by Meredith Chilson The holidays are looming, and I’ve pulled down the crates and tubs of decorations and ornaments from the high shelf in the garage.  As I sort through the boxes, I realize that many of them are handmade—some of glitter, glue and toothpicks made by tiny hands, others of ceramic, glass or wood.  […]

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 Rebecca Nickols Photos by author Last year I was asked by the Master Gardener chapter that I’m a member of to do Power Point presentation on backyard chickens. Since I’m more of a gardener than a farmer, I thought I would not only share the whys and hows of basic chicken keeping, but also […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author It’s a long story.  Several weeks ago, when we moved the teenagers into the main coop, our Buff Orpington hen, Mrs. Feathers, was so intrigued with the new birds that, apparently, she decided she wanted babies of her own.  She retreated to a nesting box, fluffed up her feathers, […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author The original title of this post was “Do-It-Yourself: Grit/Shell Feeder”. After an afternoon struggling with the carpentry aspect of the feeder, I realized it wasn’t going to be done by MYself.  For my handyman husband, however, this was an easy project.  We recycle and save all sorts of things, […]

Jennifer Burcke Photos by author Imagine that you live in a small one room apartment without indoor plumbing.  Living with you are your closest friends.  You dine together in this space.  You sleep in this space.  You go to the bathroom, when necessary, in this space. It’s not the prettiest of mental pictures, is it?  […]

by Rebecca Nickols Photos by author July 2012 will go down as one of the warmest and driest months on record for much of America–including my Southwest Missouri coop. During this epic drought and heat, the importance of providing your flock with access to clean cool water is more critical than ever. Record temperatures, high […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author If you read the Community Chickens e-newsletter on a weekly basis, you’ve probably seen the great collection of posts that discuss gardening with your chickens. Fellow contributor Rebecca Nickols wrote a four-part series that includes a wealth of information regarding the subject. I have enjoyed reading the other contributors’ […]

by Paul Gardener Photos by author Chickens’ needs are few: food, water, shelter and ideally, a perch on which to roost. But folks raising chicks know the youngsters’ requirements are different. In addition to food and water, they need an adequate heat source and protection from drafts. Baby chicks grow fast, so you have to […]

by Cheryl Long — Photographed by Jordi Sole Marimon If you have ever considered raising chickens, it’s a lot easier than it sounds. One way is to start with day-old chicks purchased from a farm store or mail-order catalog. Mail orders usually require a minimum shipment of 25 chicks, so if you just want three […]