by Jennifer BurckeThe other day I was presented with a chicken keeper’s dilemma.  I was at my local feed store to pick up a bag of OrganicLife feed for my flock.  While the owner rang up my purchase and processed my payment, we took the opportunity to make conversation. That’s nothing new.  I enjoy trading […]

 by Jennifer Burcke Last week, we celebrated the first day of spring here at 1840 Farm.  It didn’t feel much like spring while we were outside clearing over half a foot of heavy, wet snow.  I didn’t enjoy welcoming spring’s arrival with a snow shovel in hand.  I would have much preferred a garden shovel. […]

by Jennifer Burcke In my last post, I shared my frustration with trying to make a perfectly hard boiled egg using the fresh eggs we gather here at 1840 Farm.  I asked Community Chickens readers to share their tricks and tips in the hopes that I would find the perfect solution.  You amazed me by […]

by Jennifer Burcke I love the fresh eggs that we collect from our heritage breed hens here at 1840 Farm.  Each one is a beautiful symbol of my family’s decision to become chicken keepers.  Every egg serves as a reminder of our commitment to hold our food supply close at hand. Part of our journey […]

I enjoyed meringue cookies long before I became a chicken keeper.  Once we started collecting fresh eggs from the heritage breed hens at 1840 Farm, I began my love affair with meringue. There is something about the work of making a meringue that I enjoy.  It’s a process that seems to be equal parts science […]

by Jennifer Burcke Several months ago, I invited all of the readers at Community Chickens to share their story with me.  Since then, I have been busy reading your creative solutions to chicken keeping challenges.  I have really enjoyed learning about your inventive designs for your coops. One of the more creative coop construction stories […]

by Jennifer Burcke A few weeks ago, I posed a question to the community of readers at Community Chickens.  I asked you to share your creative solutions for keeping the fresh water flowing in your coops during the coldest months of the year. You delivered and shared an entire collection of ideas from the simple […]

by Jennifer BurckeI love interacting with members of the community of chicken keepers here at Community Chickens. I am constantly impressed by your creative solutions to the every day challenges that caring for a flock of chickens presents.  A few weeks ago, I mentioned on the Community Chickens Facebook page that we were taking advantage […]

by Jennifer Burcke It’s winter in New England at 1840 Farm.  The temperature has dropped and snowflakes were falling when I walked from the farmhouse to the coop this morning.  It’s only a matter of time before my least favorite harbinger of winter will appear. I know that any day now, I’ll open the coop’s […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author Thanksgiving is in full swing here at 1840 Farm.  Three generations of my family will gather around our farmhouse table today to enjoy a delicious collection of family favorites. There will be a wonderful selection of traditional dishes like mashed potatoes and our favorite artichoke and sage dressing.  I […]