Chickens are some of the most versatile animals around. They can be great pets, and they can also be a useful source of food.

Looking at the average American egg farm, it is easy to see how these facilities become infectious disease factories. At the end of 2022, the U.S. had 308 million commercial egg-laying hens.

Egg-laying hens are more time-consuming and expensive to produce. A hen will start laying eggs only after 21 to 24 weeks of age, which is three or four times the average lifespan of a broiler.

This edition of the Happy Homestead talks about raising your own laying hens from hatching all the way up to full grown hens ...