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. […]

Do the ghosts and goblins of Halloween have you feeling a little … chicken? Don’t despair; this year, turn gourds and pumpkins into a three-dimensional fall decoration that will rival any old-fashioned Jack-o’-Lantern carving. Or carve the famous Community Chicken (templates included below)! Carve, paint, or etch a pumpkin chicken, share photos with us, and […]

I feel like sometimes the Leghorn is an overlooked breed. With so many fancy breeds to choose from, a plain, typical, all white bird that lays a white egg is somewhat mundane when compared to Frizzles, Silkies, Polish, or some of the beautiful colors and feather patterns available. But if you’re looking for a constant […]

I wish I could say the headline is a joke, but it’s not.  I also wish I could laugh about it, like the saying ‘someday you’ll laugh about it,’ suggests.  It’s only been a month since the coop ordeal. I’m sure someday I will laugh, but right now I’m not. Last month I got locked […]

As fall descends upon us here in the North — bringing with it frosty nights and then snowy days — most of the green that covers the earth turns to brown. Now we must begin to give our animals a little extra help if they’re to make it through the long, dead winter. Chickens, for […]

Pick Your Chicks Choosing the best chicken breeds to raise begins with deciding which attributes are most important to you: egg production, meat production, temperament or other qualities. If you try a breed for a year or two and decide it isn’t quite what you were looking for, try another — or try two or […]

Chicken eggs are the most consumed eggs all around the world. It’s good, it’s healthy, it’s easy. But some people, out of curiosity or nutritional reason, might be interested in trying some other type of eggs, like duck eggs. Switching to duck eggs can give your boring breakfast routine a refreshing change. Plus, duck eggs […]

A chicken moat is not a waterway, but it does provide a protective enclosure for the garden. Weeds, insects, rabbits, groundhogs and even deer are barred from entry by the double wall of fencing and the ever-diligent patrol flock. All in all, it’s a clever solution to the fowl raiser’s dilemma of whether to fence […]

This breed profile is proudly brought to you by The Livestock Conservancy! In 1934, white eggs brought premium prices at market because it was believed that white eggs had a finer, more delicate flavor. At that time most of America’s eggs were produced on small farms all across the country, and small farmers preferred dual-purpose […]

This Breed Profile is proudly brought to you by The Livestock Conservancy! The Crèvecoeur chicken is one of the oldest of the standard-bred fowls of France. The breed gets its name from Crève-Coeur en Ange, a small town in Normandy, France. The breed’s name translates as “broken heart” as in the romantic sense. Little is […]