Topic of the Week - Chicken Myths, True or False?

[Show Sebright]

You can’t eat fertile eggs, you will kill the babies. Not true unless they egg has been incubated by a hen or other.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Myth that chickens as a rule can’t see in the dark.

Although I concede that it may vary by breed, there are chickens that can see in the dark apparently better than humans based on their behavior View attachment 2808133View attachment 2808134
View attachment 2808135

I’ve definitely noticed my RIRs are much more night blind than my barred rocks. They tend to roost 30+ minutes earlier. I’ve seen my RIR rooster walk face first into the coop door in the dark. If they’ve been out in the chicken tractor and it dark I’ll throw out about 5 RIRs and then a Barred Rock and the barred rocks will lead the RIR back to the coop.

Not a myth or fact just wondering
Do chickens feel empathy or grief like when a flock member dies or offspring or sibling dies?

Mine have certainly seemed upset after losing flock members and I know some people have had hens that refused to eat or leave the coop after losing a close buddy.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I have a guest staying with us who was born and raised in Chicago. He didn’t know that meat chickens and egg chickens were different, and he thought the eggs at the grocery store are white because they are bleached!

 

[casportpony]

My chickens crop has definitely always been on his right…at least when I checked it full at night!

Oops, my mad, not sure what I was thinking when I wrote that!

Originally I wrote:
"Crops are on the chicken's left side. Would you believe me if I told you that sometimes it's on their right side?"

What I meant was:
"Crops are on the chicken's right side. Would you believe me if I told you that sometimes it's on their left side?

Thanks for finding my error, I have edited my post.

 

[Goosebaby]

This thread is about chooks but I’ll add some things about geese too.

Myth 1: lobe shape is determined by gender. One long single lobe means gander, two Pompoms indicate female. Wrong!
Males and females get both or a mix of the two. Certain breeds have even been bred to typically have one type regardless of sex.

Myth 2: ganders can’t get along. Wrong!
Who gets along and who doesn’t depends on personality, not sex. Boys and girls don’t always get along with certain individuals of the opposite or the same sex. I have a number of ganders that are perfectly bonded and don’t fight, I have others that tolerate each other, others that can’t be out together without war breaking out, males and females.
Relationships can sometimes change too. Two of my ganders who once despised each other are now bonded and will cry if you try to seperate them.
Two of my girls that once terrorized each other are now the best of friends.

 

[Pollito Pelon]

I’ve definitely noticed my RIRs are much more night blind than my barred rocks. They tend to roost 30+ minutes earlier. I’ve seen my RIR rooster walk face first into the coop door in the dark. If they’ve been out in the chicken tractor and it dark I’ll throw out about 5 RIRs and then a Barred Rock and the barred rocks will lead the RIR back to the coop.

Mine have certainly seemed upset after losing flock members and I know some people have had hens that refused to eat or leave the coop after losing a close buddy.

I had 2 chicks that were always together than one died and the other would always peep trying to call her. I put it with others but he would not stop peeping

 

[Goosebaby]

View attachment 1165040 How about ducklings and medicated feed? People keep telling others that ducklings can't have medicated feed, yet no one can say why.

Edited to add:
Metzer Farms, Purina, and Stoery's Guide to Raising Ducks say it's safe.
Metzer Farms - Medicated feed and ducks:
http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/11/can-medicated-feed-be-used-for.html
"Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Can Medicated Feed Be Used for Waterfowl?

Can medicated feed be given to ducks and geese? Many people say No. I will explain why I feel the answer is Yes.

First of all, there are four drugs (medicines) that are approved by the USDA for the use in ducks. These have been used successfully for years to control a variety of waterfowl diseases. They are Chlorotetracycline, Neomycin, Novobiocin and Rofenaid.


The bigger concern, however, is sacked feed sold at your local feed store. Some of these sacked feeds (especially starter feeds) have medications in them to control coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is an internal protozoa parasite that can harm chickens, turkeys, game birds and occasionally waterfowl. As coccidiosis is a common problem, and most people have chickens, the feed manufacturers will often include medication in starter feed to better control this disease. But what about waterfowl? Will it harm them?

We have contacted all the feed mills that we could find that make sacked poultry feed in the US. From material they have sent us or from their website, we have learned that these 29 mills make 59 different starter feeds for chickens, waterfowl and game birds. Of these 59 starter feeds, 19 have a medication in them to control coccidiosis.

