by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author One of the bittersweet things about raising ducks, specifically pekins, is that they grow SO fast. Ducklings are so adorable, and while my heart melts when they’re little, I’m not sad to get the brooders out of the house after they’ve grown. Our brooding time was about a third […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author It seems to me that this time of year has an urgency to it. Maybe it’s from all the children trying to pack a final few days of summer in before they head off to another year of school. Or, maybe it’s from the migratory birds and the hibernating […]

Michelle Tullis Photos by author If you have chickens, you have a battle with poop. And if you’re getting chickens, you’ll soon find out. I found that out last year when we bought our first mature laying hens … The first thing they did when we got them into the kennel to take home was […]

It’s our second year raising chickens in Minnesota and I have figured out a few strategies to make chicken care during the frigid winter a little bit easier. When it rarely gets above freezing, the biggest challenge is providing water for livestock. In the summer, I use both metal and plastic poultry founts for watering […]

by Rachel Hurd Anger Despite nearly 4 1/2 years in Louisville, I’m still getting used to the climate differences from my home state of Michigan. The warmer, shorter winters are great, but the summers are far too long (for me), way too hot, and there’s nary a thunderstorm in sight late summer when everything turns […]

After the chicks had moved outside into their coop/run, I realized that it was time to purchase a larger feeder and waterer. We looked at automatic or treadle feeders online and came up with this option. It’s rain and rodent proof, holds about 6 pounds of feed and it’s basically an awesome contraption.