Frequently Asked Questions

A Poultry Show or exhibition is very much like a dog show. Breeders and fanciers, and sometimes 4-Hers, bring their best chickens to show them at the exhibition and have them judged according to "breed standards," in other words by what the American Poultry Association (APA) says the ideal bird of that breed is like. (Did you know that a lot of the photos you see on our website come from special breeding lines at poultry shows?)  APA breed standards outline what color feathers, legs, skin, earlobes and so on the ideal bird should have. It also points out if...

"Pecking order" is the social hierarchy of the chicken flock. Those at the top of the pecking order get the best nesting spots and roosting spots, for instance... and those at the bottom get what's left. Small flock with plenty of space This arrangement works out well so long as there is plenty of space on roosts, in nests, and plenty of food and water for everyone. If there is not enough, then the girls at the low end get picked on, and may not be getting enough to eat and drink. Always make sure your chickens have more than...

A setter is a hen who will hatch her eggs. A non-setter is a hen who will not hatch eggs. The vast majority of chicken breeds will occasionally go "broody," meaning they will set their eggs and try to hatch them. However, a "setter" usually refers to a breed (or a specific hen) that frequently goes broody. Orpingtons and cochins are setters, for instance. Buff Orpington Hen Some high production breeds like Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns seldom if ever go broody and want to set eggs. Those are non-setters. Which is best just depends on your perspective. If you...

A nest box is an enclosed area meant to give chickens a place they feel comfortable laying their eggs.Chickens generally prefer darkened, cozy places where they feel safe. We say "generally," here, because new layers may not understand what their instincts are telling them to do. Many lay an egg or two on the floor. Some feel like they need to find a spot outside the coop to lay (such as under your porch!), and so on. It may take some time and effort to "teach" them to lay in the coop. And some may always prefer to lay in...

A waterer is simply the vessel or system you use to provide water for your birds. Waterers may be basic and made from plastic or metal. Here is our best-selling chick waterer. They may be designed for use with nipples or cups. Waterers designed to accommodate bucket heaters are very handy if your temps regularly drop below zero. For that matter, a waterer could be a large bowl or dish---but we don't recommend that, really. In general, you want a chicken's waterer to be difficult to topple over, and designed to keep scratched up bedding out of the water so...

A "wormer" is a medication used to help rid your chickens of infestations of internal parasites like round worms or other worms, the same way you might use a wormer for your dogs or cats. However, if you are eating your chickens' eggs - and medications can be transmitted through the eggs - there are only certain types of wormers that should be used, and you may have an "egg discard" period, where you have to throw away any eggs laid (so you're not getting low doses of wormer, too!). Some wormers do not have a discard or "withdrawal" period...

Hackles, sickles, saddles: these are all terms referring to different types of chicken feathers. "Hackles" are the feathers around the neck. Here's a photo of a rooster with its hackles up: With roosters, the hackles are long and thin. For instance, here's a rooster. He has hackle feathers around his neck, but if you look closely, you'll see they are far more magnificent, iridescent even, although they're not a spectacular color. When roosters face off with an opponent, all their hackles will stand up in order to make themselves look larger and more intimidating. If you say something "got your...

Prepare yourself for this: a chicken's vent is the opening where she expels waste AND the opening from which she lays her eggs. It's all one thing--eww, gross! It's actually not quite as shocking as you might think. You can see here that the intestinal tract and the reproductive tract ARE separate things in your chicken. They just end up venting from the same opening, the vent, which is under your chicken's tail. You can't quite see the vent in this photograph; it's just below the tail and just above the "fluff" (the soft feathers around her rear end). "Cloaca"...