By Hank Will — Feature photo by Vicki Reid Hatching chicken eggs and raising chicks isn’t as difficult as you may think. People have been doing it for thousands of years without the technology we have available today. Whether you actually incubate fertile eggs or simply purchase day-old chicks, there’s every reason to believe that […]

by Harvey Ussery Photos by author Eggs from backyard flocks are some of the best eggs in the world. Those dependent on supermarket eggs may not even know what they’re missing out on. Chickens provide more food than just eggs. Necessary culling of the flock graces the dinner table with flavorful meat. But backyard flocks […]

by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author Our neighbor stopped by the other day and surprised us with the prospect of incubating a few of his fertile goose eggs! Many a morning you can find me sitting on the front porch in the rocker, with a cup of coffee, just watching the geese. I marvel at […]

by Jennifer Sartell It’s that season again! Pictures of baby chicks are popping up all over my Facebook Farm Page, as fellow bloggers, homesteaders, and chicken enthusiasts share images of their new little peepers. It’s an exciting day when chicks arrive, whether they come from a store, a breeder, through the post, a broody hen, […]

by Kimberly Furry Photos by author Early Saturday morning was a special day for our family. One of our chicks hatched out of its egg! The night before, I could see the egg moving and hear little peeps. We also noticed a small crack in the side of the egg. Bleary-eyed, the girls crowded around […]

by Margaret E. Kellogg Photos by author I’m finding that hatching my own eggs is productive and enjoyable. I have three Brinsea Mini Eco incubators at work full of eggs. These little incubators have been a great tool. I got the crazy idea that I wanted to incubate some of my own eggs. I’m sure […]

by Margaret E. Kellogg Photos by author. I have had great experience with incubating some eggs. I had the delight of having a duckling, a chick and then a batch of chicks. With the first couple, I tried something new to me: I put them in with a companion. For the duck, this worked well, […]

by Meredith Chilson Q: I’m wondering if one can get a hen to go broody and hatch eggs that one might order online. Does anyone know?— Rachel A: This is a great question, Rachel, and one that others might be wondering about on these “thinking about spring” days.The most honest answer to this is, however, […]

by Meredith Chilson Q: What temp do you hatch chicken eggs? A: This is an important question if you are trying to hatch chicken eggs in an incubator for the first time. A couple of degrees one way or the other can make the difference between a complete hatching and no hatch at all. I’ve […]