Maat van Uitert shares five great ways to teach your kids confidence around your flocks. Ever watch those videos of roosters chasing kids and laugh? Did you know that confidence around our feathered friends can be taught? And that confidence can influence the rest of your kids’ lives? We’ve all heard that involving children in […]

Illustrator Lora Lee and author David Tang have teamed up to create the beautiful new book, A New Friend for Sally, a children’s book that explores the unlikely but lasting relationship between a young girl and her new pet hen. From the book’s Kickstarter campaign: “A New Friend for Sally tells the story of a […]

by Jennifer BurckeI chose to become a chicken keeper for a host of reasons, but the same two are always at the top of my list.  First, I wanted to connect to the generations of my family that had come before me.  They were farmers and I wanted to continue the family tradition of raising […]

Jennifer Burcke Photos by author Chicken coops are like snowflakes:  no two are exactly alike.  They come in every imaginable size, shape, and color.  If you don’t believe me, visit the Coops and DIY Pinterest board for Community Chickens.  There are over 230 coop and coop related pins there and the number seems to grow […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author I grew up celebrating Independence Day with sparklers and barbecue. I lived in Kansas then and we didn’t really need an excuse to eat barbecue. We viewed a warm weather holiday as an opportunity and seized it. Fourth of July parades and celebrations seemed to be as ubiquitous as […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author   I don’t know who originally coined the phrase “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.”  While I’m unsure of its origin or inspiration, I am willing to make a bold statement about its application.  I believe firmly that Necessity must have been a chicken keeper. I pride myself on […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author One of the most difficult decisions involved in the chicken keeping experience is also one of the first to be made. Choosing which breed of chickens to live in your coop is a daunting task. In my last post, I wrote about selecting the best breed for your backyard […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author So, you’ve decided to enter the world of chicken keeping. Congratulations and welcome to the club. We don’t have jackets. Instead, we have chicken coops in every size, type and color. I think that you’ll agree that a coop is a much more useful. Let’s face it, chickens don’t […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author Asking questions, gathering information, and educating yourself are all important parts of the chicken keeping experience. At the onset of your chicken keeping experiment, there seem to be more questions than answers. Should we use a stationary chicken coop or a mobile chicken tractor? Do we want to keep […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author The welcome sign is always out on the coop at 1840 Farm. It usually welcomes guests to our farm. This week, it will be welcoming our new batch of day-old chicks. The big day has finally arrived! Today is the hatching day for our new chicks. We’ve been waiting for this […]