Frequently Asked Questions

A lash egg is less of an egg than it is a roughly egg- or sausage-shaped exudate, consisting of thickened pus and other materials. It is probably the grossest egg your hen will ever lay, and will often look like cheesy, bloody strata or other matter arranged in strappy, skin-like layers. You may think she's expelled an internal organ. Ew. Seriously.  If your hen lays a lash egg, it means she is sick with salpingitis, which is an infection of the oviduct. Please take her to a veterinarian immediately.

If your hen lays a lash egg (something you won't soon forget--they're pretty gross!), you can be pretty sure that she has Salpingitis, meaning her oviduct is infected. This is really bad news for your hen and may be fatal, and she could continue to be a carrier even if she recovers! Read more to find out more about this disease: Salpingitis Also called Inflammation of the oviduct, infection of the oviduct Prevalence Common Signs General signs: No or mild signs in adult birds, including lethargy, loss of appetite, drop in laying, yellow poo, wheezing, coughing, sneezing, discharge from nares...

There are a number of possible reasons your chickens are not laying eggs. Let's look at a brief overview of reasons to give you some ideas, and you can click on each possibility for more details and a more in-depth discussion. Reasons your chickens are not laying Your hens may not be laying because they are too young. Your hens may not be laying because they are very old. Your hens may not be laying because it's wintertime. Your hens may not be laying because they're molting feathers. Your hens may not be laying because they're broody. Your hens may...

Exactly 157. (Just kidding!) Actually, how many eggs a chicken lays a year depends on a lot of things, but especially on the breed of your chicken and her age. For instance, young Leghorns may lay 300 eggs per year. Young Cochins may lay only 100 or so. Sumatras may lay 50 or fewer. By breed, you can see a general idea of how many eggs chickens may lay per week here on My Pet Chicken's chicken breed list. But keep in mind that as the birds get older, they will lay fewer eggs. And some breeds are not great...

Assuming that they have had proper care, lighter-weight duck breeds mature sexually at 17-24 weeks of age and begin laying eggs at that time. Heavier duck breeds usually start laying between 20-30 weeks of age. However, if they reach maturity during winter--just like chickens--ducks may delay laying until the days begin to lengthen and it warms up in the spring. Just before and during production, ducks may exhibit swollen abdomens, large, moist vents, and widely-spread pubic bones. In some breeds, you may see a darkening in feather color, and in others, the bill color may lighten. Normally, geese start laying...

Hatching eggs at school can be a rewarding and enlightening school project! In fact, the founder of My Pet Chicken was first charmed by chickens during a hatching project in grade school. After that project, she was a changed person! In her eight-year-old heart, she knew for a fact that she would keep chickens herself and help others adopt chickens when she grew up. And now, years later, you can see from our website how that turned out! So, at My Pet Chicken, we have a definite soft spot for schools who want to organize hatching projects. That said, though,...