PK360 Audio

Your chicks have feed, water, and heat—but are they getting the start they need? The small details in their first 14 days can affect the birds you raise months later.

In this PK360 conversation, Rip Stalvey and our team’s livestock nutritionist, Jeff Mattocks, discuss the hands-on care that helps chicks get off to a strong start. Drawing on years of raising poultry and working with poultry keepers, they explain what to watch for, what to prepare, and how to tell whether your chicks are finding feed and water.

We cover early feeding, chick weights, crop fill, starter feed and particle size, brooder temperature, grit, and moving chicks from the incubator. The conversation also includes Jeff’s approach to feeding eggs, water additives, dust bathing, and the value of spending time observing your chicks.

Whether you raise heritage breeds, exhibition poultry, or a small backyard flock, this episode will help you pay closer attention to the details that are easy to overlook.

What is one thing you do to give your chicks a strong start? Share your experience in the comments.

This Audio Edition features a conversation from a previous PK360 LIVE video broadcast, edited and tightened for those who prefer to listen.

Poultry Keepers 360 — Helping Poultry Keepers Make Better Decisions.

#RaisingChicks #ChickCare #PoultryKeepers360

00:00 Give your chicks a strong start

00:38 Why the first 14 days matter

02:01 Weighing chicks and tracking growth

03:42 How soon should chicks get feed?

05:44 Help chicks find feed and water

06:53 Introducing grit and checking crop fill

08:33 Early care and genetic potential

13:04 Choosing chick starter and particle size

18:16 Early development and brooder temperature

22:39 Brooder space during the first three days

24:32 Immune development and introducing sod

27:42 Small chicks and hatching egg size

29:24 When to move chicks into the brooder

33:02 Bantam feed and feeding eggs

37:18 Water first or feed and water together?

38:23 Jeff’s approach to water additives

40:04 Water temperature and preparing the brooder

41:16 Feed particles and chick grit

42:24 Dust baths and handling chicks

45:52 Shipped chicks and Grow Gel

47:05 Honey and feeding eggs to older chicks

49:08 Does this approach apply to meat birds?

50:00 Grit size and brooder dust

51:42 Encouraging chicks to drink

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Buying spring chicks? Before you choose a breed or order another dozen, answer one question: What do you want your flock to do?

Eggs for breakfast, meat for the freezer, birds to show, or simply chickens you enjoy—your answer helps you choose birds that fit your goals, your space, and your everyday life.

In this Audio Edition, the Poultry Keepers 360 team—Rip Stalvey, livestock nutritionist Jeff Mattocks, Carey Blackmon, and Sue Dobson—talks through the decisions worth making before chicks come home. You'll hear why the same breed can give different results, what bargain chicks may really cost, and how adding birds can quickly stretch your time and facilities.

We cover choosing birds for your climate, temperament around children, planning for family egg needs, finding exhibition stock, and keeping breeding plans manageable. We finish with a buying checklist, including what to do with extra males and what needs to be ready before the chicks arrive.

00:00 What do you want your flock to do?

00:41 Same breed, different results

02:27 Hatchery birds and standardbred birds

04:05 Choosing chickens for your climate

05:38 Coop space and chicken math

07:26 Choosing birds when children help

08:36 Different breeds, different housing needs

09:36 The time and cost of a growing flock

11:59 What bargain chicks really cost

13:20 A word from The Fertrell Company

13:50 How many hens does your family need?

15:55 Planning replacement layers

17:06 Buying birds for poultry shows

19:59 Eggs, meat, and bone broth: your goals count

21:21 Matching breeding plans to your facilities

24:38 Your chick-buying checklist

26:30 Plan for extra males before buying

27:17 Have the brooder ready first

27:39 Finish this sentence: I want my flock to...

28:24 Your next listen: choosing the right birds 

Poultry Keepers 360

Helping Poultry Keepers Make Better Decisions.

Did You Choose the Right Breed—but the Wrong Birds? – Audio Edition

Frank Reese joins the team for a closer look at why the breeder and the line matter as much as the breed name.

https://www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com/did-you-choose-the-right-breed-but-the-wrong-birds-audio-edition/

This Audio Edition features a conversation from a previous PK360 LIVE video broadcast, edited and tightened for those who prefer to listen.

Watch the original LIVE conversation here: https://youtube.com/live/e86WPLgPzEk  

#BuyingChicks #BackyardChickens #PoultryKeepers360

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Did you choose the right breed—but still end up with birds that don’t meet your needs? Two flocks can carry the same breed name and give their keepers very different results. What might you have overlooked?

