The Egg-ucated Chicken
The Truth About Mycoplasma Gallisepticum
Posted by Allison Rostad on
Not only does misinformation of MG come in the form of âeveryone already has itâ, it also comes in the form of â99% of wild birds are carriersâ. Unlike the lack of research in regards to the prevalence of MG in backyard poultry, a study published in April of 2020 combined all MG research studies published from January 1951 to December of 2018 to conclude that the MG prevalence in wild birds is only 28% based on the studies that used the PCR method (swab) of testing.
Heritage Chicken > Commercial Broilers
Posted by Allison Rostad on
A world that consumes 50 billion chickens annually is not a world that can rely solely on three companies to maintain the industry. Itâs important for heritage breed chicken owners, breeders and growers to join the movement and start breeding and eating more heritage birds.
Troubleshooting Poor Hatchability
Posted by Allison Rostad on
Over the years I've developed some data sheets to really hone in to my incubation practices. When an egg doesn't develop, stops developing at some point during incubation or the chick reaches hatch but doesn't actually hatch, you have to ask yourself why. Getting to the cause of the problem will help guide you to a better hatch in the future.
Increase Hatchability Using Better Hatching Egg Care and Storage Practices
Posted by Allison Rostad on
For breeders with small flocks that wish to hatch large quantities at a time, itâs necessary to collect fertilized eggs for over a week before having enough to fill an incubator. In this scenario, the older the eggs are before incubation begins the bigger the decrease of the hatch success rate. To ensure hatchability in eggs collected over a longer period of time it is important to practice good egg storage and care.
Hatchery Hygiene
Posted by Allison Rostad on
The nature of a hatchery provides the perfect atmosphere for bacteria to grow and thrive. With incubators running at 99-100^F and humidity levels varying between 40-80% at any given time, living bacteria can replicate rapidly and double itâs population within 20 minutes. Hatching eggs that are exposed to these bacterias have a higher mortality rate than those that arenât. Maintaining proper cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting practices in the hatchery can significantly decrease the likelihood of hatching eggs being exposed to bacteria and ultimately increase the hatchability of the fertilized eggs.