In praise of chickens, I will say this: even on a cold, stormy day (and believe me we do have our share of storms here along the coast) after gearing up and fighting a path out to the animal sheds, there is something innately satisfying about chickens, tucked safely in their straw, bumbling a muted […]

Whenever our local rancher processes chickens, I arrive with bags in hand, not for the whole chickens, but to ask for the feet, lest they feed them to the dogs. Chicken feet have very little marketable value. Gnarly and doubtlessly repulsive with their scaly yellow skin and sharp talons, they nevertheless make the best broth. […]

  I have been busy traveling around the country sharing my new book, A Kid’s Guide to Keeping Chickens, with many newbie chicken keepers and older chicken keepers alike. I have had a blast doing presentations for a variety of audiences, but my favorite chicken keeping questions still come from the kids. Today I thought […]

by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author I opened the garden gate the other day with a little tinge of sadness. I wasn’t going in to pick a delicious fruit or vegetable, but instead, rallied the chickens toward the door. The rusty horseshoe that we found while plowing has kept the gate closed to the chickens […]