Just a few little bits of misinformation I read elsewhere today that I thought I’d clear up. Both made me smile, but please know, I am in no way making fun of anyone by posting these. (HaHa! You thought this was gonna be a recipe post, didn’tcha?)
So many people have so many wrong ideas when it comes to chickens, and those who have never raised them before don’t always know if what they have heard or read is true or false. Here are three falsehoods I came across today. Now, I know most of ya that are readin’ this already know that these are falsehoods, but just in case a new and, as yet, uninformed chicken owner ventures by the coop to visit, I thought I’d set the record straight for ’em. So, to that end, here we go:
1. You can’t eat the eggs if your hen(s) is/are being kept with a rooster. FALSE
Hens kept with roosters will lay fertile eggs, but it is perfectly okay to eat those eggs. They won’t begin to develop into babies unless the hen has started setting on them round the clock. They won’t stay very fresh if left in the nest for several days, so it is best to gather them every day, and refrigerate any you don’t plan to use within a few days time. And, just so ya know, if left in a hot hen house in the heat of summer, they WILL get rotten…(Not that I’ve ever had that happen. lol)
2. Your hens won’t lay if you don’t have a rooster. FALSE
I guess no one ever told my Granny’s layer flock about that rule! All 50 of ’em laid almost every day. lol
Your hens will lay without a rooster, but the eggs will not be fertile. They will only be good for eating. If you want eggs that will develop into baby chicks & hatch, either under a hen or in an incubator, you’ll have to have a rooster.
3. Cheese will make chickens sick because chickens do not produce milk. FALSE
Okay, Henny Penny, just get away from my grilled cheese sandwich. While it’s true that cheese should not be part of a chicken’s daily maintenance feed, there’s no harm in them having cheese as a treat once in a while. Like all treats, tho’, it should be given in moderate amounts. And cheese IS kinda expensive to be feeding to chickens anyway. That being said, most chickens love it, and it is a good source of an extra bit of protein & calcium. So if you do have a chunk of cheddar that has kinda dried out & gotten hard, or your favorite hen is trying to steal a bite of your grilled cheese sandwich, it’s okay to let her have it, if you want to. Personally, I don’t share my grilled cheese with anyone, not even the Farmer. 🙂
Those are the just a few of the bits of misinformation that can cause confusion for newbie chicken owners, & bring a smile & chuckle to those that have become old-hands at it…and let’s face it, we were all newbies once, & didn’t know any better, either.
Be Blessed Y’all! Until next time….
Caddo Critter Farmer 