Chickens are voracious diggers and eaters. Yes, they will destroy your garden unless you take some precautions. Liz Fulghum shares practical tips for letting your chickens work in your gardens and protecting your vegetables. If you’re a vegetable gardener contemplating getting a few chickens, chances are you’ve done a little bit of research on what’s […]

A chicken moat is not a waterway, but it does provide a protective enclosure for the garden. Weeds, insects, rabbits, groundhogs and even deer are barred from entry by the double wall of fencing and the ever-diligent patrol flock. All in all, it’s a clever solution to the fowl raiser’s dilemma of whether to fence […]

by Meredith Chilson It’s off the beaten path, even for our rural area. The directions were vague—turn here and there, over a single lane bridge, up and around to the top of the hill. But. It was worth the trip. The view is magnificent, the Biodynamic Henhouse is sturdy and modern, and Andrew, the farmer/henkeeper […]

by Jennifer Burcke During the summer growing season here at 1840 Farm, I spend a few minutes each day trying to decide the best way to make use of our daily harvest.  Some days, Mother Nature doesn’t give me many options, on others, she grants me an embarrassment of riches. Now that we have finally started […]

by Meredith Chilson   At a craft fair last fall, I struck up a conversation with a young woman—one or the other of us mentioned chickens—and you probably can guess what happened next—we talked until the people around us were beginning to tap their feet and give that “oh, no, she’s talking about chickens again” look […]

by Meredith Chilson At a craft fair last fall, I struck up a conversation with a young woman—one or the other of us mentioned chickens—and you probably can guess what happened next—we talked until the people around us were beginning to tap their feet and give that “oh, no, she’s talking about chickens again” look […]

by Jennifer Sartell The seed catalogs are filtering in. Like beacons of color in the monotone winter world. I feel like Dorothy in black and white Kansas, getting Technicolor post cards from Oz. “Wish you were here! ~ signed, Mayor of Munchkin City.” And while I can’t “heel-click” my way to spring, it is nice […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author Fall has arrived at 1840 Farm.  The temperatures are becoming cooler each evening.  The daylight hours decrease each day.  Dusk is settling in earlier with every day that passes on the calendar.  I find it more difficult to embrace fall and the resulting winter season each year.  I understand […]

Rebecca Nickols   What does a DIY composter have to do with raising chickens? Well, if you have chickens, you have chicken manure … and if you’re a gardener (like me) this unlimited supply of manure can provide you with an endless supply of the world’s best organic fertilizer! In fact, out of the fluffy backside […]

by Rebecca Nickols Photos by author Last year I was asked by the Master Gardener chapter that I’m a member of to do Power Point presentation on backyard chickens. Since I’m more of a gardener than a farmer, I thought I would not only share the whys and hows of basic chicken keeping, but also […]