Guineas may be new to you but they are not to author and researcher Christine Heinrichs. These beautiful birds still exist in the wild in Africa but have also been domesticated for a small flocks. Learn how to get started raising guineas. What are guinea fowl? Guinea fowl are birds from the family Numididae and […]

Maat van Uitert shares great ideas and practical plans for protecting your ducks from summer heat with an easy-to-wash, self-draining pond. Easing Summer Stress Nothing is worse than watching your beloved ducks pant in the summer heat. A cool, inviting pool is a simple, natural way to keep your feathered friends from feeling the effects […]

Chickens are voracious diggers and eaters. Yes, they will destroy your garden unless you take some precautions. Liz Fulghum shares practical tips for letting your chickens work in your gardens and protecting your vegetables. If you’re a vegetable gardener contemplating getting a few chickens, chances are you’ve done a little bit of research on what’s […]

Frank Hyman shares plans and instructions for a practical (and cute) poultry nesting box. Nest Box Necessities A lot of thought went into the design and construction of our coop’s nest box. It’s such an important feature that my wife, Chris – the livestock manager – asked me – the facilities manager – to install […]

First of a three part series. Dr. Jacquie Jacob shares her research on how to effectively use heritage breeds for small-scale meat production operations. Here’s a link to Part 2. Small-Scale Chicken Production Small-scale broiler chicken enterprises are often competing with large commercial companies for a share of the consumer market. But there are ways […]

Learn more about turkeys and wild turkey breeds in this excerpt from Don Schrider’s “Storey’s Guide to Raising Turkeys”. WHEN WE SPEAK OF TURKEYS, we will find some surprising diversity. Turkeys come in a range of colors and patterns, and a few different shapes as well. As we try to sort through this mix, it is […]

Lots of folks are perfectly happy to incubate their chicken eggs to produce healthy chicks. But some homesteaders really want to work with their broody hens to hatch eggs. Author Amy Fewell shares her experiences and lots of suggestions for efficient hatching with a broody hen. Rocky Beginnings I can still remember thinking that all […]

Joel Salatin (aka Chicken Man) is a familiar name among chicken keepers, small poultry business owners, and homestead rebels. We asked Joel to share with our readers how he got started with broiler chickens and what keeps him going. Beginnings On Sept. 24, 1982, I was a married 25-year-old with a 1-year-old son, doing the town […]

If you are interested in feeding your chickens for free, Jonathan Engels has 9 innovative ways for you to try in this poultry permaculture-focused Feature Article. About 50 million years ago, long before there were sacks of cracked corn or even farmers to distribute the grains, chickens were wild birds that inhabited the jungles of […]

Have you ever wanted to learn about or own Button Quail? Alexandra Douglas helps us understand these delightful birds in this Featured Article. When I was 9 years old, I went to a parrot breeder’s home and saw these cute little birds on the bottom of the finch cages. They were eating the leftover seeds […]