It’s that time of the year again. I am starting to receive photos of chickens in sweaters, and people saying, “Kim, you need to make this for your chickens!” I agree they are adorable and I would certainly make them for a photo session, but chickens are naturally dressed for the colder weather and don’t […]

A long winter certainly makes it difficult for chickens to forage, free-range and frolic. Snowy confinement combined with frigid temps can exacerbate boredom that can quickly turn into pecking or other bad habits. As we head into the early stages of winter, I know I need to be creative in order to keep 18 cooped […]

I was laying in bed, slowly drifting off to sleep when I heard the distinct ‘hoot, hoot, hoot’ of an owl outside my window. I got excited. I love owls! I laid there listening to the gentle hooting for some time before I realized I forgot to shut the chicken coop! That sucks. Chickens are […]

After losing three hens to poisonous edibles in the woods behind the coop, I had to come up with a safe free-range solution for my girls. After doing a little research, I discovered these “chunnels” on the internet and made a modified version that I felt would suit our needs. They give Mom a sense […]

As we head into the fall and winter months my chickens are laying eggs left and right. So much so, I have an overabundance of eggs piling up in my ‘egg-stra’ refrigerator. On average, I collect 10-12 eggs per day from the 13 hens currently laying. Four additional pullets have yet to produce but at […]

It was the same old story. USDA pamphlets recommended one nest for every five layin’ hens. I had a dozen of the “girls,” and the only commercially available chicken nests were huge metal banks of ten compartments apiece. I wouldn’t have needed that many even if I could have afforded them. So I decided to […]

Chicken collecting is a hard habit to break. Especially when there are so many varieties to choose from. Often, people start the chicken venture with the idea that it would be great to have a couple of daily egg layers. Then they realize what a pleasure it is to own chickens and they get a […]

Having a coop full of chickens can be great. Some people breed chickens as a hobby, while others have chickens for fresh eggs and fresh meat. Whatever your reasons are for having a coop, you need to keep them warm and safe during the cold, winter months. Chickens are very strong birds. As long as […]

Daylight hours decrease and cooler weather approaches as autumn settles in all around us.  As you can see in this picture, some of the trees are bare, and so are the nesting boxes.  Fall is a common time for molting chickens and fewer (or no) eggs.  Even other chicken owners that usually sell eggs have covered […]

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 […]