Four drugs are used. Fifteen of the feeds contain Amprolium, 1 has Monensin, 1 has Lasolocid and 1 has BMD (Bacitracin methylene disalicylate).

To investigate this further, I asked for the assistance of Dr. Larry McDougal of the University of Georgia and Dr. Alison Martin of the Livestock Conservancy. Both of these individuals have done extensive work with coccidiosis. They found research that had been done here in the United States and abroad on the effect of these four drugs on waterfowl. As Dr. McDougal said “Not one of these papers described any harmful effects to waterfowl except where the normal dosage was significantly overdosed.”

Many of you have heard of Dave Holderread, of Holderread’s Waterfowl Farm in Oregon. Dave is an expert on waterfowl and an ultimate waterfowl breeder. He conducted research on coccidiostats with Oregon State University in 1982 (1). His paper states “Frequently publications pertaining to waterfowl state that medicated feeds should not be fed to ducklings and goslings. In some localities, producers and hobbyists who raise a small number of ducklings and goslings can only purchase medicated chick, turkey or game bird starter and grower feeds. Because of the lack of documented information on this subject and the numerous requests for advice on this matter, anticoccidial drugs zoalene, sulfaquinoxaline and amprolium were mixed in mash feed and fed to ducks up to four weeks of age.”

His conclusion was “From this experiment, it appears that sulfaquinoxaline, zoalene, or amprolium at the manufacturers' use levels for chickens and turkeys did not cause mortality, stunted growth or cripples when fed to Khaki Campbellducklings to 4 weeks of age."

Therefore, it appears research shows these drugs do not harm waterfowl if used at the rates commonly used with chickens and turkeys.

Have there been coccidiostats used in the past that were harmful to waterfowl? Probably and that is why the myth began. But those drugs are no longer allowed or no longer used in the United States.

What if you have the choice of medicated or non-medicated starter feed of equal nutritional value? My recommendation would be to use the non-medicated feed. There is no point in feeding medication when it is not needed.

HOWEVER, if the choice is nutritionally correct medicated starter feed (20%+ protein) or non-medicated feed that does not meet the nutritional needs of the ducklings and goslings, I would definitely recommend the nutritionally correct, medicated starter feed. Research shows the medication will not harm the waterfowl.

(1) Holderread, D., Nakaue, H.S., Arscott, G.H. 1983 Poultry Science 62:1125-1127"

I was told and believed it for ages, even a few vets told me this.

I’ve wondered if the myth originated from misinterpreting health issues from too little niacin in chick feed with medication toxicity. My theory is based on the fact that for awhile most feed stores in my area either carried medicated chick start or some sort of non medicated flock raiser, those buying the chick start probably started seeing wobbly legs in their ducklings and goslings and attributed it to the additives in the feed not knowing that waterfowl need more of the Bs than chicks.
That there is the second reason behind my theory, the employees at the feed stores in my area will tell people that waterfowl can’t have the medicated feed, because that’s what they’ve been told, but they don’t know about the higher vitamin B content that waterfowl babies need. So one bit of false information is being advertised, but one bit of important information isn’t widely publicly known.

 

[casportpony]

I was told and believed it for ages, even a few vets told me this.

I’ve wondered if the myth originated from misinterpreting health issues from too little niacin in chick feed with medication toxicity. My theory is based on the fact that for awhile most feed stores in my area either carried medicated chick start or some sort of non medicated flock raiser, those buying the chick start probably started seeing wobbly legs in their ducklings and goslings and attributed it to the additives in the feed not knowing that waterfowl need more of the Bs than chicks.
That there is the second reason behind my theory, the employees at the feed stores in my area will tell people that waterfowl can’t have the medicated feed, because that’s what they’ve been told, but they don’t know about the higher vitamin B content that waterfowl babies need. So one bit of false information is being advertised, but one bit of important information isn’t widely publicly known.

@Pyxis wrote a really good article about it.

Feeding Ducklings Medicated Feed - The Myths and the Truth​

 

[Liz Birdlover]

And here I thought my yellow ones were just being racist.

Mine self-group by personalities & their fav "best friends" to hang with. Age, Breed, Size or Feather Colors are irrelevant in my flock.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

How about a new myth? Chickens are only motivated by food, that's why they like you. NOT.

I have plenty of hens who show affection, who want nothing more than to be held and cuddled and to be with us. They know we have no food. In fact, we can put food down in front of some of them and they'll turn away to beg to be picked up and held. They are just not as dumb as people seem to think. They are complex, dignified and, even at times, selfless to dying comrades.

So true! ❤