About Chicken & Chicks

Chickens produce eggs and meat. With a huge variety of breeds, there are chickens for every purpose. Some breeds are standard size and others are bantams, miniature chickens. Showing chickens at fairs and shows is common throughout the United States. Chicks hatch from eggs after 21 days of incubation. Young chickens are processed for meat at 6 to 8 weeks of age or produce eggs at 18 to 22 weeks.

  1. Eggs

    • White chickens such as Leghorns usually produce white eggs, while black or brown chickens produce brown eggs. Rhode Island Reds and New Hampshires are common brown egg layers. Hens of the Araucana breed lay blue-green tinted eggs. Shell color does not influence the nutrient content or flavor of the egg.

    Egg Laying

    • It takes approximately 25 hours for an egg to form inside the hen. A clutch is the number of days in a row a hen lays an egg. Good producers have clutches of 3 to 8 days or longer. Poorer producers lay one or two eggs and take a break for a day. Hens molt at approximately 18 months of age. At that time egg production stops and the hen looses old and grows new feathers. Molting lasts two to four months.

    Meat

    • The fastest growing breed of meat chickens is the white Cornish cross. These chickens reach 4 to 5 pounds in 6 weeks. Dual-purpose breeds, breeds raised for both meat and eggs, grow slower. They reach about 3 pounds at 10 weeks of age. Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks are common dual-purpose breeds.

    Show Chickens

    • Show chickens range from the feather-footed Cochins to the Polish, chickens with a crest. Purebred chickens are judged according to the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection.

    Incubating Eggs

    • Broody hens, hens with the instinct to set on eggs, hatch eggs. Incubators also provide the necessary warmth to hatch eggs. Eggs must be fertile. Fertile eggs are produced when a rooster mates with the hen prior to egg formation. Most eggs purchased at grocery stores are not fertile.

    Day-Old Chicks

    • Day-old chicks are readily available for sale. Chicks are sent through the mail or sold at feed stores. Straight-run chicks are of either sex. Sexed chicks are sold as cockerels, young males, or pullets, young females.

    Brooders

    • After hatching, chicks are raised by the hen or in a brooder. A brooder provides a 90 to 95 degree environment for newly hatched chicks. Baby chicks require chick starter feed and fresh water. Most chickens leave the brooder at 6 weeks of age.

    Chicken Requirements

    • Backyard chickens require a shelter, protection from weather and predators, and an area to exercise. Laying hens require nest boxes. Mature hens eat egg layer mash or pellets. The diet is supplemented with scratch, cracked cereal grains and fresh vegetation, if desired.