Predators can’t be avoided, but coop doors can help. -Advertisement- If you’ve had chickens for very long, there’s a good possibility that you’ve lost at least one or two birds to a predator. Losing a favorite hen is never fun, and unfortunately sometimes the first sign of predator problems is when we lose that first […]

Movable boards for poultry droppings help with cleanup and let you use chicken manure for composting. Liz Fulghum explains how to easily build a drop board. All photos by author. It’s an irrefutable fact: Chickens poop, and they poop a lot. In the coop, their favorite place to poop is off the edge of the […]

When winter comes around, both new and experienced homesteaders wonder how they can keep their livestock and fowl warm. This issue is primarily a concern for those who have smaller animals, like chickens. There are several ways to protect these animals from the cold, but many owners ask if they should provide a direct heat […]

Need versatility in your broiler or heritage pen set up? Anne Gordon recommends using snap together wire pet exercise pen panels. You can read more about Anne’s whole Broiler Set-up here. Wire Pet Pens I’m a huge fan of 42-inch wire pet exercise pens because they are versatile, easy to use and can be quickly […]

Charlotte French, Amanda Sorrell, Jeanette Beranger, and Patricia Foreman discuss the considerations you need to take when you are looking for or building a chicken coop.   This episode was proudly sponsored by Onduline. In this episode of Mother Earth News and Friends, we discuss the considerations you need to take when you are building […]

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 […]

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 […]

Blogger Elle Pugsley shares some winterizing ideas from southern England. Cold and Windy Now that we are into the cold, windy, wet winter months it was time to make some changes in my chicken run. It gets awful windy where we are near the sea in the south of England, we’ve had the top line of our […]

There is a lot to consider when building your first coop. Here are 5 top ideas to consider from blogger Michele Cook. Chicken coops are easy to build. You can start with something pre-made like a shed or you can start from scratch. Either way there are a few things you will need to consider when […]