Joel Salatin (aka Chicken Man), Author of Pastured Poultry Profits, writes about the pros and cons of U.S. government poultry processing regulations. Legislation Protecting Small-Scale Poultry Producers One of the early poultry processing laws in the U.S. was passed by Congress in 1957. The Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) requires that any poultry intended to […]

Summer was warm, the days were long, and you got used to having lots of eggs. Then your hens stopped laying. Michele Cook looks at the many different reasons your hens may (temporarily) have stopped laying eggs. Why have my chickens stopped laying eggs? Ugh! This is a common complaint from chicken keepers all over […]

Part of our Breed Profiles series, Sussex chickens are dual purposes birds with several distinctive plumage patterns. History Possible, like the Dorking, originally introduced to the British Isles by the Romans Contemporary  breed Originated in south east  England area of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey.  Probably most popular table bird in 19th c and through mid-20thc. […]

Learn about biodigesters and how they can help you process chicken poop, from permaculture writer Jonathon Engels. Where there are chickens, or any animal for that matter, poop is sure to follow. While this is often erroneously referred to as waste, the fact is that we can do lots of very useful things with manure. […]

Veteran chicken keeper Carrie Miller has some recommendations for 2020 chicken items, based on her experiences. Every year new and improved chicken items come out on the market to help make chicken keeping easier. While some items get better and better each year other items were great from the start and need little to no […]

Ascites in backyard chickens isn’t super common, but it’s possible you will come across this condition if you keep chickens. Ascites isn’t really an illness itself. Rather, it’s a symptom that something is wrong with your chicken. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, ascites is when fluid builds up in the peritoneal cavities of a […]

Animal-Assisted Therapy has come into its own in the last decade or so. Marissa Buchanan helps us understand how to start an AAT program with chickens. Response to the Cackle and Purr In the human body, there are all sorts of hormones floating around. Some of these hormones cause stress, while others induce relaxation. Some […]

In the winter months, as the weather turns colder, chicken keepers are forced to keep their birds shut indoors to protect them from adverse weather conditions. Confinement indoors can create conditions, triggering respiratory illness in poultry.   The respiratory systems of chickens are very sensitive to dust and ammonia, too much of either can bring […]

Impacted crop surgery on your chicken sounds scary, but it’s not impossible to perform this surgery. It’s inevitable if you have chickens that you are going to encounter crop issues at some time. The crop, located on the hen’s right side just beneath the skin, is a balloon-like pouch where everything they eat or drink […]

Thyme, oregano, a little vodka…not a recipe for pasta sauce, but herbal treatments from  Amy Fewell for chicken ailments such as bumblefoot, external parasites, and respiratory ailments. Poultry body language can help you recognize the first signs of sickness, and to help them prevent issues from arising. Prevention is key when it comes to keeping […]