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, […]

Blogger Shelby DeVore shares information about pumpkins, which are full of vitamins and other nutrients that your chickens and other poultry will love. When my husband and I bought our house several years ago, someone told us that we needed to put out horse apples or hedge apples (fruit of the Osage-orange tree, Maclura pomifera) […]

Learn about the worms your chickens can get and how to treat them with Shelby DeVore. You may have asked yourself whether your backyard chickens can get worms.  Larger animals like dogs, cats and livestock can get worms, but their digestive tracts are much different than birds. Although chickens aren’t plagued with some of the […]

A chicken first aid kit is essential for everyone who keeps chickens. Traci DeLore provides us with a great list of what to include. No matter the size of your flock, eventually you will have to deal with some sort of medical issue. A well-stocked first aid kit can be the difference between a successful outcome […]

Traci DeLore shows how to identify and treat bumblefoot in poultry. Bumblefoot is a funny name for a condition that’s no fun to have in your flock. Simply put, bumblefoot is a bacterial infection in the foot of a chicken, duck, or other type of fowl. Identifying Bumblefoot You’ve noticed one of your chickens limping. […]

Locavore author, Bruce Ingram tells us how he treated Flystrike or myiasis in one of his hens. Lucky Six Our hen–my wife Elaine and I named her Six–came into this world lucky. When her mother Mary gave up sitting on her nest after five chicks had hatched, the egg containing Six went two days without […]

Learn all about common fly species from egg to adult, often found in poultry houses with manure and explore various methods to control them. Fly control is an integral part of poultry management. With today’s concern about environmental conditions, fly control takes on added importance. Besides their ability to mechanically carry disease organisms, flies may […]

So you want your chickens and ducks to come home every night from their free-range adventures? Fala Burnett has excellent advice for using clickers to train your birds. Consider using the clicker training method with your flock for effective training, whether it is for a practical purpose or just for fun. Socializing your animals can […]

From circumventing coyotes to outsmarting opposums, Maat van Uitert has 7 practical suggestions to protect ducks from predators. We used to think we just had a couple of predators on our farm, until I put out a game camera one night. Boy, were we wrong! Even if you think your flock is safe, you might […]

While we often think of herbs in terms of cooking, they’re also an excellent tool for keeping your flock healthy. Amy Fewell shares tips and specific herb information to help you heal wounds and protect your chickens. Holistic Living We started our homesteading adventure in 2010 when our son was diagnosed with childhood asthma. Herbalism […]