Frank Reese joins the Poultry Keepers 360 team to discuss choosing standardbred poultry for eggs, meat, and preservation. Drawing on his experience breeding chickens and turkeys, Frank explains why the breeder and the particular line deserve as much attention as the breed name.

We discuss New Hampshires, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Delawares, and other traditional breeds, along with the questions to ask before bringing birds home. The conversation also covers selecting future breeders, learning from experienced poultry keepers, and working with others to maintain a line.

In this episode:
 • Heritage poultry and the importance of breed standards.
 • Setting a clear purpose for your flock.
 • Matching a breeding line to your egg and meat goals.
 • The difference between hatching chicks and selecting breeders.
 • Finding a breeder and learning the strengths and weaknesses of a line.
 • Considering costs and a market before expanding.
 • Preserving useful qualities for future generations.

This Audio Edition is adapted from a previously recorded PK360 LIVE conversation. Production figures and examples reflect Frank’s experience with particular lines and management conditions; they are not guarantees for every flock.

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE
 Linebreeding Chickens: Build Consistency Without Losing Vigor – Audio Edition
 https://youtu.be/ajtT02BbTWY
 Continue with a closer look at breeding for consistency while maintaining vigor.

CHAPTERS
 00:00 Why choosing the right breed isn’t enough
 00:30 Frank Reese: learning from lifelong breeders
 02:28 Heritage poultry and breed standards
 05:58 Decide what your flock needs to do
 11:48 Choosing birds for eggs and meat
 15:48 New Hampshires and Delawares for the table
 17:27 Hatching chicks versus selecting breeders
 19:20 Why the breeding line matters
 20:40 Finding a breeder and maintaining a line
 30:48 Growth expectations and good management
 31:18 Study the breed and its standard
 33:19 Jersey Giants and the family table
 34:00 Frank’s advice for getting started
 36:00 Preserving poultry for future generations
 36:39 Takeaways and your next episode

JOIN THE CONVERSATION
What do you want your flock to provide: eggs, meat, preservation, or a combination? What would you ask a breeder before choosing your next birds?

Poultry Keepers 360
Helping Poultry Keepers Make Better Decisions.

#HeritageChickens #PoultryBreeding #PoultryKeepers360

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The protein percentage may be the first number you notice on a bag of chicken feed—but it cannot tell you the whole nutritional story.

In this Audio Edition, Rip Stalvey, Carey Blackmon and livestock nutritionist Jeff Mattocks examine the vitamins, minerals and metabolizable energy that help determine how well poultry use their feed.

The conversation explains why minimum nutrient requirements are not necessarily optimum levels, how vitamins support vision, feather development, reproduction and normal immune function, and why minerals must remain in balance rather than being added individually without a plan.

You’ll also learn:

• Why vitamin A matters to feathers, skin, vision and developing chicks
 • How vitamin E and selenium work together
 • What B vitamins may contribute to normal behavior and stress response
 • Why vitamin C can be useful during heat stress—but difficult to add correctly
 • How heat, air and long storage can reduce vitamin value
 • Why excess minerals can interfere with one another
 • The relationship among calcium, phosphorus and other minerals
 • What metabolizable energy means on a practical level
 • Why growing birds need different energy levels at different stages
 • How to begin evaluating a poultry feed tag more thoughtfully

This discussion is intended to help poultry keepers ask better questions about feed. It is not a recommendation to add individual vitamins or minerals without knowing the complete diet. More is not automatically better, and some nutrients can become harmful when overused.

Helping Poultry Keepers Make Better Decisions.

Chapters and timestamps

0:00 Why Vitamins Matter in Poultry Diets

2:03 Vitamin D, Sunlight and Artificial Lighting

4:06 Minimum Requirements vs. Optimum Nutrition

10:01 Vitamin A, Feathers and Flock Health

15:02 Feed Quality and Breeder Nutrition

20:20 Vitamin E and Selenium

23:25 B Vitamins and Bird Behavior

25:16 Vitamin C and Heat Stress

27:11 Protecting Vitamins During Feed Storage

30:38 Preventing Vitamin Deficiencies

32:09 A Word From Our Sponsor

33:28 Why Mineral Balance Matters

36:28 Copper in Poultry Drinking Water

37:44 How Vitamins and Minerals Work Together

40:45 Finding a Quality Poultry Feed

43:34 Choosing Fats and Oils

45:04 Understanding Metabolizable Energy

49:09 Fish Meal and Other Protein Sources

50:54 Energy Levels for Conditioning Birds

54:19 Feed Labels and Supplemental Selenium

56:31 Closing Takeaway and Recommended Episode 

Prefer the original Video Edition? Watch it here:
https://youtube.com/live/YRCGjk2GAfA

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Does a deep orange yolk mean a more nutritious egg? Why do some eggs taste richer or develop a fishy flavor? And what causes watery whites or thin shells?

