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Frequently asked Poultry Questions... Egg Questions 1. Why do brown shelled eggs cost more than white shelled eggs? Brown shelled eggs generally cost more because the chickens that lay these eggs eat more feed and production costs are more. 2. Do you need sunlight to formulate hard shells on eggs? No, the chickens need calcium. 3. What are blood spots? A blood spot occurs from a broken blood vessel across the stigma line on the yolk follicle when the yolk is released into the reproductive tract. 4. What are meat spots? A meat spot occurs when a part of the oviduct peels off when the egg is formed. 5. How many eggs does a chicken lay per year? They lay around ~250 to 270 per year. 6. How often does a chicken lay an egg? From what I've read online, they estimate that a chicken lay's every 27 hours. 7. What is a double yolk egg? The release (ovulation) of two yolks from the ovary simultaneously. It does not happen very often. 8. How do you know what color shell they eggs will be that a chicken will lay? The earlobes of the chicken dictate the color of the shell (white ear lobes = white eggs; red earlobes = brown eggs) 9. What kind of chicken will lay green eggs? An Aracona chicken will lay green eggs. Egg Grading and Candling 1.What is the weight of jumbo, extra large, large, medium, small and pee wee eggs? Jumbo - 30 ounces per dozen. Extra Large 27 ounces per dozen. - Large 24 ounces per dozen. - Medium 21 ounces per dozen. - Small 18 ounces per dozen. - Pee Wee 15 ounces per dozen. 2. What is Grade AA, grade A and Grade B eggs? AA - shell-clean, air cell-1/8" or less in depth, white-clear and firm A-shell-clean, air cell 3/16" in depth, white-clear; B-shell-clean to slightly stained, air cell over 3/16" deep, white-weaker and watery. 3. What is a leaker? A leaker egg is an egg that the contents leak out. 4. What is Candling? Candling is shining a bright light near the egg to determine the egg quality and also embryonic development. Incubating 1. What temperature should I use to store eggs? 55-60F. 2. How much humidity is needed in the Incubator? 50-55% 3. When an egg was laid, does that effect when the egg will hatch? No. 4. How many days does it take before the eggs hatch? About 21 days. 5. What temperature should it be when incubating eggs in a still air incubator? Keep it around 100.5 F. Lowest 99F and Highest 103 F. 6. When should the plugs be pulled from the incubator? As soon as they start to hatch. :-) 7. What will delay a hatch? A low temperature. 8. How can I tell if there is too much humidity? If there is a lot of condensation on the incubator windows then there is probably too much humidity. 9. How long do I leave eggs in the incubator if they don't hatch on the 21st day? Keep them in the incubator for 2 or 3 more days, if they don't hatch, then they probably wont ever hatch. 10. How often do the eggs need to be turned? Eggs should be turned 3 times a day. 11. What if I don't turn the eggs? If you don't turn the eggs, then by Day 11 the embryo will die. Chickens 1. What is the average life span of a chicken? About 8 to 10 years. 2. How can you tell if a Chicken is male or female? Difficult to tell at hatch unless they are feathersexed (female primary feathers are longer at 3-4 days of age). In adults, males are larger with longer wattles and larger combs. 3. Is there a pecking order? Yes, within a group of chickens from two to hundreds they establish a pecking order of dominance. 4. What is a pecking order? The basic concept behind the establishment of the pecking order among, for example, chickens, is that it is necessary to determine who is the 'top chicken,' the 'bottom chicken' and where all the rest fit in between. The establishment of the dominance hierarchy is believed to reduce the incidence of intense conflicts that incur a greater expenditure of energy. The dominance level determines which individual gets preferential access to food and mates. (Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecking_order 12/13/2009) Buying Poultry 1. Where should I get (buy) my flock? There are many places you can buy poultry from. You should be guaranteed to have a healthy flock if you purchase from a Hatchery (see the CT Hatchery list), but you can also purchase from other members in the CT Forums. When purchasing from members keep in mind the risk of diseases, check out the Article in the Poultry Information Center Knowledge base "Bio-Security". We encourage you to buy, sell and trade with other members of CT, check out the Poultry Lovers Marketplace in the CT Forums for recent for sale ads, or post a wanted ad. Remember, there is always something to choose from because there are members hatching/selling eggs all year long too! If the question that you was looking for was not found in this FAQs, you may look through the Poultry Information Center, search the forums, or even ask the question yourself in the forums. Sources of Information http://www.performancepoultry.com/faq.php Date: 12/13/2009 (mm/dd/yyyy) http://chickentalk.org/forums Date: 06/15/2010 (mm/dd/yyyy) http://chickentalk.org/knowledgebase Date 07/21/2010 (mm/dd/yyyy) |
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