Raising backyard chickens means that you have natural composters right at your fingertips! However, just because chickens act like they can eat anything, there are a few food items that you should avoid giving to them. There are Good & Bad Table Scraps for Chickens that you should be aware of as you feed the... Continue Reading →
The Float Test | Knowing the Freshness of Eggs
Many of us have looked at the pile of eggs on the counter or the carton of eggs in the fridge and wondered the same thing: Are those eggs still good? You can't always trust the use-by date for store-bought eggs and you definitely can't remember the date each backyard egg was laid! There is... Continue Reading →
A Guide to Broody Hens
Last month one of our hens went broody. She began by never leaving the nest and soon became aggressive towards us and her fellow hens. After a few days of this we realized that something wasn't quite right. And thus began our first journey in caring for a broody hen. First, we did some digging... Continue Reading →
Keeping Chickens Cool in the Summer
Proper chicken care is important no matter the weather or season, but summer is usually the hardest period of time on a flock. While chickens can warm themselves up by fluffing their feathers, getting out of the wind, and eating and drinking, they have a much harder time cooling down. This is because they don't... Continue Reading →
Homemade Eggshell Powder
We own a small flock of backyard chickens for laying eggs. And boy, are we ever getting an abundance of eggs during this early spring season! As we learn the in and outs of raising chickens, we also strive to utilize every aspect of them as possible. From Letting Chickens Till Our Garden, to saving... Continue Reading →
All About Storing Fresh Chicken Eggs
The most exciting part about keeping backyard chickens is collecting the eggs. I still enjoy filling my pockets or basket with handfuls of colorful eggs that my family can enjoy! And once you've tasted fresh eggs, you'll never want to go back to the bland options from the grocery store. They are so much better... Continue Reading →
How to Keep Chicken Eggs from Freezing
Frozen chicken eggs...it's that time of year. We've learned a lot thus far about just how much egg production decreases in the winter and just how easy it is for those few, valuable eggs to freeze solid before we can get to them! There are so many new things to learn when one becomes a... Continue Reading →
Do Chickens Need a Heat Lamp?
We added Chickens to our Homestead this past spring, so this is our very first winter with them around. We Built an A Frame Chicken Tractor for them to stay cozy in throughout the year, and learned a lot about The Basics Needs for Bringing Chicks Home, as well as experimenting with letting them Naturally... Continue Reading →
Letting Chickens Till Our Garden
One major reason lead us to choose against letting our chickens free-range: stories about how they destroy flower beds and gardens. Instead we went with a 'middle of the road' option: An A Frame Chicken Tractor (read all about how we built it ourselves right over here!). This coop is mobile, thus allowing the birds... Continue Reading →
All About Our Breeds of Chickens
This past spring we purchased three different breeds of chicks and quickly began to see the differences in them. Each breed is so unique in look and temperament! Some get along with chickens of other breeds while certain ones only like each other, some are more skittish while others are friendly, and they all look... Continue Reading →