Part of our Breed Profiles series, Dominiques were one of the earliest known North American developed breeds, and almost became extinct in the twentieth century.  History Dominiques have a long history in North America as one of the earliest developed breeds, though they weren’t recognized as a distinct breed until the early 1800s. Like so many […]

Just in time for cooler weather, Carrie Miller shares a yummy old fashioned chicken noodle casserole recipe with homemade egg noodles. When I think of comfort food for cool fall nights the quintessential chicken noodle casserole comes to mind. It is personally one of the my favorite cold weather foods. While, I typically use a lot […]

Learn about the worms your chickens can get and how to treat them with Shelby DeVore. You may have asked yourself whether your backyard chickens can get worms.  Larger animals like dogs, cats and livestock can get worms, but their digestive tracts are much different than birds. Although chickens aren’t plagued with some of the […]

Traci DeLore shows how to identify and treat bumblefoot in poultry. Bumblefoot is a funny name for a condition that’s no fun to have in your flock. Simply put, bumblefoot is a bacterial infection in the foot of a chicken, duck, or other type of fowl. Identifying Bumblefoot You’ve noticed one of your chickens limping. […]

Knowing the anatomy of poultry can help you butcher more efficiently. Learn about the placement and processing of gizzard, crop, perineal gland and other internal poultry organs. How to Begin Before attempting to slaughter or butcher an animal, you must perform enough preliminary research to ensure that the work you do is efficient and humane. […]

 Christine Heinrichs shares how living history farms in the U.S. preserve heritage poultry breeds. Stay tuned for her upcoming article on British living history breeds, such as the Dorking. A flock of chickens brings a historic site to life. Visitors can’t resist the allure of chickens clucking in a run. At living history sites, historically […]

Traci DeLore has great ideas for winterizing chicken homes and keeping cooped up birds entertained. (All photos by author.) Winterizing the coop and run is an important item on your late-fall flock “to-do” list. Our feathery friends are, for the most part, well suited to handle most winter weather. However, there are a number of steps […]

As winter approaches, it’s time to think about helping your birds weather the cold. Maat van Uitert provides lots of feed and housing tips for protecting your ducks.  Fall is here! Fall means crisp air, apples, pumpkins, and completing last-minute duck coop preparations before the snow starts falling. Preparing your coop for winter is easier […]

Locavore author, Bruce Ingram tells us how he treated Flystrike or myiasis in one of his hens. Lucky Six Our hen–my wife Elaine and I named her Six–came into this world lucky. When her mother Mary gave up sitting on her nest after five chicks had hatched, the egg containing Six went two days without […]

Part of our Breed Profiles series, the Mille Fleur d’Uccle is a feather variation of the Belgian bearded or Barbu d’Uccle bantam chickens. Mille Fleur (Million Flowers) d’Uccle bantams are truly gorgeous, small chickens with speckled, orange plumage. History A variation of the Belgian d’Uccle bantams, they are true bantams without a larger counterpart. These […]