There are no hormones and less cholesterol in homegrown eggs. Also, there’s no worry about medications. Also, if the chickens are allowed to eat bugs, fresh greens, and scratch grains, the eggs will have a higher nutrient content. Researchers conclude that eggs from pasture-raised chickens may contain:
1⁄3 less cholesterol
1⁄4 less saturated fat
2⁄3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene
The pecking order determines which chicken may eat first, where a chicken is allowed to sit on the perch, or even even drink. It is often the stronger or larger birds that rank highest in the social order.
The organizational power among chickens can be pretty brutal, fighting, pecking, and injuries often occur. To minimize chaos, offering feeders, drinkers, and nesting areas in more than one place is helpful.
The perch is a common place for pecking or bullying, especially when there are rank differences. Watching them find a place to retire for the night is a complicated process. The pecking order rarely changes among an existing flock, however, we have some power over the pecking order simply by removing the higher-ranking birds for a few weeks. I bring this up because it is sometimes necessary to intervene when the pecking order becomes so aggressive that weaker birds are plagued with injuries.
Once a weaker bird’s skin is exposed from being pecked on, the situation worsens and another problem occurs. One measly drop of blood is enough to create absolute havoc in the chicken yard. Something happens to chickens when they get a taste of blood, and they become quite capable of literally pecking a bird to death. Of course, before this happens the injured chicken will have to be removed and placed in isolation to heal and grow new feathers.
It is usually 3 weeks to a month before new feathers cover the affected area. Or, you can do nothing, and stay out of the pecking order process entirely, which many poultry keepers believe to be the best way. But I’m not at all fond of watching my birds one by one begin to look like they’ve been through a meat grinder.
It certainly makes better sense to remove the troublemakers rather than constantly doctoring chickens. There are usually 2 or 3 thugs that dominate a small flock, isolate them from the weaker birds for a few weeks. Then you can re-introduce them to the flock, but only one bird at a time over the course of a week. This will lessen the chances of them ganging up on the existing flock.
Note: It’s important to consider the fact that overcrowding can contribute to argumentative behavior or feather loss due to pecking.
It is not clear where the Ameraucana was developed, but it is thought to be the United States. Ameraucana large fowl are in the APA “All Other Standard Breeds” (AOSB) class of chickens. Eight colors are officially recognized for poultry shows by the American Poultry Association: Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, Silver, Wheaten and White. There are several project colors, including Lavender.
The Ameraucana is defined as an Easter Egg chicken, or Easter Egger, as any chicken that possesses the blue egg gene, but doesn’t fully meet any breed description as defined in the APA standards. Further, even if a bird (that possesses the blue egg gene) meets an APA standard breed description, but doesn’t meet a variety description or breed true at least 50% of the time it is considered an Easter Egg chicken.
The American Poultry Association’s (APA) American Standard of Perfection contains breed and variety descriptions of all recognized standard breed poultry in North America. This means if your bird does not meet a color requirement, it is in Easter Egger. However, it is highly unlikely to see an Easter Egger which meets all APA standards yet doesn’t have the correct color. They are almost always mutt birds.
While many hatcheries claim to sell Ameraucanas or Araucanas, nearly none of them do. Most sell mutt Easter Eggers. Ameraucanas come in both a large and bantam variety.
Standard Weight for Bantams
Cock: 30 oz.
Cockerel: 26 oz.
Hen: 26 oz.
Pullet: 24 oz.
Standard Weight for Large Fowl
Cock: 6 1/2 lbs.
Cockerel: 5 1/2 lbs.
Hen: 5 1/2 lbs.
Pullet: 4 1/2 lbs.
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 