by Jennifer Sartell Last weekend I made bone broth for the first time. I had roasted a chicken earlier in the week, and after the chicken dinner had been eaten, and leftover sandwiches been made, I was left with the carcass, bones and grizzle. Secretly, …this is what I was after. I’ve been doing a […]

by Meredith ChilsonThis has been a terrific year for growing pumpkins!  We’ve given each of our grandchildren their choice, taken some to co-workers, passed them out to family and friends, and there are still a few left on the porch!  Every once in a while, we’ll find one that has begun to “over-ripen”—has a spot […]

by Jennifer BurckeOver the last two years, I have shared my family’s journey to become chicken keepers with the readers here at Community Chickens.  It has been an incredibly rewarding experience during an exciting time in my adult life.  In two short years, my family has experienced everything from the arrival of our first batch […]

by Rebecca Nickols Photos by author Every devoted chicken keeper knows there are times when you wonder if your friends really want to listen to your tales of how wonderful it is to have backyard chickens, but Community Chickens understands how endearing and full of personality a chicken can be! If you were looking for a way […]

by Meredith Chilson The leaves are at their colorful peak right now, and the bright, bright blue skies with the fluffy clouds make it pleasurable to be outside doing chores.  Our cellar way is filled with buckets of potatoes, baskets of apples and squashes; braids of onions and garlic dangle from the rafters next to […]

by Kathy Shea Mormino It’s that time of year when I do a major coop cleaning and this year, it’s an easier task than ever before due to a few simple modifications that were made in our coops. Not only is it faster to complete the semi-annual ‘deep cleanings,’ but I find that I am […]

by Rachel Hurd Anger Photos by author Our backyard chickens just celebrated their second Happy Hatchday, and as we sort of pat ourselves on our backs for having some of the world’s oldest chickens, we’re all still recovering from our first predator attack. The victim was Clara, a Partridge Plymouth Rock, our most robust and […]

by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author I opened the garden gate the other day with a little tinge of sadness. I wasn’t going in to pick a delicious fruit or vegetable, but instead, rallied the chickens toward the door. The rusty horseshoe that we found while plowing has kept the gate closed to the chickens […]

Rebecca Nickols   What does a DIY composter have to do with raising chickens? Well, if you have chickens, you have chicken manure … and if you’re a gardener (like me) this unlimited supply of manure can provide you with an endless supply of the world’s best organic fertilizer! In fact, out of the fluffy backside […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author The spring chicks have begun laying eggs, and the older hens are winding down their cycle toward the annual molt. As a result, I gather a wide variety of sizes of eggs: from the tiny first eggs known as pullet eggs or “pee-wee” to the extra-extra large eggs that […]