Chickens

If you’re a homesteader, you probably already know that raising chickens for meat is one of the most productive things you can do to ensure that you have plenty of fresh meat for your freezer each year. But, it can take a long time to raise a conventional breed, like a Rhode Island Red or … Read more

Chickens are arguably the humblest birds on Earth. As the most common poultry species, they don’t get much thought as long as they keep the eggs and the meat coming. But if you stop to look at them, most are remarkably beautiful creatures… With countless patterns and every color of the rainbow to be found … Read more

Wyandottes are impressive, beautiful, and generally healthy birds, and a breed that is a true North American original, first developed in the late 19th century. Although it fell from popularity significantly during the middle part of the 20th century, these chickens are once again being recognized for their excellent all-around characteristics. Accordingly, their popularity is … Read more

Raising chickens for egg production is the number one reason to keep them for most folks. But, as beginning keepers will soon learn, managing egg production can be quite tricky! One of the first things you need to invest in for your flock is nesting boxes. Nesting boxes encourage hens to lay repeatedly, more often, … Read more

When you’ve kept chickens long enough, eventually chicken fever is going to strike. You’ll think about chickens all the time. You’ll see chickens everywhere. You won’t be happy with the mundane breeds that you already know. You want more chickens, better chickens, rarer chickens. And among all the breeds, some of the rarest individual birds … Read more

Whether you’re getting started with chickens for the first time or just looking to expand your flock with some new additions, picking the right breed is crucially important. Understanding the capabilities, health, temperament, and other essential characteristics of a breed will go a long way toward making your time with them happy and productive. To … Read more

When you look past the fact that they are the most common domestic bird in the world, chickens are actually super interesting. Their behavior, their colors, their physiological differences; there are so many interesting traits about them you could spend a lifetime studying them. For chicken fanciers like us, this also means that your picture-perfect … Read more

When it comes to raising livestock of any kind, and that includes poultry like chickens, watching their weight is important. No, not just for aesthetics, not all the time, but to make sure they are on target for their productivity, be it meat or eggs, and also healthy overall. A chicken that’s underweight or overweight … Read more

Bringing home a bundle of baby chicks, or hatching them yourself, is always an exciting time, but it is a perilous one, too. Chicks are incredibly delicate, and very easy to sicken or even kill accidentally. Not enough water, not enough food, and, arguably most important of all, not enough warmth. If your baby chicks … Read more

If you want chickens, and tell someone that you want to add a rooster to your flock, they might give you a funny look. If it’s because they also own chickens they might be worried about your sanity. If it’s your neighbor, they are doubtless worried about the noise your new addition is going to … Read more

If there’s one thing most folks tend to pity our animals for, it is the fact that they have to live outside pretty much all the time. Even our chickens that have nice, warm coops to live in spend most of their time outside exposed to the elements. That’s just the way things are, and … Read more

Most folks don’t spare chickens even a second glance. They’re just poultry at the end of the day, and they are where our meat and eggs come from. Not much to them, right? Not if you pay attention to them, and admire them, like us chicken lovers do! Although they aren’t ever counted among the … Read more

If you own a flock of chickens, especially one that has a rooster or two, you already know that they can be pretty noisy. Roosters especially tend to sound off loud and proud throughout the day, and invariably first thing in the morning and in the evening. But what’s strange is that some folks report … Read more

One of the best things about keeping chickens is seeing just how many different breeds are out there. All different sizes, all different colors, every kind of temperament, and from every corner of the globe. It can be a hobby unto itself, especially if you’re something of a collector like I am. And another interesting … Read more

As with any livestock, giving chickens the right amount of food each and every day is mandatory if you want them to stay healthy and thrive. They must have enough calories and nutrition, of course, but it’s bad to give them too little or too much in kind. And believe me, it’s an easy thing … Read more

Every person who keeps chickens for any length of time will soon develop favorites. Favorite individual birds, yes, but also favorite breeds. That’s one of the great things about being a chicken fancier: there are so many unique and gorgeous chickens out here to appreciate! So many, in fact, that it can be a little … Read more