Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Pullet:
A female chicken under one year old
Cockerel:
A young rooster under one year old
Bantam:
A miniature chicken, sometimes called a banty
Layer:
A hen suitable for egg production
Broiler:
A chicken (of either sex) suitable for meat production
Vent:
The all-purpose exit chute on your hens' bums
Molt:
The annual shedding of feathers; birds don't lay when molting
Sexed Chicks:
Chicks separated into pullets and cockerels
Straight-Run Chicks:
Nonsexed; a variety of pullets and cockerels
In fact, roosters don't make eggs happen; the egg is just part of the hen's natural
cycle—just like that woman's. All females carry eggs in some form or other and pass
them as part of life. A hen just does it every 25 to 36 hours instead of every 28 days. No
one on this side of the gender fence has ever needed a fella to make an egg happen.
Another common misconception is that chickens are loud. Truth is, most hens rarely
make a peep. They can be vocal, but it's nothing like the piercing cries of geese (I have
a pair louder than any car alarm) or a barking dog. Chickens do cluck and coo, but it's
the noise equivalent of leaving the classical station on low volume in your backyard.
And as for that “big investment” rumor: Sure, you can buy designer coops and order
expensively bred show chickens. But like any hobby chicken raising can be as frugal
as you choose. A practical beginner without any resources or carpentry skills can easily
purchase and set up an egg shop for under $350. That's a small investment for years of
healthy, local protein.
The biggest fib would be the time you'll need to dedicate to your omelet shop. Yes,
you'll have to check in on and feed the layers daily. My routine: Before I head off to
work, I open their coop door, throw down some grain, and make sure they have fresh
water. I do this with a hot mug of coffee in my hand and a grin on my face and it nev-
er takes more than 5 or 10 minutes. At night it's slightly more effort, but only because
that's when I collect eggs and refill the feeder. Total: maybe 15 minutes. The average
