Recent content by poultryprofessor

I dislike the "float" method of testing eggs because it is difficult to interpret and you never really know what is going on inside the egg. I would recommend using a small flashlight (or candler if you want to get fancy) and grading your eggs according to USDA standards. This involves looking...

Yes! You can use Delaware hens to create a Black Sex-Link. We tested this last fall with a Black Jersey Giant rooster and Delaware hens because I had the same thought. Offspring at hatch Male vs female offspring at ~5 weeks Female offspring at ~5 weeks Male offspring at ~4 months...

Yellow - chick hatched 6/3/2021; photographed 6/25/2021 Chest: Top Down View: Comb: Neck: Wing:

Purple - hatched 5/24/21, photographed 6/25/21 Chest: Top down view: Wing: Tail: Back of neck: Comb:

Blue - hatched 5/24/21, photographed 6/25/21 Chest: Wing: Tail: Back of neck: Comb:

Green - hatched 5/24/21, photographed 6/25/21 Chest: Top down view Wing Back of neck Tail Comb (attempt anyway)

I took some today. I'll post each chick in their own reply with assorted detail pictures.

There are so many factors involved in lifespan that it's hard to determine causation here. However, there is one notable difference between hatcheries and at least some private breeders that could contribute. In my experience, hatcheries breed from young stock. They hatch new breeders each year...

They're pullets. For comparison, here is a Barred Rock cockerel and a pullet at 6 weeks: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNap6LQHLMq/ And Barred Rock pullets at 10 weeks: https://www.instagram.com/p/CO5auVTAeF2/

I have some chicks hatched out of Blue Wheaten Ameraucana Bantams that I'm itching to know sex on. I'm used to sexing single comb breeds, so these guys are new to me. I love that males and females will ultimately be different colors, but I'm impatient. At what point can you start reliably saying...

By 10 weeks,, I'd expect noticeable differences between male and female Rhode Island Reds. For comparison, here is an 11-week-old RIR cockerel and an 11-week-old pullet: As others have mentioned, you can keep boys together until you can't. That timeframe varies by many factors (breed...

Somewhere I have a picture of an egg that was laid ON another hen. Chickens are weird.

I use these rabbit feeders modified with 1/2" hardware cloth to prevent scratching feed out for my Seramas and other bantams. This picture is from when they were younger and on chick feed, but I have switched them to a pelleted feed. This has helped even more with reducing feed waste. Even my...

Yes, I have an Instagram for the university's poultry program. It gives me an excuse to share pretty pictures and fun chicken facts. @lincolnupoultry

That's not a bad source at all for general information. I'm surprised it doesn't mention greenish diarrhea because I've come across a lot of sources that do mention it, but it may be a strain-dependent symptom that isn't commonly seen in the US. It's hard to say. I usually try to look at...