Chicken And The Egg
Good Organic Gardening|September - October 2019

A comprehensive guide to choosing which Hens to breed from and which of their eggs to set

Megg Miller
Chicken And The Egg

Sit outdoors with a cuppa and observe your chooks going about their daily activities. They’re great DIY workers. They all have individual quirks and personalities and most lay a distinctly colored and shaped egg.

With the breeding season imminent, how will you decide which eggs to set? You could set whatever is fresh and on hand or you could have a long hard look at the girls, acknowledging that some meet your requirements better than others.

What characteristics do you rate highly? My list for important characteristics includes a quiet, curious temperament, good health, freedom from physical defects, persistence in laying, good egg shape and size and, lastly, longevity. I haven’t included broodiness — this trait is associated with numerous breeds so often it occurs naturally.

A BIDDABLE TEMPERAMENT

Placid, curious birds grow better than their more anxious, flightier flock mates and enjoy better health and immunity.

Recent research has shown that anxious hens deposit stress hormones in their fertile eggs that result in chicks that are fearful and less adventurous. Unless your more nervous hens have some very desirable traits, it makes sense to bypass their eggs for the setting.

Is your rooster a nice-natured chap, kind to his girls and sensibly protective? What about his behavior with humans? An aggressive rooster passes his temperament on to his sons. Cast around for a replacement rooster rather than risk daily confrontations when entering the henhouse.

GOOD HEALTH

Healthy hens are likely to be better foragers and more able to resist internal parasites than hens that have a lowgrade infection or look lackluster.

A hen that’s not 100 percent will need to use more of her nutritional resources on combating disease than a healthy bird and so produce eggs of lesser quality. And she may not absorb nutrients well.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September - October 2019-Ausgabe von Good Organic Gardening.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September - October 2019-Ausgabe von Good Organic Gardening.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS GOOD ORGANIC GARDENINGAlle anzeigen
Glamour girls
Good Organic Gardening

Glamour girls

EVERYONE LOVES A HARDWORKING ISA BROWN BUT GET A LOAD OF THESE CHIC CHICKENS AND FEATHERED FASHIONISTAS

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
FRIED VEG
Good Organic Gardening

FRIED VEG

IT’S POSSIBLE TO ENJOY A FRY-UP IN A DELICIOUSLY HEALTHY WAY BY TURNING TO SOME FRY-FRIENDLY PLANTS

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
BEYOND BIG RED
Good Organic Gardening

BEYOND BIG RED

TOMATOES COME IN ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND COLOURS, SO NOW’S THE TIME TO EXPLORE THEIR INFINITE VARIETY

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
EVEN MORE TROPPO
Good Organic Gardening

EVEN MORE TROPPO

ANOTHER SENSATIONAL SIX TO CONSIDER FOR YOUR GARDEN — OR YOUR FRUIT SALAD

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
LET'S STALK RHUBARB
Good Organic Gardening

LET'S STALK RHUBARB

JUST AS TOMATO IS A FRUIT USED AS A VEGETABLE, RHUBARB IS A VEGETABLE COMMONLY CONSUMED AS A DESSERT

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
FOOD OF THE GODS
Good Organic Gardening

FOOD OF THE GODS

THE FLESHY FRUIT OF THE FICUS WAS MUHAMMAD’S FAVOURITE AND BUDDHA FOUND ENLIGHTENMENT UNDER A FIG TREE

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
MAKING GOOD BETTER
Good Organic Gardening

MAKING GOOD BETTER

THE IRREPRESSIBLE TV PRESENTER WRITES ABOUT HOW SHE, WITH HUSBAND ANTON AND DAUGHTER FRIDA, TURNED A STEEP HOBART BLOCK INTO A PRODUCTIVE GARDEN

time-read
7 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
True lily
Good Organic Gardening

True lily

MANY PLANTS ARE CALLED LILIES BUT IT’S THE MEMBERS OF THE GENUS LILIUM THAT ARE THE REAL DEAL

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
SALTY BUDS
Good Organic Gardening

SALTY BUDS

THE CAPER BUSH PRODUCES TWO DISTINCT BUT EQUALLY DELICIOUS, TANGY MORSELS: CAPERS AND CAPERBERRIES

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.5
Ducks on duty
Good Organic Gardening

Ducks on duty

BUSY, VIGILANT, HARD ON GARDEN PESTS AND GENEROUS LAYERS — YOU’VE GOTTA LOVE A DUCK!

time-read
5 Minuten  |
Good Organic Gardening 12.4