Author Christine Heinrichs recently visited Mudchute Farms and the Dorking Museum in England, sites dedicated to preserving English chicken breeds and history. Read about her adventures in this conversation with Community Chickens Managing Editor Carla Tilghman.   The Adventure Begins Carla: How did you decide to visit England and especially English chickens? Christine: I’ve been […]

Traci DeLore helps us understand how to keep some useful flock records. Keeping flock records might not seem necessary when you have a small backyard flock. However, over time, you may wish you had a written record of certain things to look back on.  I was about a year into keeping chickens when I realized it […]

Michele Cook shares ideas for keeping your chickens occupied during the long, cold winter. Bored chickens, like bored children, can find some not so great ways to occupy themselves if they have nothing to challenge their little minds. In the winter, there are no bugs to chase, no worms to dig up and no grass […]

After you’ve checked all your coops and tucked your flock in for the winter, Michele Cook reminds you to do a little TLC for yourself. This morning the temperatures hovered in the mid-teens and my nose hairs froze the second I stepped outside. I grumbled about the cold as I pulled the 12th layer of clothing […]

I have a favorite chicken. Ssssshhhh! Don’t tell the rest of the flock. Much like parents aren’t supposed to have a favorite kid, I worry that I’m not supposed to have a favorite chicken. However, I do. Her name is Penny. Penny came to us a little over a year into our chicken-keeping adventure. We […]

Kaylee Vaugh de-mythtifies eggs for us. Over the last several decades, it has became less common for people to keep chickens and many people have become more disconnected from their food sources. Because of this, many myths have become commonly accepted.  I’m sure that every chicken keeper has no doubt heard (and maybe even believed!) a […]

Blogger Kacey Bradley helps you chose the best flooring for your chicken coop needs. Whether you are brand new to owning and caring for chickens, or a seasoned pro, there are a variety of factors to consider when building a good quality chicken coop. Chicken coop flooring is one of the most important aspects of a […]

Most fungi are beneficial or harmless, but a few will cause serious health issues in your chickens. Fungi comprise a kingdom of organisms that include molds, mildews, yeasts, and mushrooms. These related organisms share the following characteristics: They have a nucleus, or core. They lack chlorophyll and thus are unable to produce their own food, […]

New blogger Kacey Bradley shares useful tips for keeping your coops clean using natural products. A clean coop makes clean chickens, and clean chickens make productive chickens. It is important to keep your chicken coop clean and free of insects, pests and bacteria, but how do you do this without the use of harmful chemicals? There […]

Open Sesame: Coop Doors that Open on Command Frank Hyman knows about DIY and being inventive. Here are some of his ideas for automatic chicken coop doors. The Basic Pop-Door One important goal for our chicken-keeping adventure was to continue enjoying two-week vacations a couple times a year. However, one common feature of most coops […]