Poultry Extension Information Services
Frequently Asked Questions

The MSU Extension Poultry Department offers technical assistance to poultry producers whenever possible. The following section of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) include responses to questions this department has received during the past 10-15 years. The questions are divided into categories but some questions may overlap into two or more categories. Therefore, if you do not find the answer to your question in one category, try another closely related category.

We hope these responses satisfy your specific information needs, but if not, more specific information can be requested from Mississippi State University; Poultry Science Department; Box 9665; Mississippi State, MS 39762 or by e-mail at poultry@dept.msstate.edu.

• How much does the commercial poultry industry in Mississippi contribute to our economy?

• How does the the industry compare to other agricultural commodities in Mississippi?

• How can I dispose of poultry wastes?

• What is the recommended method for disposing of dead poultry carcasses?

• What are the fertilizing values of broiler litter?

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• I always burn the broilers when grilling them. Why?

• Are there any barbecue sauce recipes available?

• I will be entertaining a large number of guests with a barbecue chicken meal. How much food should I prepare?

• What are the different parts of an egg and how are they formed?

• How does the poultry industry grow the chickens so fast? Do they use growth hormones?

• What determines the color of shell on the egg?

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• What is the best breed of chickens to raise?

• How can I sex day-old chicks?

• How can I stop my hens from eating their eggs?

• Why did my laying hens stop laying eggs this winter?

• How do I properly care for my laying hens to get maximum egg production?

• How can I identify poor egg producing hens in my flock?

• My laying hens seem to loose their feathers in the late autumn months and often stop laying. What is wrong?

• How do I stop my chickens from pecking on each other?

• Why do my birds have an absence of feathers on parts of their bodies?

• How should I care for newly hatched chicks?

• How are chicks brooded?

• How do I treat chickens to remove intestinal worms?

• How do I treat chickens to rid them of mites, lice and ticks?

• Does a rooster need to be in the flock before the hens lay eggs?

• I have been told that I should not raise several poultry species in the yard at the same time, why?

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• My chickens have dark warts and sores on their face, wattles and combs, what's wrong?

• Why are the shanks or legs of my chickens rough and scaly?

• Why do my birds have an absence of feathers on parts of their bodies?

• My bobwhite quail appear sick and are losing weight (especially in breast muscles) and the mortality is very high. What is wrong?

• What causes the lesions and scabby areas on the feet and toes of my bobwhite quail?

• What diseases are chickens commonly vaccinated against?

• How do I treat my chickens to remove intestinal worms?

• How do I treat birds to kill mites and lice?

• A drug product package only states that the contents are for dilution in 150 gallons of water, how do I determine the correct amount to put in only one gallon of water?

• I want to vaccinate my birds against fowl pox, how do I prepare and inject the vaccine solution?

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• Why do my birds have an absence of feathers on parts of their bodies?

• Why do my hens lay eggs with thin or soft shells?

• My laying hens look healthy but many are not laying and some hens that are laying suddenly die. What is wrong?

• Why do many of my growing birds develop a single twisted, crooked leg?

• What medications should I have in my chicken feeds?

• What types of feeds should I offer to my chickens?

• Should hens be full-fed or meal-fed and how much should they eat?

• Can whole soybeans be fed to poultry?
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• How do I get hens to start setting on hatching eggs?

• If a chicken is hatched in an incubator, when it starts laying will it set on a nest?

• How long must roosters and hens be kept together before fertile eggs are produced?

• How long do hens produce fertile eggs after being separated from the rooster?

• Should I wash dirty hatching eggs before I incubate them?

• How long can I store fertile hatching eggs before they must be incubated?

• How do I properly fumigate to sanitize my hatching eggs and incubator?

• What are the best methods to follow for sanitizing eggs and incubators to reduce bacterial infections?

• How long does it take to hatch various species of birds?

• At what temperature must eggs be held during incubation?

• When incubating eggs, what environment conditions must I carefully control?

• How can the humidity be increased in an incubator?

• How can I be sure that the humidity level is adjusted correctly during incubation?

• Why do my chicks die in the egg after they pip or break the shell?

• How soon after hatching should I remove chicks from the incubator?

• I had a poor hatch of eggs, what did I do wrong?

• How does a chick embryo develop?

• Can I determine whether an egg has a living embryo in it earlier than the hatch date?

• What are the parts of a hatching egg and how are they formed?

• How can I make an egg incubator?

• I want to build a small incubator as shown on this website, but do not understand what a microswitch assembly is or where I can find one.

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• My bobwhite quail appear sick and are losing weight (especially in breast muscles) and the mortality is very high. What is wrong?

• What causes the lesions and scabby areas on the feet and toes of my bobwhite quail?

• How can I improve the quality of feathers on my bobwhite quail?

• What feeds should I offer my bobwhite quail?

• Should I feed medications in my game bird feeds?

• What feed ingredients are used in quail diets?

• How much floor space should I provide for my bobwhite quail?

• What temperatures are recommended for brooding quail?

• How do I get rid of mites and lice from by game birds?

• How do I treat my game birds to rid them of intestinal worms?

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• How do I get show birds ready for an exhibition?

• How do I care for newly hatched chicks?

• How are chicks brooded?

• Are there any suggested exhibits for science projects that involve the incubation of chicken eggs?

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• How much investment is necessary to build a rabbitry?

• What are the more common diseases that rabbits contracts?

• How are rabbit skins tanned?

• Why do some rabbit does eat their young?

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Last modified: Monday, 22-May-2000.
URL: http://www.msstate.edu/Dept/Poultry/psindust.htm
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