by Meredith Chilson   One feather amongst many. The ground in the chicken yard and the floor under the roosts in the coop are littered with feathers this week, as the chickens shed their faded, tattered plumage, and the annual molt begins.   This feather was different than the others. Larger, longer, and imbued with a […]

by Jennifer Sartell of Iron Oak Farm We’ve already had several fires in the wood burning furnace this September and it’s not even officially Autumn. We live in Michigan and last year our area of the state received record snow falls and temperatures 30 below zero. According to the Farmers Almanac, we’re in for another […]

By Wendy E. N. Thomas   We’re heading into the colder months and new-time chicken owners are already starting to have anxiety attacks. “How, oh how will I be able to keep my babies warm?” they fret as they look into expensive heaters and even sweaters knit for chickens. Chickens have always known what to […]

by Melissa Caughey of Tilly’s Nest Suddenly everywhere you look feathers are abundant in the coop. My kids often tell me it looks as though a chicken has exploded! Chickens over one year of age typically molt each fall. This is the time when they replace all their feathers on their body just in time for […]

by Jennifer Sartell of Iron Oak Farm The feather is what sets birds apart from every other living species. Birds use feathers to fly and escape danger. Though chickens aren’t the best of flyers they still share in this unique attribute that is specific to birds. Feathers have been on my mind lately as the […]

by Wendy EN Thomas from Lessons Learned from the Flock   A while back, I wrote about a chick of ours that had grown at a much faster rate than our other chicks (odd duck in the chicken coop.) I had wondered if indeed she was even a chicken (some people (including myself) thought she […]

by Melissa Caughey of Tilly’s Nest   If you are like me and purchased baby chicks this past spring, soon enough your pullets will begin to lay their first eggs. For first time chicken keepers, sometimes the anticipation alone can make you feel like a kid on Christmas morning. The best part, is that feeling of […]

In an effort to live a “greener” life, in my family, we try to use, reuse and recycle just about everything. The Farm Markets around us are full of great seasonal produce. Walking around the Market, talking to the local farmer, asking where the produce is grown and which variety it is that I am […]

by Jennifer Sartell of Iron Oak Farm When people ask me “Why do you raise chickens?” the short answer is “for eggs, we raise them for eggs.” But really that’s not the whole story. If I never got another egg, I would still raise chickens. They are a part of our farm as much as […]

by Wendy EN Thomas from Lessons Learned from the Flock “Mom, I think one of the chickens was killed,” said Addy when I had asked her to let the chickens out of the coop. It certainly was a possibility. We let our chickens free range which means we trust them to go back into the […]