
Poultry Keepers Podcast
Welcome to The Poultry Keepers PodcastCluck, Chat, and Rule the Roost! One Egg-cellent Episode at a Time!At The Poultry Keepers Podcast, we’re building a friendly, informative, and inspiring space for today’s small-flock poultry keepers. Whether you're a seasoned pro with decades of experience or just beginning your backyard chicken journey, you’ve found your community. Here, poultry isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of life.Each episode is packed with practical, science-based information to help you care for your flock with confidence. From hatching eggs and breeding strategies to flock health, nutrition, housing, and show prep—we cover it all with insight and heart.Hosted by Rip Stalvey, Mandelyn Royal, and John Gunterman, our show brings together over 70 years of combined poultry experience. We believe in the power of shared knowledge and the importance of accuracy, offering trusted content for poultry keepers who want to do right by their birds.So pull up a perch and join us each week as we cluck, chat, and rule the roost—one egg-cellent episode at a time.Visit our website at www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com
Latest episodes

Nov 28, 2023 • 30min
How To Get Chicks Off To A Strong Start Part 1
Discover the crucial details for a chick's first week, including weight monitoring. Learn about feeding practices, such as using crumbles or mash as a starter feed. Find out about the risks of choking and how to slow down a chick's eating pace. Explore the importance of temperature regulation and early nutrition for chick development. Gain insights into observing crop fill and the development of respiratory and immune systems.

Nov 21, 2023 • 38min
Unlocking the World of Dual Purpose Poultry Breeds
Explore the world of dual-purpose poultry breeds. Learn about the differences between heritage, standard, and show-quality breeds. Discover the complexities of heritage poultry and the implications of breeding for size alone. Uncover the challenges of handling surplus males in urban flocks. Gain insights into improving egg production and evaluating poultry breeds. Delve into the potential of bantam poultry breeds and the advantages of dual-purpose birds.

Nov 14, 2023 • 33min
From Newbie to Expert: Essential Chicken Keeping Tips and Strategies Part 3
Learn about poultry nutrition and the differences between regular chicken feed and game bird feed. Discover strategies to protect your flock from predators in urban environments. Explore valuable resources for poultry keepers such as the Hubbard Breeder Management Guide and the Livestock Conservancy's Heritage Poultry Manual. Understand the importance of observing chicken health and diagnostics, and learn about bird testing and evaluation for good husbandry practices.

Nov 7, 2023 • 33min
From Newbie to Expert: Essential Chicken Keeping Tips and Strategies Part 2
This episode of the podcast covers line breeding, spiral clan mating system, selecting the right birds, breeding and incubation essentials, flock care, nutrition, and optimizing chicken feed for growth and development.

Oct 31, 2023 • 30min
From Beginner to Pro: Mastering Chicken Keeping Strategies (Part 1)
Join poultry experts Rip Stalvey, Mandolin Royle, and John Gunterman as they discuss pastured versus cooped birds, predator threats, and weather considerations in chicken keeping. Topics include breeding strategies, insights on electric fencing, and training birds to avoid danger. They also cover cold weather care, ventilation, insulation, different breed tolerances, heating systems, feed intake, brooding boxes, and predator protection. Get expert tips on keeping your flock happy, healthy, and productive!

Oct 24, 2023 • 32min
Insights and Strategies for Poultry Breeding - Part 3
Learn about wing and leg banding techniques for showcasing poultry, the risks of breeding for extreme sizes, the impact of breeding on form and function, and the importance of feed and nutrition in improving bird health. Discover the behavior of chickens when feeding and a unique compost system. Get tips on providing appropriate nutrition and the significance of balanced diets for poultry breeders.

13 snips
Oct 17, 2023 • 29min
Insights and Strategies for Poultry Breeding - Part 2
Delve into poultry breeding and learn about the impact of male bird behavior on fertility, the role of grit and gizzard in extracting nutrients, and the delicate balance of inbreeding. Discover the significance of breeding value and the resources needed for successful breeding. Explore the importance of consistent quality, identifying individual birds accurately, and the benefits of single matings. Dive into insights from processing poultry carcasses and the use of handheld security devices for animal scanning. Learn about methods of identifying and tracking poultry birds, and the importance of band tags for quality assurance and marketing.

15 snips
Oct 10, 2023 • 25min
Insights and Strategies for Poultry Breeding - Part 1
Join this thrilling journey into poultry breeding to learn about selecting breeding stock, double mating challenges, insights on poultry management and breeding strategies, pros and cons of out-crossing, and understanding line breeding for uniformity and consistency.

8 snips
Oct 3, 2023 • 27min
How To Begin A Successful Journey With Poultry: Part 3
Discover the effects of hatching in different seasons on chickens' behavior and health. Learn about the complexities of incubating hatching eggs and the different incubation methods. Explore the benefits of using an electric fence inside a high tunnel for raising chicks. Understand the impact of a new egg collection method on fertility rates. Find out about the challenges of packing and shipping eggs. Explore the issue of curly toes in poultry and the factors that contribute to it. Learn about the importance of finding a good breeder when purchasing birds.

8 snips
Sep 26, 2023 • 23min
How To Begin A Successful Journey With Poultry: Part 2
Unraveling the science and art of poultry breeding and selection, discussing factors like egg laying rates and different breeding strategies. Exploring the importance of bone spacing and bird evaluation, providing tips on assessing bird shape and feel. Highlighting the crucial aspects of managing light and growth in your flock for poultry success. Discussing the significance of record-keeping and pedigree mating in successful breeding and the impact of environmental influence on genetic traits and finding the right bird.