For years, many folks have found maintaining a small flock of backyard chickens a very rewarding experience and an excellent venture for the small or part-time farmer. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous additional people, both urban and rural, ventured into the backyard chicken world—so much so that mail-order hatcheries could not keep up with orders during the spring of 2020 (Tabler et al., 2020).

Broilers in the U.S. are raised in houses with earthen floors on litter material (often reused multiple times) composed of an initial bedding material (pine shavings, rice hulls, peanut hulls, etc.) mixed with feathers, spilled feed, water, and manure. In general, litter is a loose, friable, absorbent material that provides thermal insulation, absorbs moisture, provides cushioning from the earthen floor, and allows birds to demonstrate certain natural behaviors such as dust bathing and scratching.

The eggshell plays an important role in the development of a chicken embryo. It is a major respiratory component, and the chicken embryo gets approximately 80 percent of its skeletal calcium from the eggshell after 10 days of incubation. Eggshell thickness is one of several factors that influence heat transfer by conduction (Boleli et al., 2016).

Bed Bug Background

The earliest stages of a bird in its egg are amazing and exciting. In only three weeks, a small clump of cells that do not seem to resemble any animal species changes into an active, newly hatched chick. A study of this change is educational and interesting and gives us insight into how humans are formed.

Footpad dermatitis is a major welfare concern in broiler chickens and is used as an audit criterion in the U.S. and Europe during animal welfare audits. However, there seems to be less concern among many broiler growers as to the paw quality of birds in their care than to other audit issues, such as air quality, temperature control, feed conversion, and weight gain.

Did you know that “pecking order” is more than just an expression? Chickens and other types of poultry develop a social hierarchy within the flock; it is called the pecking order. Feather pecking is a way to express dominance in small poultry flocks as flock members establish their rank. A certain degree of mild feather pecking is normal within the flock, but feather pecking sometimes leads to cannibalism. Cannibalism is a separate, more sinister behavior that goes beyond establishing the pecking order.