Hello and Welcome to my Article about chicken myths and truths! Many myths make people hesitate before getting chickens even though most are untrue. In this article you will see many myths about chickens and then the truth on the matter.
Myth: Hens need roosters to lay eggs.
False. Though many people believe this it is false. You need a rooster to have fertile eggs but the hen lays her eggs regularly with or without a rooster.
(a SLW hen laying an egg)
Myth: Chickens are stupid animals.
False. Now I’m not going to say all chickens are not stupid because yes some of them are, some of them are really stupid. But a good amount of them are smart a few as smart as some dogs. They actually can be taught to do tricks and some come one called by name.
Myth: Chickens require a lot of work.
False. All you are required to do is let them out in the morning giving them feed and water and come back at night to shut the coop door. The only real manual labor is collecting the eggs and cleaning the coop now and then.
(a barred rock hen scratching at hay in the coop)
Myth: Chickens are dangerous.
False. Chickens are mostly docile, friendly, inquisitive, or just plain fun and they don’t have teeth and can’t hurt children like a dog or cat would. Now some hens just don’t like to be held but that is also natural.
(a flock of chicken/ducks forging with a German Shepard)
Myth: Chickens are noisy.
False. Chickens are one of the quietest domestic animals and unless they are in danger or in distress will the squawk loudly. They also may cluck sometimes to let you know they laid/will lay an egg. Roosters on the other hand can crow a lot and be noisy but this is natural for them.
(two white Plymouth rock hens)
Myth: Chickens are dirty.
False. Most chickens keep themselves very tidy and clean. Though they are known to take “dust bathes” it is to get rid of bugs, to keep cool, and to keep clean. Their droppings normally don’t smell and are excellent fertilizer for your garden.
(Two hens enjoying their dust bathes)
Myth: Chickens are females.
False. The word chicken is not a sex but the name for a type of bird. Female chickens are called Pullets before they lay and Hens when they do, while males are referred to as cockerels before matured, and roosters when they are.
Myth: Grown chickens are white and chicks are yellow. (They are all the same.)
False. There are all different colors and sizes of chicks and chickens. There are big ones, black ones, small ones, and red ones, some with feathers on their feet and some without. There is a good deal of different breeds.
( four Sex-link hens hanging out )
Myth: All roosters are mean.
False. Although there are some mean roosters’ (and even hens at times) a good deal of them are sweet and friendly. I personally have had both good and bad, but not all are bad.
( a Buff Orpington rooster with his hen)
Myth: You can’t eat fertilized eggs.
False. Even if you have a rooster and the hen has fertile eggs as long as they are collected daily and a broody hen doesn’t set on them the chick hasn't developed. Hence you can eat fertile eggs.
Myth: Brown eggs are healthier then white.
False. The eggs healthiness depends on the healthiness of the bird’s diet and living area.
(Fresh backyard chicken eggs)
Myth: The chick comes from the yolk of the egg.
False. The chick actually comes from the white dot in the yolk (the blastoderm). The yolk is just the chicks source of food.
I hope you enjoyed reading!
ChickenGirl1
I would like to say some special thanks to:
BayBayPeepers
Blackberry18
Myth: Hens need roosters to lay eggs.
False. Though many people believe this it is false. You need a rooster to have fertile eggs but the hen lays her eggs regularly with or without a rooster.
(a SLW hen laying an egg)
Myth: Chickens are stupid animals.
False. Now I’m not going to say all chickens are not stupid because yes some of them are, some of them are really stupid. But a good amount of them are smart a few as smart as some dogs. They actually can be taught to do tricks and some come one called by name.
Myth: Chickens require a lot of work.
False. All you are required to do is let them out in the morning giving them feed and water and come back at night to shut the coop door. The only real manual labor is collecting the eggs and cleaning the coop now and then.
(a barred rock hen scratching at hay in the coop)
Myth: Chickens are dangerous.
False. Chickens are mostly docile, friendly, inquisitive, or just plain fun and they don’t have teeth and can’t hurt children like a dog or cat would. Now some hens just don’t like to be held but that is also natural.
(a flock of chicken/ducks forging with a German Shepard)
Myth: Chickens are noisy.
False. Chickens are one of the quietest domestic animals and unless they are in danger or in distress will the squawk loudly. They also may cluck sometimes to let you know they laid/will lay an egg. Roosters on the other hand can crow a lot and be noisy but this is natural for them.
(two white Plymouth rock hens)
Myth: Chickens are dirty.
False. Most chickens keep themselves very tidy and clean. Though they are known to take “dust bathes” it is to get rid of bugs, to keep cool, and to keep clean. Their droppings normally don’t smell and are excellent fertilizer for your garden.
(Two hens enjoying their dust bathes)
Myth: Chickens are females.
False. The word chicken is not a sex but the name for a type of bird. Female chickens are called Pullets before they lay and Hens when they do, while males are referred to as cockerels before matured, and roosters when they are.
Myth: Grown chickens are white and chicks are yellow. (They are all the same.)
False. There are all different colors and sizes of chicks and chickens. There are big ones, black ones, small ones, and red ones, some with feathers on their feet and some without. There is a good deal of different breeds.
( four Sex-link hens hanging out )
Myth: All roosters are mean.
False. Although there are some mean roosters’ (and even hens at times) a good deal of them are sweet and friendly. I personally have had both good and bad, but not all are bad.
( a Buff Orpington rooster with his hen)
Myth: You can’t eat fertilized eggs.
False. Even if you have a rooster and the hen has fertile eggs as long as they are collected daily and a broody hen doesn’t set on them the chick hasn't developed. Hence you can eat fertile eggs.
Myth: Brown eggs are healthier then white.
False. The eggs healthiness depends on the healthiness of the bird’s diet and living area.
(Fresh backyard chicken eggs)
Myth: The chick comes from the yolk of the egg.
False. The chick actually comes from the white dot in the yolk (the blastoderm). The yolk is just the chicks source of food.
I hope you enjoyed reading!
ChickenGirl1
I would like to say some special thanks to:
BayBayPeepers
Blackberry18
