by Barbara Palermo — Photographed by Junial Enterprises As the current economy increasingly troubles us, we consider the environment, food safety, animal welfare and emergency preparedness, and strive to become more self-reliant. We are now gardening, canning food and raising chickens for eggs – relaxing activities that provide a sense of security in our urban […]

By Jerry Schleicher — Illustrated by Brian Orr My favorite meal is fried chicken. If I am ever awaiting the hangman’s noose, I’ll request my wife’s fried chicken as my final meal. Her fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy is pure heaven. Having said that, I must admit – with all due respect to poultry […]

by Josh Young — Illustrated by Brian Orr One summer in the midst of the back-to-the-land movement, during a time when my life was in limbo, friends who owned a little homestead farm allowed me to pitch a tent in the woods. Allan and Alison were inexperienced at farming, and both were employed full-time, but […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author Up until a couple of months ago, I had only a few “glitches” while raising chickens. There have been some instances of “picking,” but I was able to remove and treat the hen with no lasting problems. Two winters ago, one of my hens froze her lovely comb on […]

by Cheryl Long — Illustrated by Nate Skow Chickens are fun and easy to care for – and the steady supply of fresh eggs is an added bonus. I set out to learn how to make a chicken coop that would be secure, low-cost, easy to build, light enough to relocate easily and scaled to fit […]

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 […]

by Rebecca Nickols Photos by author A little after the first of May, shortly after I purchased three new chicks, my Buff Orpington, Henrietta, developed a bad case of broodiness. More than four weeks later, she still has it bad–you can see it in her eyes… In my first attempt to break Henrietta’s broody behavior, […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author I’m not sure where the last month has gone. It seems like I blinked and it was over. As I sit here writing this post, I can hardly believe that our latest batch of baby chicks aren’t really babies anymore. It’s true. While they are only five-weeks old, they […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author I am not a veterinarian. In fact, we have a wonderful vet just across the valley who makes house calls, dispenses advice over the phone in the middle of the night, loves animals and is kind to people as well, thinks about the cost of medications and offers alternative […]