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 →
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 →
We Built an A Frame Chicken Tractor
We purchased our little chicks a few months ago and started Our Chicken Adventure. Since then they've been living in a homemade brooder located in the mudroom. Chicks really don't need much to thrive. The list of Everything You Need to Bring Chicks Home is quite short, but a coop quickly becomes a necessity as... Continue Reading →
Everything You Need to Bring Chicks Home
We recently added six chicks to our homestead and since that time I've realized that they're pretty easy to care for. Read more about Our Chicken Adventures Begin right here! While the list of needed supplies is not long, there are a few things that you should have on hand when you bring your chicks... Continue Reading →
Our Chicken Adventures Begin
Well, we finally did it. We went to town and brought back six tiny chicks. This is something I've wanted to do for years, so I'm really excited for this adventure to begin! I honestly could have bought more because they're so cute...but...self control. Sigh. Anyway, we hope to utilize these chicks as laying hens... Continue Reading →