Chicken-Chat

Mike and I drove an hour to Litchfield the other night just to hear a Chicken-Chat lecture at the local feed store.  I figured it was time to hear from an expert about raising chickens and ducks.  Mike had been my chicken expert up until now but some times my chickens and ducks confound even him.

This store had the most baby chicks I have ever seen in any one place.  I know they sold a lot of chicks right after the talk.  That wasn't what I was there for however.  Mainly I just wanted to learn more about the chickens I already had although I was open to hearing more about raising chicks.  Maybe someday I might possibly be interested in doing that.  Maybe.  Depending on what I learned.


Fun Facts:

1.  There are more chickens than people on this earth.

2.  Chickens have thirty different vocalizations.  This means they have their own language.

3.  Chickens can see more colors than us although they have a red-weakness.  That is why chick breeders put red lights in pens.  Chickens will not peck at red so if there is any blood on another chick this will keep them from pecking at the weaker chick.

4.  The chicken is the closest living relative to the T-Rex.

5.  The number of feathers on the average chicken is 8000.

6.  Eggs do not have to be refrigerated if they are only wiped clean.  They will stay fresh on the counter for two months.

7.  If in doubt about the freshness of an egg put it in a bowl of water.  If the egg sinks it is fresh.  If it floats get rid of it.

8.  You can feel a chicken's feet to check for a fever.

9.  The average mph a chicken can run is 9 mph.  The average mph a human can run is 8 mph.  That's why you can't ever catch them.

10.  The best way to integrate new birds into an existing flock is to add them to the roost at night.  Set each new bird next to an old bird and in the morning the old bird assumes the new guy was always there.  Of course, you only do this after keeping the new birds in quarantine for thirty days.