In this Audio Edition of our member-led PK360 egg show, Rip Stalvey hosts a discussion with team members Jeff Mattocks, Carey Blackmon, and Sue Dobson. Together, they work through the questions poultry keepers sent us. We discuss how feed, forage, breed, and the hen herself can affect egg flavor, yolk color, fatty acids, texture, and shell quality. We also talk about what a “complete feed” label tells you when choosing feed for laying hens.

The Egg Nutrition and Flavor Research Guide mentioned in the show is available in the Files section of the Poultry Keepers 360 and Poultry Breeders Nutrition Facebook groups. It includes links to nine research papers for keepers who want to explore these questions further.

CHAPTERS
0:00 What makes a better egg?
0:57 What gives eggs their flavor?
2:13 Do breed and genetics change egg flavor?
4:14 What causes a fishy smell or taste?
7:58 Free ranging, flavor, and yolk color
11:05 Why yolks differ—and what color tells us
17:44 A member question about fragile yolks
20:26 Beak and leg color in laying hens
25:00 Corn, soy, and omega-enriched feeds
35:49 Watery whites, texture, and hard-to-peel eggs
38:02 Thin shells, meat spots, and unusual eggs
42:08 What does “complete feed” mean?
43:38 A word from our sponsor, Fertrell
46:25 Research behind feed and egg claims
48:01 Egg Nutrition and Flavor Research Guide
53:04 Changing protein levels as hens mature
55:00 Find past PK360 LIVEs by topic
56:09 Selecting hens for egg capacity

Poultry Keepers 360: Helping Poultry Keepers Make Better Decisions.

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Poor hatch rates are not always the incubator’s fault. Temperature, humidity, airflow, egg quality, breeder nutrition, storage, turning, and even the room where the incubator operates can influence the outcome.

In this Audio Edition, the Poultry Keepers 360 team explains how to prepare and fine-tune an incubator, recognize temperature and humidity problems, manage hatching eggs, and make better decisions throughout the incubation process.

Topics include:

• Preparing an incubator before setting eggs
 • Choosing the right location
 • Temperature and humidity targets
 • Finding hot and cold spots
 • Using calibrated thermometers and data loggers
 • Monitoring air-cell development
 • Turning and storing hatching eggs
 • Breeder nutrition and chick vigor
 • Dry incubation
 • Cleaning and sanitizing dirty eggs
 • When to remove chicks from the hatcher

CHAPTERS

0:00 Understanding the incubator’s job

1:33 Prepare the incubator before setting eggs

2:49 Choosing the right incubator location

5:24 Fertility, nutrition, and egg sanitation

8:46 Turning eggs correctly

10:16 Incubator construction and insulation

11:13 Temperature and humidity targets

13:44 When to remove chicks from the hatcher

16:02 Opening the incubator and recovery time

20:41 Finding hot spots and airflow problems

26:11 Thermometers, hygrometers, and data loggers

31:18 Air-cell development and humidity adjustment

34:46 Candling and removing problem eggs

37:45 Comparing incubator designs and features

44:28 Feeding breeders for better hatching eggs

48:50 Cleaning dirty eggs and protecting the bloom

55:18 Dry incubation and regional humidity

57:12 Storing and turning eggs before incubation

1:02:49 How long hatching eggs can be stored

1:04:18 Stabilizing a partly filled incubator

1:05:33 Hand-turning duck eggs

1:08:10 Can poultry be bred year-round?

1:13:44 Hatching eggs upright or on their sides

1:15:37 Food and water inside the hatcher

If you enjoy thoughtful, experience-based poultry information like this, that’s what this channel is all about.

Poultry Keepers 360
 Helping Poultry Keepers Make Better Decisions

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Linebreeding can reveal weaknesses already hiding in a flock—and that is exactly why careful breeders use it.

This Audio Edition was adapted from a PK360 LIVE conversation featuring Rip Stalvey, poultry nutritionist Jeff Mattocks, Karen Johnson, and guest Logan Courtney. Logan is a sixth-generation Oklahoma farmer who uses linebreeding with registered Jersey dairy cattle, Hereford cattle, and Light Sussex chickens.

