by Gwen Roland — Photographed by Preston Roland   Raise your own broilers, and avoid battery cage-raised, flavorless supermarket chicken. Though I have kept chickens for years, I never expected to eat any of the animals I raised. After they provided many delicious eggs, I would retire my layers to the barnyard. But Barbara Kingsolver’s […]

by Herman Beck-Chenoweth, J. R. Smyth Jr. and B.C. Wentworth Turkeys are so fascinating, fast and large that Benjamin Franklin suggested that the turkey would be suitable as our national bird. “I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country,” Franklin wrote. “He is a bird of bad moral […]

Photos and story by Cherie Langlois Thinking about getting some Muscovy ducks around your place? Well, then, what could be more adorable than a flock of fuzzy little Muscovy ducklings? If this is your first foray into raising ducks, you can buy your first baby ducks from a local breeder, feed store, hatchery or animal […]

by Amy Grisak — Title photograph by Mark Vogel Ducks can be helpful, colorful little characters in your garden patch, providing a measure of truly natural garden pest control – and the eggs they lay taste delicious! Here are some fun facts about a few heirloom breeds. Indian Runners are comical-looking ducks that stand tall and […]

by Barbara Palermo — Photographed by Junial Enterprises As the current economy increasingly troubles us, we consider the environment, food safety, animal welfare and emergency preparedness, and strive to become more self-reliant. We are now gardening, canning food and raising chickens for eggs – relaxing activities that provide a sense of security in our urban […]

By Jerry Schleicher — Illustrated by Brian Orr My favorite meal is fried chicken. If I am ever awaiting the hangman’s noose, I’ll request my wife’s fried chicken as my final meal. Her fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy is pure heaven. Having said that, I must admit – with all due respect to poultry […]

by Josh Young — Illustrated by Brian Orr One summer in the midst of the back-to-the-land movement, during a time when my life was in limbo, friends who owned a little homestead farm allowed me to pitch a tent in the woods. Allan and Alison were inexperienced at farming, and both were employed full-time, but […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author Up until a couple of months ago, I had only a few “glitches” while raising chickens. There have been some instances of “picking,” but I was able to remove and treat the hen with no lasting problems. Two winters ago, one of my hens froze her lovely comb on […]

by Cheryl Long — Illustrated by Nate Skow Chickens are fun and easy to care for – and the steady supply of fresh eggs is an added bonus. I set out to learn how to make a chicken coop that would be secure, low-cost, easy to build, light enough to relocate easily and scaled to fit […]

by Nancy Smith – Photograph by Martina Berg Guineas are indigenous to grasslands and woodlands of southern Africa, and large, wild flocks continue to roam with semi-domesticated birds kept by farmers. Guineas are hunted in the wild along with ducks and geese as game birds; a commercial safari-type shoot can set a hunting enthusiast back […]