by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author I thought I liked chickens… until I raised turkeys. And while chickens will always have a special place in my heart, if I had one piece of advise to give to people who are wondering if they should raise turkeys, my answer would be YES! They are wonderful! If […]

By Harvey Ussery and Mother Earth News editorial staff  From time to time, you may want to add some birds to your flock. I suggest that you not introduce the newest “superhybrids” to your backyard flock just because that is what is on hand at the local farm store. Select one of the reliable older breeds, […]

by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author It was a difficult decision to decide to raise our own heritage turkeys. These nine little poults are the first animals that we’ve raised with the sole purpose of harvesting for meat. And while I’m not a vegetarian, I’m still having some emotional issues bridging the gap between cute […]

by Jennifer Sartell It’s that season again! Pictures of baby chicks are popping up all over my Facebook Farm Page, as fellow bloggers, homesteaders, and chicken enthusiasts share images of their new little peepers. It’s an exciting day when chicks arrive, whether they come from a store, a breeder, through the post, a broody hen, […]

by Rebecca Nickols Photos by author Earlier this spring, I added three new chicks to my flock, making a total of five chickens residing in my coop. The new pullets started laying in late summer and now (in the fall) I’m getting about five wonderful, delicious eggs a day! The new breeds that I added […]

Lands at Hillside Farms visit by Kimberly Furry We all have been busy thinking and talking about the chickens. The girls checked out pictures online of various breeds. Ara loves Silkies, as do I. We saw them on one of our fall ventures to the Lands at Hillside Farms. Silkies have amazing temperaments, according to […]

by Don Schrider, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy — Illustration by Georges Louis LeClerc Buffon On Feb. 25, 2008, about 70 people congregated at Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Va., to take part in a blind taste test comparing one variety of industrial turkey and eight varieties of heritage turkey. All the food professionals, chefs, food connoisseurs […]

by Nancy Farrell Well, it is time to start thinking and planning our flocks for 2011. The e-mails have started telling us that spring orders for chicks may now be placed. If you’ve read some of my past posts you’ll know that for 2010 we got a variety of chicken breeds to see which of […]

by Jennifer Sartell Hi there, my name is Jennifer Sartell and it is a pleasure to begin this new adventure in blog writing for Community Cluckers. My husband, Zach, and I run a small hobby farm where we raise Angora Goats, Angora Rabbits and, of course, chickens. We call it Iron Oak Farm. “Iron” because […]

Guest post by Claire Culver If you are reading this article it’s a fair bet that you’re interested in chickens. Perhaps you’re considering adding a few feathered friends to the family. Or maybe it’s 3 o’clock in the morning and, bolstered by enthusiasm and insomnia, you’re about to go to the first hatchery you find […]