Together, they discuss what linebreeding can accomplish, why it sometimes produces disappointing generations, and how selection, records, nutrition, and patience work together to build a more consistent flock.

Topics include:

• What linebreeding is and what it can accomplish
 • Why it exposes hidden genetic problems
 • Clan breeding and practical systems for smaller flocks
 • Record keeping, wing bands, and pedigree software
 • Protecting size, vigor, fertility, and production
 • Choosing breeders and evaluating each generation
 • Starting with limited breeding stock
 • Bringing a needed improvement into an established line
 • Giving birds the nutrition needed to express their genetic potential

Original PK360 LIVE video broadcast date: February8, 2024

Prefer the original video? Watch the PK360 LIVE Video Edition here:
 https://youtube.com/live/96mZJxuCYog

If you enjoy thoughtful, experience-based poultry information like this, that’s what this channel is all about.

#PoultryBreeding #ChickenGenetics #PoultryKeepers360

Chapters and timestamps

0:00 Meet Logan Courtney

4:46 What Linebreeding Really Does

8:22 Consistency, Selection and Patience

14:09 Records, Wing Bands and Pedigrees

16:58 Building a Clan Breeding System

22:57 Protecting Production Qualities

27:15 A Practical Program for Smaller Flocks

31:24 Matings That Reveal Hidden Genetics

36:47 Exposing and Removing Genetic Problems

38:31 Maintaining Vigor and Choosing Breeders

43:11 Nutrition and Genetic Potential

47:26 Egg Selection and When to Cull

52:11 Can You Start With One Pair?

56:52 Introducing Improvements Into a Line

1:00:03 How Long Should You Use a Proven Male?

1:03:26 Closing Thoughts and Future Questions

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Winter gives poultry keepers something we rarely have during the busy season: an opportunity to slow down, look back, and decide what genuinely needs improvement.

A winter flock reset does not mean changing everything. It means identifying the routines, systems, and decisions that made poultry keeping harder than necessary—and correcting them before another breeding or hatching season begins.

In this episode, Rip Stalvey, Jeff Mattocks, Carey Blackmon, and Sue Dobson discuss how to evaluate the past year honestly. They examine breeding results, recordkeeping, housing, ventilation, watering systems, mud and litter problems, nutrition, body condition, winter enrichment, and preparations for the next breeding season.

You’ll also hear why changing several things at once makes it nearly impossible to determine what worked, how your birds’ behavior can reveal whether a change is helping, and why some successful parts of your system should be left alone.

The goal is not a complete overhaul. It is a more manageable flock, stronger birds, better breeding decisions, and fewer avoidable problems next year.

If you enjoy thoughtful, experience-based poultry information like this, that’s what this channel is all about.

#PoultryKeepers360 #WinterChickenCare #FlockManagement

TIMESTAMPS & CHAPTERS

00:00 Using winter as a practical reset
 01:24 Evaluating the past year’s results
 04:06 Learning from experienced poultry keepers
 13:38 Records, observations, and breeding plans
 17:40 Housing and ventilation
 22:30 Water, mud, litter, and manure
 27:56 A word from Fertrell
 30:11 Winter watering systems and frostbite
 33:24 Viewer questions about garlic and flock health
 37:23 What body condition reveals about feeding
 40:09 Feed quality, supplements, and behavior
 47:12 How much feed do chickens need?
 51:22 Preventing winter boredom and aggression
 56:35 Selecting and pairing breeding birds
 59:39 Winter jobs that prepare for breeding season
 1:02:50 Is the system failing—or the follow-through?
 1:03:51 Keep what works and measure the results
 1:05:44 Change one thing at a time
 1:07:52 Breeding goals and difficult selection decisions
 1:09:24 Closing thoughts

Listen to the Audio Edition here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDRODbVf9y3g

Watch the Video Edition here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGfX27f-7_I

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Successful breeding begins long before the first eggs go into the incubator.

In this episode, Carey Blackmon and poultry nutritionist Jeff Mattocks explain how to prepare a flock for breeding season—from choosing the right birds and setting breeding goals to managing lighting, nutrition, housing, and nest boxes.

