by Wendy EN Thomas of Lessons Learned from the Flock I heard a familiar question in a recent chicken workshop I gave – “Aren’t chickens vegetarians?” Another student immediately piped up, “Well not if you count bugs as meat.” Which is true, chickens eat bugs and worms, so in the strictest sense of the term, […]

Whether chickens free-range or are primarily confined to the coop and run, protecting them from predators can be one of the most challenging aspects of backyard chicken-keeping. An awareness of coop security basics goes a long way towards keeping backyard pets safe from unwelcome, hungry visitors 1. Don’t allow Chickens to Roost Outside  Chickens are […]

by Meredith Chilson  I love to read.  In fact, I have an advanced degree in “Reading” with a certificate here on my wall to prove it. I also love chickens, and I particularly like reading about chickens! Now, it’s possible you may not know this, but one of my first experiences reading about chickens was […]

by Jennifer Sartell Some days I love to feel sorry for myself. I whine and complain because things aren’t going my way. Because I need new tires for my car, or the tractor ran out of gas, or the dishwasher is leaving the dishes spotted and I have to re-scrub them all by hand. And […]

by Shannon Cole of Country Girl In The Village Today, I lucked out and was able to grocery shop without my kids in tow. This led to a nice leisurely pace. Feeling a bit spoiled with the quiet time, I took liberties in checking things out.  While wandering through the dairy and egg aisle I […]

by Heather Nicholson of Scratch Cradle Have you ever wondered what makes blue eggs blue or why a green egg layer might hatch from a blue or brown egg?  Did you know that brown eggs are coated with a “paint” made from blood, and blue egg shells contain a chemical byproduct of bile?  Read on […]

by Jennifer Burcke In my last post, I shared my frustration with trying to make a perfectly hard boiled egg using the fresh eggs we gather here at 1840 Farm.  I asked Community Chickens readers to share their tricks and tips in the hopes that I would find the perfect solution.  You amazed me by […]

      by Melissa Caughey of Tilly’s Nest As the weather warms up, the coop begins to call out.  Along with spring cleaning around the house and yard, our chicken coop also receives a good deep cleaning a few times per year, especially come spring.  Just like raising children, there are many different ways […]

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 Liz Hessen of For the Love of Chicken Poop After almost a week of rainy, cold, can’t-leave-the-run weather the sun came out. And the girls all came out except Carmen. Carmen? My polish crested party girl where are you….? Still up on the roost. What’s wrong? Come out and play the bad weather is […]