As winter draws to a close, some folks are busy drooling over mail order chick catalogs trying to determine which breeds they would like to get this year.  Some are just starting out and others are trying to narrow down their must-have breeds. Chicken math is in full swing and if you are like me, […]

Using the deep litter method in the chicken coop is natural, economical, and healthy.  It is a common practice used today by many chicken keepers, usually during the cold Winter months.  However, it actually got its start during World War II as a means of saving labor and litter.  And, it generally occurred over six […]

A home-grown turkey for Christmas dinner was part of our vision when we started on the turkey raising journey. I was so excited to raise two turkeys – one for Thanksgiving dinner and one for Christmas dinner.  It all seemed nostalgic to me.  I envisioned a male and female, happily living at LL Farm.  In […]

(Congratulations to Laura Williamson, the winner of the Sarah Rosedahl books, Illustrated Chicken Breeds A to Z, and the Coloring Book Companion.) When I wrap Christmas presents, I like the wrapping to say something about the interests of the person. My husband Zach is an outdoor-sy man so I often wrap his presents in simple […]

Don’t you just love a recipe that you can quickly whip up before you go to bed and put it in the fridge ready for the next day?  In the morning pull it out of the fridge, add the topping, and pop it in the oven.  In 45 minutes you have a delicious breakfast.  As […]

Betty the chicken…full of spunk…she’s a flier! She’s one of the new girls in our colorful flock of chickens; a barred rock beauty full of spunk. She frequently flies the coop (well she actually flies the chicken yard)…                      …is she trying to impress the others […]

This is the time of year when it’s dark before dinner and the production from the chicken coop is way down. One egg today? Hurrah! Whether the lack of eggs is from fewer daylight hours, the annual molt, or just the lull before this year’s pullets begin laying (and I’m inclined to believe it’s a […]

When adding pullets (or grown hens) to an existing flock, care must be given. Have you heard the term pecking order?  The term, even used with humans, derives from hens.  Chickens physically peck at other chickens, showing dominance and ranking order.  Even a mild-tempered chicken can peck at a new one coming into her territory. […]

….they were dogs. …or possibly cats. …or even, perhaps, a boy. If you’ve followed my blog, you’ll know that my friend and I raise turkeys. They come to us as day old poults, and usually leave in time to be nicely dressed for Thanksgiving dinner. We treat these turkeys like we treat most of our […]

I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Andrea Martin Ph.D. and her wonderful Black Thistle Farm located in Massachusetts. Dr. Martin has dedicated her life to working with poultry as a behaviorist as well as running a chicken rescue. She is a terrific resource for many local and international chicken keepers. Recently […]