We discuss:

• The difference between hatching chicks and building a breeding program
• Choosing breeders with the fewest serious faults
• Deciding what you want your flock to become
• Using linebreeding to improve consistency
• What inbreeding depression really looks like
• Choosing the right time of year to hatch
• Preparing breeders through lighting management
• Adjusting light for younger and older birds
• Improving breeder nutrition before collecting eggs
• Egg size and its effect on chick quality
• Amino acids, vitamins, and chick vigor
• Preparing clean, comfortable nest boxes
• Whether greens have a place in the breeder diet

Breeding season is not simply a matter of putting a rooster with a few hens. Better chicks begin with healthier breeders, clearly defined goals, and thoughtful preparation.

If you enjoy thoughtful, experience-based poultry information like this, that’s what this channel is all about.

Poultry Keepers 360
Helping Poultry Keepers Make Better Decisions.

Chapters and Timestamps

0:00 Opening Conversatio

7:22 Getting Ready for Breeding Season

9:38 Hatching Chickens vs Breeding Poultry

11:12 Where a Breeding Program Begins

12:52 Where Should Your Flock Be in Five Years?

15:58 Turning Goals Into a Breeding Plan

16:20 Linebreeding, Inbreeding, and Predictability

18:05 What Inbreeding Depression Really Means

22:38 Choosing the Right Hatch Season

23:19 Preparing Breeders With Light

25:22 Light Color and Intensity

29:40 Increasing Day Length Gradually

32:15 Lighting Older Breeding Birds

38:55 Continuous-Flow Watering Update

43:15 Feeding Birds for Breeding Season

44:35 Egg Size and Hatching Quality

46:29 Amino Acids and Chick Vigor

49:17 Nest Boxes for Breeding Pens

50:57 Bedding and Nest Cleanliness

53:32 Five-Gallon Bucket Nest Boxes

59:57 Do Breeding Birds Need Greens?

1:03:33 Alfalfa and Other Green Feeds

1:06:03 Final Thoughts

This Audio Edition was adapted from a PK360 LIVE originally broadcast on September 18, 2025. Prefer to watch the original Video Edition? You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/live/tagqQL2d1_E 

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When cold weather arrives, many poultry keepers instinctively close their coops tightly to keep their chickens warm. Unfortunately, that can trap moisture, ammonia, and stale air—creating conditions far more dangerous than the cold itself.

In this episode of PK360 LIVE, Rip Stalvey, Jeff Mattocks, Carey Blackmon, and Sue Dobson take a practical look at winter air quality and what poultry keepers can learn by observing their birds and the conditions inside their coops.

The team discusses:

• The difference between healthy ventilation and a harmful draft
• Why dry birds generally tolerate cold temperatures remarkably well
• How moisture and condensation accumulate inside winter housing
• Why ammonia can harm chickens before people can smell it
• How to calculate coop volume and choose an exhaust fan
• Timed and forced-air ventilation
• The connection between bedding, carbon, moisture, and ammonia
• What respiratory behavior and feather condition may reveal
• How stocking density and coop construction affect air quality
• Common winter ventilation mistakes
• The risks associated with supplemental heat

Good winter management is not about creating human comfort inside a chicken coop. It is about protecting birds from direct weather while maintaining clean, dry, healthy air.

Poultry Keepers 360 brings breeding, management, and nutrition together to help small-flock keepers understand their birds and make better-informed decisions.

If you enjoy thoughtful, experience-based poultry information like this, that’s what this channel is all about.

Our sincere thanks to The Fertrell Company for sponsoring PK360 LIVE and supporting practical poultry education.

TIMESTAMPS AND CHAPTERS

0:00 Why winter air quality matters
1:57 Cold temperatures versus moisture and wind
3:07 Ventilation versus drafts
4:35 Where an exhaust fan should be placed
7:17 Calculating coop volume and fan runtime
9:38 A mentor’s cold-weather ventilation system
14:30 Where winter moisture comes from
16:08 Ammonia can cause harm before you smell it
19:09 Bedding, carbon, and ammonia control
21:02 Biochar, activated charcoal, and peat moss
25:14 Should ventilation change with temperature?
26:05 What birds reveal about poor air quality
27:49 Feather condition, humidity, and dietary fat
34:39 What a properly managed coop should smell like
35:51 How chickens behave when they are truly cold
37:32 Ventilating open-sided coops and barns
40:35 A word from The Fertrell Company
42:10 Stocking density and air quality
43:19 Wooden coops versus metal construction
47:26 Common winter ventilation mistakes
48:52 Helping birds adjust to environmental changes
50:26 Balancing weather protection and ventilation
52:45 One change that can improve coop air quality
54:25 Choosing breeds suited to the climate
55:57 The risks of supplemental heat
58:49 Final winter air-quality lessons

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