Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (109 page)

scald and pick,
392
–94

singeing feathers,
394

singeing hairlike feathers,
394

cackling.
See
fowl language

cages,
78
–81

dimensions for,
79

make your own,
80
–81

reasons to use,
79

styles of,
80

tools for building,
81
,
81

Camplyobacter
,
375

candling eggs,
295
–97

embryo examination,
296
,
296

as fresh-egg test,
221
,
221
,
225

hatching eggs and,
277

cannibalism,
119
–23

causes of,
120

control of,
121

forms of,
120
,
205

prevention of,
121
–23

canning poultry,
411
–13

canned-chicken safety,
411
–12

hot pack,
412
–13

processing times for,
413

raw pack,
413

capons,
363
–64,
364

carrying a chicken,
147
–48,
148

catching a chicken,
146
–47,
147

chick care,
307
–35

brooder features,
314
–21

feed and water,
321
–28

help-outs,
299

mechanical brooders,
310
–14

natural brooding,
307
–10

problems/solutions,
328
–35

separating cockerels/pullets,
318

sexed/unsexed chicks,
23
–24

chicken coop.
See
shelter

chickens as pets,
18
–20,
19

chicken wire,
83

chick identification,
300
–305

embryo dyeing,
301
,
301

leg banding,
305

pedigree baskets,
302
,
302
–3,
303

wing banding,
304
,
304

chick problems/solutions,
328
–35

chick toxins,
331

coccidiosis,
329
–30

crooked toes,
300
,
300
,
333
,
333
–34

feather picking,
332
–33

manure balls,
333

mushy chick disease (
omphalitis
),
289

signs of disease,
329
,
329

splayed legs,
300
,
300
,
334
,
334
–35

starve-out,
331
–32

sticky bottoms (
pasting
),
330
–31

toe picking,
332

classes of chickens,
4

claw trimming,
142
–43

cleaning chickens, cleanup,
414

cleanup.
See
sanitation

clucking.
See
fowl language

coccidiosis,
159
–60,
325
,
329
–30

Cochin breed,
15

cockerels.
See also
crowing

capons compared to,
364
,
364

cock talk,
35

dubbing/cropping of,
344
,
344

separating from pullets,
318

cock fighting,
48

color recognition,
31

combs

breeds by comb style,
8
,
8

frostbite and,
134

commercial rations,
98
–99

communicating with chickens,
37
–38

conditioning for exhibition,
345
–52

drying,
350
,
350
–51

faking,
351
–52

feeding,
346
–47

grooming,
349
,
349
–50

plumage,
346

washing,
347
–49,
348

confinement, meat breeds

indoor,
366
–68,
367

pasture,
368
–70,
369

conformation,
386
,
386
.
See also
parts of a chicken

cooked chicken, doneness,
415

coop cleanup.
See
sanitation

coops.
See
shelter

coop training, exhibition,
341
–45

dubbing/cropping,
344
,
344

handling,
344
–45

setting up,
343
–44

show coops,
342
–43

Cornish breed,
11

costs, egg production and,
213
–14

cracked egg (check egg),
225

cropping/dubbing,
344
,
344

crossed beak,
143
,
143

crowing,
35
,
38
–46.
See also
fowl language

anatomy of a crow,
38
–40

contests for,
42

dominance and,
41
,
43

frequency of,
43

by hens,
45

learning to crow,
40
–41

longcrowers,
43
–45

minimizing of,
45
–46

voice box and,
41
,
41

words to designate,
39

culling,
195
–202

bleaching sequence,
197
–98,
198
,
198

criteria for,
195
–97

good/poor layer indicators,
197

for healthy, hardy flock,
260
–61

molting and,
199
–202,
201

cutting up chickens,
402
–6

fat in chickens,
405
–6

light and dark meat,
403

nutritional composition and,
406

step-by-step,
404
–5,
404
–
5

dead chicken disposal,
152

debeaking,
144

diatomaceous earth (DE),
158
–59,
162

diseases of chickens,
166
,
166
–71

bird flu,
169
