The Coop with Meyer Hatchery

Let’s take a Meyer Moment to talk about storing eggs. Spring has sprung for many chicken owners and you may be noticing an increase in egg production. Eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner become part of your weekly menu, but as we all know, you can only eat so many eggs. So how do you store the abundance of eggs your flock is producing?  

Today we’re taking a look at Egg Laying Breeds, as part of our Best Of Series. We dedicate one episode per month to this series, covering the very best of each month's topic. For the month of April, we’re going to dive into the best breeds for egg-laying. Egg production varies drastically between breeds and even poultry types. If you’re looking for eggs for your family, market or to bake up something new and delicious, this episode is for you! 

In this episode you'll: 

• Discover The Best Egg Laying Breeds
• Learn Just How Many Eggs We Consume
• Catch Best Breeds for All Poultry Types

Important Links:

• USDA Egg Stats
• Egg Production Tracker
• EP 24: Egg Laying - A Year With Chickens
  
  
  

Let’s take a Meyer Moment to talk about single hatchlings. There are many factors that can affect the outcome of a hatch and there may be a time when there is only a single hatchling. Poultry is known for its flock tendencies. So in the best interest of a lone bird, there are some special considerations for their health and happiness. 

Today we’re talking about common brooding mistakes! It’s the first step to raising chicks, and one of the most crucial to ensure your flock has a healthy start. What is brooding? It’s a 6 week period in which you assist in raising your chicks by helping them regulate their body temperature. In short, you’re playing mother hen! While the basics of brooding are easy to understand there are small mistakes that could be detrimental. So today, we’re going to cover common brooding mistakes in hopes it will help you avoid them this season!


In this episode you'll: 

• Hear 5 Common Brooding Mistakes
• Catch Kendra + Jeff's Best Tips For Avoiding Them
• Discover Our Best Brooding Resources

Important Links:

• Small Order Chick Starter Kit
• Chicken Brooding 101
• Brooding Checklist - free download!
• All About Brooding - blog
• Why Not To Mix Species In A Brooder - blog
• Feed Guidelines

Let’s take a Meyer Moment to talk about egg hatching myths. As many chicken breeds as there are in the world, there are just as many theories about hatching eggs. Hatching techniques can vary between incubator types and any experienced hatcher will tell you that every hatch experience is unique. For that, the promise of more eggs, and more females are usually the goal of any hatch. But with all of the information out there, it can be hard to determine what is actually true or just a myth.

Today we’re talking about hatching eggs! Hatching eggs for the first time is always an exciting process, but with it comes many questions. From preparing your incubator to understanding the terminology you have a lot of learning ahead of you. To help, we’re going to guide you through 10 of the most common questions we receive regarding hatching eggs. 

In this episode you'll: 

• Here Common Hatching Questions & Answers!
• Find Our Best Hatching Resources

Important Links:

• Purchase Fertile Hatching Eggs! 
• Episode 03: Incubation
• Hatch-Along - blog
• How To Check Eggs for Fertility - blog
• Guide to Incubating and Hatching
• Hatching & Brooding Your Own Chicks
• Let’s Hatch Chicks
  
  
  

Let’s take a Meyer Moment to talk about blue genetics. Chicken genetics are truly fascinating and complex. You don’t have to be an experienced breeder or geneticist to know that chicken feathers are some of nature’s most beautiful handiwork. Blue is one most sought-after color of chickens here at Meyer Hatchery and for good reason. 

From Meyer Hatchery it’s The Coop - where we talk all things poultry in hopes of inspiring crazy chicken keepers and educating future flock owners. 

I’m your host Kendra and on the show today we’re talking about breeding traits! Sound boring? Well, keep listening, because we’ve brought in Meyer Hatchery’s Breed Flock Manager, Alex to share her expansive knowledge on how to select the best traits, along with answering some of the questions you asked on social media. This includes things like that tricky blue gene if there’s really a difference between hatchery broilers and how we’re breaking the industry standard when it comes to the term “hatchery quality”. 

Oh and at some point in this episode, Alex spills the beans giving you an exclusive first look at new breeds coming to Meyer Hatchery. 

But first, let’s start with an inside peek at our breeding program and what a Breed Flock Manager exactly does? 

In this episode you'll: 

• Discover How To Identify & Select Breeding Traits
• Learn How Meyer Hatchery Breaks The Mold of Hatchery Quality
• Hear Alex's Favorite Breeds
• Catch New Breeds Coming To Meyer Hatchery!

Important Links:

• Barred Rock
• Delaware
• Blue Ameraucana
• Cornish Cross
• Blue Gene - help desk
• ABC’s of Poultry Genetics
• An Introduction To Heritage Breeds
• APA Standard of Perfection
  
  
  

Let’s take a Meyer Moment to talk about preparing incubators for hatching. Hatching eggs is an awe-inspiring process as you create optimal conditions for life to develop and hatch. Mother hens instinctively know those optimal conditions, but education and experience are needed for us to successfully hatch. The very first step of incubation is, of course, an incubator! 

Today we’re taking a look at Broody Breeds, as part of our Best Of Series. We dedicate one episode per month to this series, covering the very best of each month's topic. For the month of March, we’re going to dive into the best breeds for brooding chicks. That’s right, some breeds are broodier than others, which can be a blessing or a curse depending on the goals of your flock. 

In this episode you'll: 

• Discover The Broodiest of Breeds
• Learn How To Care For A Broody Hen
• Catch The Pros and Cons of Broody

Important Links:

• Broody Chicken Breeds
• MM17: Breaking A Broody Hen
• Hatching Poults With A Broody Hen - blog