Newcastle disease is a highly contagious poultry virus. Learn signs, symptoms, prevention and control for the health and safety of your flock.   The number of backyard chicken enthusiasts has exploded in recent months. Hatcheries and feed stores across the country have seen sales for chicks to first-time customers skyrocket. But many poultry experts are […]

Interested in free-ranging your chickens? Make smart choices and keep your birds safe with these tips from Jonathon Engels. Many chicken owners, especially of the backyard ilk, would prefer to have their birds live free and enjoy a life that few hens ever do. But in reality, that’s not the way it goes. Like chickens, […]

Chickens needs baths too, but they prefer dust. Liz Fulghum shares her tips and tricks to help your birds exfoliate and dislodge insects. If you’re new to chickens, you may have noticed your flock digging a shallow ditch in a sunny spot and then rolling around, getting all down and dirty. They may puff themselves […]

Yummy dessert recipes with wee quail eggs from Kelly Bohling. [All photos by author.] When I started raising quail, I quickly found myself inundated with eggs during the warm months. My fridge was filled with bowls overflowing with quail eggs, and I was quickly running out of variations to spin on omelets and quiches. I […]

Jeannette Beranger shares fascinating information about Asiatic breeds of chickens that we know and love. All Photos courtesy of the Livestock Conservancy. There are many numerous breeds of chickens found throughout the world but few can claim to have ignited a literal revolution and renaissance of love for chicken breeding that was aptly named the […]

Happy chickens are productive chickens. Keep your chickens active and amused with these suggestions for a chicken playground from author Liz Fulghum. Happy Chickens Chickens are happiest when they can cluck around during the day, free-ranging and foraging through mulch, leaves, and dirt for tasty bugs and seeds. But sometimes, to keep them safe or […]

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 […]

Jeannette Beranger shares some of the rare and beautiful breeds of the continental class of chickens. (All photos courtesy of the Livestock Conservancy.) Chickens come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. To help make sense of it all, the American Poultry Association (APA) splits chicken breeds into a number of categories, including […]

Keep your flock healthy this coming fall and winter with helpful tips from Elizabeth Mack. Keeping backyard poultry can be a fun and rewarding hobby, but it doesn’t come without its challenges. Maintaining a healthy flock requires managing the day-to-day upkeep, as well as monthly and seasonal concerns. Take the guesswork out of chicken husbandry […]

Jonathon Engels presents the good, the bad, and the guidelines to raising guinea fowl, so you can decide if this bird is right for you. My first encounter with a guinea fowl – and it is a memorable experience – happened in the jungles of Belize. My wife, Emma, and I were volunteering at a […]