Birds can't sweat, so how do they survive summer heat? Learn the science behind panting, airflow, humidity, and heat stress, plus why good ventilation often works better than misting.

Can you split Marek’s vaccine to make more doses? No—and doing so can leave your chicks unprotected. Learn why this live virus vaccine must be handled precisely and what happens when dosing goes wrong.

Do missing wattles mean a rooster is missing testicles?
No. Wattles are secondary sexual characteristics influenced by testosterone. While testosterone is produced by the testes, the presence or absence of wattles does not indicate whether a rooster has testicles. Wattles can be affected by genetics, injury, frostbite, and thermoregulation.

• chicken behavior

• poultry health issues

• backyard chickens care

• stress in poultry

• chicken coop pests

• nutritional deficiency in chickens

• chicken feather regrowth

Need help with brooding your birds? Get some insights here.

I grew up believing good land management, nutrition and careful breeding should come before routine medication. Here’s why I don’t medicate or deworm my poultry on a schedule—and when treatment still has an important place.

Pasty butt in chicks is preventable and usually fixable if caught early. Learn what it is, what to do and some anatomy along the way.

Failure to Thrive or FTT is a generic term to describe chicks that won’t grow as well as their brooder mates