Chicken Myths/Rumors: True or False, Please Share!

[cassie]

Um Cassie, no offense but i do not understand how your response about vaccines and covid has anything to do with this thread. Get on facebook and find your like minded friends. This thread is dead.

Spoilsport!! By the way, I get in a lot more trouble on facebook than I ever do here, and that is saying something. My response may not have had anything to do with the topic at hand but it was in response to another post. I didn't just come up with it out of the blue.

 

[troyer]

Now that I have gone deeper in the weeds than anybody, here is a chicken myth I am sure you have all heard. Some people are convinced you can tell which eggs will produce pullets and which will produce cockerels. If the egg is pointed it will produce one sex and if it is round it will produce the other sex. I am sure that method is right 50% of the time. Think how much money that the hatcheries would save if only that was true.

This is my experience.
Most of the eggs that I hatch are slightly oblong round eggs, it's a breed characteristic. I get the normal 50% - 50% male to female ratio. I have noticed however, that the very early spring hatched batches versus the very late fall hatched batches seem to follow a pattern of more males hatched in the spring and more females hatched in the fall. There are always exceptions to the rule, but the tendency holds true. I am breeding chickens for 22 years now.

 

[BigTex19]

Personally, I think it is fun, and interesting, when things go off topic and get in the weeds, but that is me. You never know what interesting tidbits you will find in those weeds. Some of the most informative and interesting lectures I ever got in high school and college came when the instructor got completely off topic. Once in a biology class the lecture started off on algae and ended up on world overpopulation. In algebra one day the instructor got sidetracked and started talking about his experiences in WWII. This is kind of chicken related because he told about going into a barn and helping himself to some fresh eggs from under a hen. He also milked a cow into his helmet, which was the only thing he had for a bucket. Farmwoman caught him and she was not happy. In a psychology class quite by accident we ended up learning how to cook water buffalo. Instructor had spent time going to school and living in India. Once in French class the instructor told about escaping from Chezchoslovakia(sp). He crawled about a mile on his belly through a no man's land that was also heavily mined. He occasionally told us a bit about WWII in Germany. He had been drafted into the German army when he was in his teens. So don't apologize about going in the weeds. Somebody will always get you back on topic but until they do you sometimes learn things you wouldn't otherwise learn.

Now that I have gone deeper in the weeds than anybody, here is a chicken myth I am sure you have all heard. Some people are convinced you can tell which eggs will produce pullets and which will produce cockerels. If the egg is pointed it will produce one sex and if it is round it will produce the other sex. I am sure that method is right 50% of the time. Think how much money that the hatcheries would save if only that was true.

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[dirkandlorie]

I apologize for getting the topic off chickens. I too love this site as a place to learn about raising chickens and ducks from people who have done it way longer than me. I allowed my patriot side to come out in as respectful manner as possible. Though I am no longer in the Army, I guess I still want to defend freedom. I will end the conversation I have been engaged in and get back to my passion about talking about chickens, ducks, and gardening. Once again, I apologize for letting the topic stray off into the weeds. Forgive me.

I enjoy this website, I'm enjoying this thread, but what really made my day was reading what you wrote. Wish you had told her the CDC has confirmed what most people already knew. Cloth masks don't protect you, and you can get and transmit the virus even when vaccinated. Anyway thank you for some plain old honesty! Now back to the thread.

 

[BigTex19]

I enjoy this website, I'm enjoying this thread, but what really made my day was reading what you wrote. Wish you had told her the CDC has confirmed what most people already knew. Cloth masks don't protect you, and you can get and transmit the virus even when vaccinated. Anyway thank you for some plain old honesty! Now back to the thread.

Unfortunately at this point, no facts or convincing could sway that persons mind. It is because of politics I got into raising chickens or ducks believe it or not. As a constant student of History, from the ancient Babylonians, all the way to Chairman Xi, I see where this country is going to and it ain't pretty. With the Federal Reserve manipulating our currency and Government Spending thrusting us into another Great Depression, I knew it was time to keep my Family, Friends, and Neighbors fed. So I bought chickens, ducks came a month later, and started growing a large garden. The good people in this forum can tell you the endless benefits of growing your own food, and raising your own meat and eggs. It benefits all ages and it teaches you a lot about life and who you are as a person. I now own 17 chickens, two roosters, and 9 ducks. I hope we will hatch out more this year to add too our flock. I have learned a lot from this forum and will continue to learn from it until I get the experience to help other new chicken owners learn this trade as I call it. Have a Blessed Day, and thanks for your kind statement.

 

[BigTex19]

Some more interesting facts.

We humans share more than half our genes with chickens, and those we do share are 75% identical.

“Chickens are directly descended from T. rex.” All other tyrannosaurs as well as chickens and all other birds all fit into the suborder Theropoda. Theropods are a large and diverse group of animals that have hollow bones and three-toed limbs in common.

Chickens can be found around the world, but were originally native to the tropical jungles of Southeast Asia.
Over the last approximately 8,000 years, chickens have been domesticated and spread around the globe to become one of the most valued domesticated animals.

As humans consistently chose the tamest red junglefowls and bred them together, the genetic makeup of the resulting birds will have shifted. At some stage during this domestication process the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) evolved into a new subspecies, Gallus gallus domesticus, AKA the chicken. In practice, it is impossible to pinpoint the moment when this happened. But in theory, at some point two junglefowl bred and their offspring was genetically different enough from the species of its parents to be classified as a chicken. This chicken would have developed within a junglefowl egg and only produced the very first chicken’s egg on reaching maturity. Looked at this way, the chicken came first.

