Audrey Stallsmith uses her guinea-raising experiences to address how to house these birds and keep them happy. Like rowdy teenagers, guineas are raucous and inclined to roam, so they definitely have the potential to cause problems with your neighbors. Of course, you may be able to convince the people next door that the tick control […]

Pat Johnson shares how to create a safe environment for your pheasants with a biosecurity plan. Get Started with Your Biosecurity Plan A safe and healthy environment for your pheasants is essential. A biosecurity plan is a method used to outline the steps to prevent diseases, parasites, and pests from reaching your pheasants in your […]

If these large birds intrigue you, hear from a long-time emu breeder Alexandra Douglas about how to navigate raising them. All photos by author. There has been a growing popularity with emus over the last few years. Although the main uses for emus are for meat, eggs, and egg art, many are considering emus as […]

The Ayam Cemani is a striking and unique breed that is becoming increasingly popular among U.S. breeders and backyard poultry owners. Because of their rarity, they are expensive birds and you need to carefully vet sellers to make sure that you are getting what you pay for.  If you want an all black bird, with […]

 Christine Heinrichs shares how living history farms in the U.S. preserve heritage poultry breeds. Stay tuned for her upcoming article on British living history breeds, such as the Dorking. A flock of chickens brings a historic site to life. Visitors can’t resist the allure of chickens clucking in a run. At living history sites, historically […]

Marissa Buchanan raises and breeds these rare, solid black chickens. She shares her experiences of owning a flock and the need to conserve this breed. Modern History of the Breed The rare and unique Ayam cemani is revered by poultry enthusiasts. With its black feathers, skin, and flesh, this breed is quite distinctive and certainly […]

Black Chickens Having all types of chicken breeds accessible and ready for purchase was not always the case for backyard chicken owners. Now with relatively efficient ways to purchase and start raising any type of chicken breed you prefer, people have been more deeply exploring breeds that are exotic and hard to acquire, and those […]

by Nancy Smith – Photograph by Martina Berg Guineas are indigenous to grasslands and woodlands of southern Africa, and large, wild flocks continue to roam with semi-domesticated birds kept by farmers. Guineas are hunted in the wild along with ducks and geese as game birds; a commercial safari-type shoot can set a hunting enthusiast back […]

By Eric Guel Photos by author For the past week a flock of peafowl has been running wild in my neighborhood — and they’re LOUD. At times they sound like a pride of kittens* meowing their heads off, at other times they sound like a dozen little kids screaming bloody murder. Here’s a pic. Sorry […]