in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, to discuss the advancement of flock health and well-being.
The roundtable group — which consisted of poultry science experts from academia,...
Egg production on a small scale is one of the oldest animal farming enterprises in recorded history. A small investment may yield several years of income.
In the United States, egg production followed these principles until early in the twentieth...
Gary D. Butcher and Amir H. Nilipour2
Detailed information describing the categorization and incidence of embryo malpositions and deformities in commercial poultry is not readily available. Additionally, there is often little consistency in these data among hatcheries. Any decrease in...
By, Tommy Lively, Hatchery Specialist, World Technical Support, Cobb-Vantress
Even though the hatcher period makes up only 14 percent of total incubation time, this period has a significant impact on chick quality. Since chick quality has an impact on broiler...
Quick facts
Purchase chicks from hatcheries in the United States Sanitation Monitored program and pullets from sources with salmonella prevention and control programs.
Control rodents, insects and wild birds on your farm.
Clean, wash and disinfectant poultry houses between...