–70

egg laying and,
206

flushing, adult birds,
174

probiotics and,
168

treatment of,
170
–71

diseases of chicks.
See
chick problems/solutions

distress, signs of,
36
–37

diversification with chickens,
149
–50,
150

dominance.
See also
peck order

crowing and,
41
,
43

drinkers.
See
waterers

droppings of chickens,
166

dirty eggs and,
209
,
209
–10

dual-purpose breeds,
12
–13,
184

dubbing/cropping,
344
,
344

dust baths,
74
,
162

dwarf eggs,
223

E. coli
,
153

economic efficiency, egg production and,
213
–14

egg, anatomy of an,
219

egg cartons,
231
,
231

egg collection, for hatching,
275
–78

egg selection,
276
–78,
277

egg storage,
276

egg eating,
120
,
122
,
205

egg formation,
182
–87

egg size and,
185
,
185
–86

rate of lay,
183
–85

shape of egg,
202

shell color and,
186
–87,
187

egg issues,
202
–10

bloody shells,
202

broken shells,
204

chalky shells,
203
,
204
,
204

dirty eggs,
209
,
209
–10

misshapen eggs,
203
,
204
,
204

pullet problems and,
206
–8

soft or missing shells,
203

thin shells,
203

too few eggs,
205

wrinkled eggs,
203
,
204
,
204

egg production, well chickens and,
165
–66

egg safety,
225
–26

egg sales,
212
–14

economic efficiency,
213
–14

organic eggs,
213

eggs for eating,
215
–37.
See also
nutritional value of eggs

egg collection,
215
–16,
216

egg safety,
225
–26

preserving eggs,
230
–37

quality of eggs,
216
–25

eggshells.
See also
egg issues

components of,
219

of incubated eggs,
297

uses for,
218

egg substitutes,
229

egg white,
219
.
See also
nutritional value of eggs

healing/beauty properties,
229

interior quality of egg,
218
–19

quality of,
220

egg yolk.
See
yolk

embryo examination.
See
candling eggs

endangered breeds,
15
–17,
16
.
See also
heritage chickens

enterprise integration,
149
–50,
150

evisceration,
395
–401

drawing,
398
,
396
–99

first steps,
395
–96,
396
–
97

giblets,
399
–401,
400

gizzard, cleaning of,
400
,
400

opening abdomen,
397
–98,
398

terminology for,
395

waste disposal,
400

examining birds,
25
–26

exhibiting.
See
showing chickens

fake eggs (nest eggs),
208

Faverolle breed,
12

Feather Fancier
,
27

featherless chickens,
391

feathers.
See also
molting

barbicels of,
3
,
3

breeds for,
20
–21

feather patterns,
5
,
5

puffing of, defensive,
34
,
34

unusual feathering,
3
,
3

feed choices,
98
–109

commercial rations,
98
–99

home-mixed,
100
–
101
,
100
–102

feeders,
108
,
115
115
, –18

feeder space,
374

feeding stations,
117
–18

for show coop,
354
,
354

trough-type,
115
,
115
–16

tube-type,
116
–17,
117

feeding behavior,
97
–98

food running,
97
–98

ground scratching,
98

head shaking/beak beating,
98

tidbitting,
98

feeding chickens,
94
–118,
114.
See also
breeders, feeding of; range feeding; water

digestion and,
96
,
97

economic efficiency,
213
–14

eggshell’s strength and,
217
–18

for exhibition,
346
–47

feed choices,
98
–109

feed-conversion ratio,
384

feeding behavior,
97
–98

improper nutrition and,
205

methods of,
110
–11

milk and whey,
89

natural chicken,
94
–98

Pearson’s square,
103
–4,
104

protein needs,
103
,
103
–4

quantity of feed,
109
–10

routines for,
109
–15

scratch,
105

sprouts,
106
–7

storage of feed,
118
,
175

supplements,
107
–9

table scraps,
107

toxins in feed,
175

feeding chicks,
312
–28

feeders,
326
–28,
327
,
332
,
332

feed for chicks,
324
–26

waterers,
322
–24,
324