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/question/came-first-chicken-egg/#ixzz7KQ6WSRqC

https://kidadl.com/animal-facts/jungle-fowl-facts

(Some pics of wild jungle fowl...aren't they gorgeous? )

View attachment 2988561View attachment 2988564View attachment 2988565View attachment 2988566View attachment 2988567

Domestic Chickens are hardy enough to survive in the wild if they end up in that situation. Some chickens are still wild and thrive just as well as their domestic counterparts. Many will argue that wild chickens are more durable than the domestic chicken because of their survival skills God gave them. Domestic chickens, as crafty as they are, still rely on us for mostly everything. Like any animal though, when put into a bad situation, fall back on their ancient instincts.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

That's ok! I learned something new about animals. Plus... you did have a picture of a chicken in there. I just don't want any arguments going on.

I avoid arguments & try to diffuse.
I used to have an extremely stressful job back in the day, also had cancer 3x & lost many loved ones to cancer & my one "total joy" that sustained & grounded me were my birds. Back then, I only had Cockatiels & Homing Pigeons, but also ran a companion avian rescue.
I finally was able to have Chickens when I relocated. They've brought me so much...joy, laughter, companionship, eggs, they even like to help when I'm gardening. When pandemic hit, I remembered my grandmother telling me about the 1918 pandemic & how it affected so many. With my cancer, bronchitis & pneumonia history, I limited my exposure to others. I got a work from home job, so my flock suddenly became my main social life. It's truly amazing how intuitive & perceptive they are! Whenever I had a rough day, either anxiety or one of the sad times with grief, missing deceased loved ones, somehow they knew & would do their funniest antics making me smile. If I sat down they'd jump in my lap for snuggles & hugs. My Pigeons would land on me, coo in my ear & play with my hair. My Tiels would sing & want me to pet them. Birds are amazing!

I do my best to be kind, because you never know what silent battle someone else is fighting or what loss they're suffering. I do respect opinions, I agree to disagree. Both sides of an opinion may have valid points, sometimes one may be swayed, or both will go their own way. That's fine. In this case an argument didn't happen, so that's a good thing. Less stress in general is healthier for us all.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

True or False? Some Cocks, when they get mature enough will lay an egg just like hens do. tell me

No, a cock bird will not lay eggs. He may take over parental duties if his hen dies, though, as there are some Roosters that have helped raise the chicks.

https://cluckin.net/do-roosters-bro...osters can and do brood,of eggs to hatch them.

Some interesting reading...

https://www.livescience.com/13514-sex-change-chicken-gertie-hen-bertie-cockerel.html

https://animalogic.ca/wild/6-surprising-animals-that-can-change-sex

https://theconversation.com/how-birds-become-male-or-female-and-occasionally-both-112061

 

[BigTex19]

I avoid arguments & try to diffuse.
I used to have an extremely stressful job back in the day, also had cancer 3x & lost many loved ones to cancer & my one "total joy" that sustained & grounded me were my birds. Back then, I only had Cockatiels & Homing Pigeons, but also ran a companion avian rescue.
I finally was able to have Chickens when I relocated. They've brought me so much...joy, laughter, companionship, eggs, they even like to help when I'm gardening. When pandemic hit, I remembered my grandmother telling me about the 1918 pandemic & how it affected so many. With my cancer, bronchitis & pneumonia history, I limited my exposure to others. I got a work from home job, so my flock suddenly became my main social life. It's truly amazing how intuitive & perceptive they are! Whenever I had a rough day, either anxiety or one of the sad times with grief, missing deceased loved ones, somehow they knew & would do their funniest antics making me smile. If I sat down they'd jump in my lap for snuggles & hugs. My Pigeons would land on me, coo in my ear & play with my hair. My Tiels would sing & want me to pet them. Birds are amazing!

I do my best to be kind, because you never know what silent battle someone else is fighting or what loss they're suffering. I do respect opinions, I agree to disagree. Both sides of an opinion may have valid points, sometimes one may be swayed, or both will go their own way. That's fine. In this case an argument didn't happen, so that's a good thing. Less stress in general is healthier for us all.

I fully understand why you want to stay away from stress and arguments. You have been through some things. God has calmed me down a lot. 10 years ago I would have cussed that lady out which never solves anything. As you read, I stayed calm and respectful, but I also should have remembered that this forum is not the place for that conversation. I agree with you totally about the birds having a personality of their own and aware of your love for them. I love the time I spend with my chickens and sometimes sit out with them. Its something that I think only another chicken owner gets. I get joy also out of gardening which is my stress relief and a needed skill as learned in the last worldwide pandemic in 1918 and the Great Depression era. And I treat my birds to what I grow in the garden. Look forward to more chicken talk and advice from you and the rest of the BYC forum.

 

[cassie]

This is my experience.
Most of the eggs that I hatch are slightly oblong round eggs, it's a breed characteristic. I get the normal 50% - 50% male to female ratio. I have noticed however, that the very early spring hatched batches versus the very late fall hatched batches seem to follow a pattern of more males hatched in the spring and more females hatched in the fall. There are always exceptions to the rule, but the tendency holds true. I am breeding chickens for 22 years now.

This has nothing to do with myths, but someone once gave me a dozen hatching eggs. I put them under a broody hen. They all hatched. They were also all roosters. Every single one. Never had that happen to me before or since. I don't remember now what season I hatched them and I don't remember what shape the eggs were, but I do remember how disappointed I was. In my wildest dreams it never occurred to me I would not get even one pullet out of that dozen eggs.