by Wendy EN Thomas of Lessons Learned from the Flock Now that the spring chicks have hatched and are well on their way to the hen houses, some people are starting to realize that while they may have hatched some great chicks, they may also very likely run into some trouble down the road when […]

by Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick When assembling a new flock of chickens, the enormous array of breeds available to choose from can be intimidating, but it’s important to make an informed decision in order to avoid disappointment for the chicken keeper as well as unnecessary challenges for the chickens. Some breeds do not […]

by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author I thought I liked chickens… until I raised turkeys. And while chickens will always have a special place in my heart, if I had one piece of advise to give to people who are wondering if they should raise turkeys, my answer would be YES! They are wonderful! If […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author As a person who proudly defines herself as a chicken keeper, I find myself answering a lot of questions regarding our flock.  The first question is usually in regard to how many chickens we keep.  The second question almost always involves what breeds of chickens live at 1840 Farm. […]

Rebecca Nickols Photos by author This past week, my husband and I headed for our local county fair, the Ozark Empire Fair. My main objective was eating lunch at Rudy’s BBQ; a family operated restaurant that’s been a regular fixture at the fair for over 60 years. This is not your typical fair-food; it’s slow-cooked authentic barbecue that’s […]

By Harvey Ussery and Mother Earth News editorial staff  From time to time, you may want to add some birds to your flock. I suggest that you not introduce the newest “superhybrids” to your backyard flock just because that is what is on hand at the local farm store. Select one of the reliable older breeds, […]

by Nancy Farrell Well, it is time to start thinking and planning our flocks for 2011. The e-mails have started telling us that spring orders for chicks may now be placed. If you’ve read some of my past posts you’ll know that for 2010 we got a variety of chicken breeds to see which of […]

by Jennifer Kendall Many people have heard of heirloom seeds, vegetables and fruits, but did you know there are heirloom breeds of livestock and poultry. Often referred to as “heritage,” these animals once roamed America’s pastoral landscape, but today they face the threat of extinction. Modern agriculture’s focus on increased yield and production has led […]