Winter chicken keeping can be a little bit daunting for many people. You worry if your birds are getting enough to eat. Is their diet varied? What about frozen water? Predators are hungry and more determined for a meal. Plus, if you live in a snowy area like me, it is cold, cold, cold outside. 

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the coziness of thick sweaters and the warming effects of a good fire and a hot cup of coffee.  I love to watch the birds head south and the trees light up with the brilliant colors of the season. Everything is so vibrant! It symbolizes harvest, […]

The garden has died off, trees have dropped their brilliantly colored leaves, the once persistent buzzing of insects has slowly quieted; chickens have less to find as they spend the shorter days scratching about the yard. My chickens spend more time in the wooded section of our property verse the dying off meadow like field.They are turning […]

There are those who will argue that corn contains all the nutrients necessary for a chicken to survive, and they may not be wrong. What they might not understand is that a chicken’s body is not able to utilize all those nutrients.

By Shannon Cole of Country Girl In The Village  Coconut Oil has become all the rage these days and for some great reasons. The oil is said to have antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral properties. It contains healthy fats that have been said to help with weight loss, heart disease and diabetes. There are skin care […]

By Shannon Cole of Country Girl In The Village    It is that time of year, the Harvest has begun in earnest. Our tomatoes are slow to ripen, but other things in the garden as well as our local Farm Market are flourishing. The pretty flowers of summer fade all too soon. This is the […]

by Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick. We all have an interest in keeping our backyard chickens healthy and happy and making minor adjustments to various aspects of their care can have a significant impact on their health, egg production and longevity. Below are ten tips for improving the well-being of any flock.   1. […]

by Shannon Cole of Country Girl In The Village The season is definitely changing here in Michigan. The temps have cooled, leaves are changing and most mornings around my little town are filled with fog as the air has cooled more than the lakes, streams and swamps. It is a magical time of year in my opinion. My […]

by Heather Nicholson of Scratch Cradle Been there, done that!  The biggest poultry pitfalls are also the easiest to avoid.  Caused mostly by over-enthusiasm and good intentions, these missteps can cause stress, illness, injury, shortened lifespan, and impaired offspring.  Avoid these common pitfalls and enjoy a healthy, happy flock for generations! Raising more chickens than […]

by Wendy EN Thomas of Lessons Learned from the Flock I heard a familiar question in a recent chicken workshop I gave – “Aren’t chickens vegetarians?” Another student immediately piped up, “Well not if you count bugs as meat.” Which is true, chickens eat bugs and worms, so in the strictest sense of the term, […]