After the chicks had moved outside into their coop/run, I realized that it was time to purchase a larger feeder and waterer. We looked at automatic or treadle feeders online and came up with this option. It’s rain and rodent proof, holds about 6 pounds of feed and it’s basically an awesome contraption.

by Meredith Chilson We’re only a few days away from the winter solstice. The nights are long; the days are short. This morning the sun rose at 7:30 and by 4:30 this afternoon it will have faded away behind the hills. My hens spend a lot of time on their roosts. I thought this would […]

Guest post by Candice I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve blogged! We’ve had an unusually fine fall and I’ve been madly trying to get the garden beds all tidy and neat for spring. Unfortunately, most of the fine days were days I was working. Still, I managed to get most of it […]

by Jennifer Sartell The thing I love best about raising chickens, is that there is always something new to learn. Especially when it comes to breed diversity. In 1994 I was watching a show all about chickens on Canadian television, sadly, I can’t remember the show’s name. The program featured a chicken that laid a […]

by Barbara Palermo Like many cities across the country, Salem recently adopted a chicken-keeping ordinance. However, unlike other cities, it took two years to convince city officials that a few backyard hens would not be the downfall of Oregon’s capital city. Our simple request for three pet hens stirred up such controversy it made the […]

by Karla T. We’ve always had a lot of self-sufficient living books at our house. The Almanac of Rural Living, Back to Basics, Making the Best of Basics and many more. So when we decided to start keeping chickens I did a LOT of reading both online and in our personal library. One book that […]

by Rebecca Nickols With the end of the year approaching, I find myself reflecting on the events of 2010. Of course it’s the year we got our first flock, but it’s also the year our neighboring city, Springfield, MO, gave their approval for residents inside the city limits to have backyard chickens. This has been […]

by Rachel Hurd Anger In preparation of our Thanksgiving dinner, we went unconventional and roasted chicken. But, not any old chicken. No ma’am. We went local. This last summer, I had the unique opportunity to attend a workshop meant to take those interested in having a hand through every process of a meal from kill […]

by Joy Currie That first egg, the crow of my favorite rooster in the morning, fluffy chicks, contented clucks, the happy rhythm of living with chickens enriches my life. But not everything about raising chickens is a ray of celestial sunlight. Losing a chicken is always sad, but especially so for the owner of a […]

by Nancy Farrell Here at Sasimeadows Farm in northern New York everyone has a job to do to keep things running smoothly, so when I wanted to buy more chickens and some guinea fowl my husband, Jim, wanted to know what were they going to do for us. The hens, of course, had a job […]