Chickens

For most of us chicken keepers, the major appeal of having a flock of our own has got to be the eggs. Fresh eggs that you raised yourself, with a little bit of help from our birds of course, taste better than anything you can buy in the grocery store… But if you want to … Read more

Chickens have a good reputation for being generally hardy and healthy, but as always, they have their own unique health conditions that you need to be aware of. One of the most shocking and scariest is wry neck. One day your bird seems fine, and the next, they’re unable to stand or walk straight, and … Read more

Salmonella is one of the most common bacterial infections associated with chickens, and it’s infamously a major cause of food poisoning in people, causing fever, back pain, major intestinal distress, and more. In chickens, it causes weakness, lethargy, poor performance, and potentially death. Highly infectious and spreading like wildfire, it is increasingly a problem for … Read more

Have you ever seen a chicken with an odd beak before? One that didn’t line up quite right? Maybe it pointed in two different directions, or maybe there was an odd gap between the two halves. It’s fairly rare, but definitely not unheard of. The condition is called crossbeak, and chickens afflicted with it are … Read more

Chickens are one of the best and most versatile animals to keep on a homestead. They don’t need much space, they are highly affordable, and can keep you well-stocked with both meat and eggs. Plus, they are easy to raise! You might be tempted to head to your local corporate chain farm and livestock supply … Read more

If you are hatching baby chicks to raise a flock of your own, or just expanding your existing flock, you’ve got lots of excitement and cuteness to look forward to. But chicks, as cute as they are, demand extreme diligence on your part because they’re incredibly vulnerable to various diseases… Just like our own children … Read more

For most chicken owners, keeping a flock of just hens is usually the way to go. They’re easier to manage and often a lot friendlier. But sometimes you just need a rooster. Whether you want to expand the numbers of your flock the old-fashioned way, give them a little more protection against predators, or you … Read more

One of the very best things about owning chickens is how cheap they are. One quick trip to the tractor supply company and a swipe of a little debit card, and pretty soon you can be coming home with 12, 20, or who knows how many chickens with money left over for dinner. It’s wonderful! … Read more

No matter why you are raising chickens, no matter how many you have, no matter the breed, they’ve got to have a coop. That’s where they will go to sleep at night, and the coop is a central fixture in their lives. The problem is that, unless you let them free range at all times, … Read more

No matter what kind of chickens you have, no matter how many, and why you’re keeping them, they’ve got one thing in common with every other flock: they’ve got to have a home! And the home your chickens need is a chicken coop, of course! No problem, just mosey on down to your local farm … Read more

Part of keeping poultry is learning how to deal with problems. Some of those concern the health of the birds themselves. Considering our chickens, we’re fortunate that most breeds tend to be quite hale and hardy, but even these tough birds can get sick. You should know, as a chicken owner, that there are actually … Read more

Chickens are some of the most adaptable animals out there, capable of withstanding nearly any weather conditions and eating just about anything… Sure, most domestic birds live on a diet of feed with a few choice things thrown in, but most keepers enjoy giving their flocks supplemental foods and treats to help keep them engaged … Read more

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, they are once again being recognized for their excellent all-around characteristics. Accordingly, their popularity is climbing … 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