When I finally made the decision to add chickens to the homestead, like most, I went into serious research mode. Admittedly, with all the research I performed, the one situation that I never considered was that, like most animals, chickens can and do get bored. It only makes sense, seeing that they split their daily… [read more]

If your normally sweet, docile little hen just turned into a fire-breathing dragon with feathers, you might have a broody hen. Perhaps you are wondering if she is sick, or injured, or ate something that didn’t agree with her crop? If your hen just underwent a major personality change, it’s likely she’s broody. You may… [read more]

Did you ever wonder if you should get silkie chickens for your backyard or homestead? I will never forget the day that I discovered these amazing tiny balls of fluff – baby silkie chickens- for sale at my local Tractor Supply during their infamous Chick Days. I was immediately smitten with the little darlings and… [read more]

Chicken fanciers love to spoil their feathered friends with delicious and nutritious treats. But what exactly should you feed your chickens when you want to give them a little treat? Sure, you could purchase expensive chicken treats online or at your local farm store. Your chickens will happily gobble them up! But if you want… [read more]

The next time you have eggshells to throw out after your morning scramble or Benedict, don’t just toss them in the trash. When you have backyard chickens, you are going to get eggs. When you have eggs, you are going to get eggshells. You may be wondering “What can I do with eggshells?” Sure, you can… [read more]

I lived in a small townhouse with a tiny backyard. I squeezed in a garden, but what I really wanted was a few chickens for eggs, manure, and fun. My next-door neighbors promised they didn’t mind, but the township I lived in had different ideas about what I could do with my own backyard. The… [read more]

Just because you have little ones doesn’t mean you need to avoid raising chickens! While many people assume that raising a flock of backyard chickens if off-limits if you have kids, the opposite is actually true. Raising chickens is a great way to improve your kids’ self-esteem, autonomy, and interaction with the natural environment. However,… [read more]

If you’ve got chickens, you’ve got egg shells. And if you’re anything like me, you eat a lot of eggs, so you end up with lots of egg shells. We eat a lot of fresh eggs for their excellent nutrition and protein. And after awhile, the egg shells can start to pile up. But don’t… [read more]

Do you want to know the secret to getting the most eggs from your chickens? Maybe you are considering adding chickens to your homestead for egg production for your family. Maybe you just want a few chickens to grace your backyard and eat ticks and other pests but wouldn’t mind eating some fresh eggs every… [read more]

Winter can be a particularly hard time to keep chickens. During the cold months, I used this time to purchase the chickens that people−the folks I referred to as Towneyz −didn’t want anymore. I did understand them not wanting to keep their chickens during winter. They are more work, and it is cold out. There… [read more]