by Meredith Chilson I would love to be able to free range my hens. Even though we live in a rural area, on a back road, it’s a narrow valley we live in with that rural road running right down the center. On one side of the road is a narrow field with a small […]

by Meredith Chilson Once upon a springtime, there was a fluffy chicken named Mrs. Feathers. Mrs. Feathers wanted to be a mother. She laid an egg every day in her nest of shavings and straw, and she even lined the nest with soft, downy feathers. Mrs. Feathers did not like to be disturbed by anyone […]

by Meredith Chilson My feathered ladies appear to be gentle souls. They are wonderful mothers, and to listen to them chat as they settle down for the evening or visit as they investigate garden clippings, one would never suspect that they have a dark side to their nature. If you’ve been around chickens much, you’ll […]

by Meredith Chilson I’ve been around chickens, in one form or another, for most of my life. When I was small, I lived on a dairy farm in Western New York, and my mother raised White Leghorns. Lots of them. On the coldest day in February, hundreds of baby chicks would arrive to live under […]