By Jennifer Sartell It’s been my experience that the more natural a life you can provide animals, the less health problems you will experience and the less money you will have to spend to keep your animals happy. We’ve raised chickens both in a free range setting and in a contained coop and run. And […]

The Molt is coming. by Jennifer Sartell   In fact for some of you, it might already be here. August is just around the corner and we’re already seeing signs of the seasonal molt in our flock. Molt is a healthy, seasonal process for chickens. It usually happens in their second year around late summer […]

Jennifer Sartell Story and photos The term anthropomorphism is to assign human traits to animals or inanimate objects. Being active in many livestock forums, farm Facebook groups and other animal specific online communities, I’ve often heard this term used in an accusatory manner. Usually in the comment section of some article or post…people get upset […]

Jennifer Sartell Story and photos I’ve raised chickens since 1992. So that’s what?…25 years? Sheesh! Time flies when you’re raising chickens evidently. In those 25 years, I’ve noticed something. A correlation between offering a calcium supplement and difficult hatches. When I first started raising chickens there was no internet. No chicken forums, no Community Chickens. […]

Jennifer Sartell Story and photos It’s spring! As chicken keepers we should all be enjoying the increase of egg production with our flocks. The fall molt has long been over, the summer heat has not yet started and the longer daylight hours should be triggering a laying effect with your flock. Egg Laying Season This […]

Jennifer Sartell Story and photos It’s chick season! Many of you I’m sure, are visiting farm stores, firing up the incubators and placing orders with breeders and hatcheries for baby chicks. This year as you select the different breeds to add to your homestead, consider selecting a variety that will give you a colorful egg […]

Jennifer Sartell Story and photos The social understanding within a flock is a complicated issue. Chickens are social creatures who thrive in group settings. Pecking order is how your flock establishes hierarchy. It might seem brutal to us as chicken keepers who only want peace and harmony for our chickens, but pecking order is a […]

Jennifer Sartell Story and photos by author You can expand your flock by hatching eggs from a breeder. Chickens are some of the most varied animals ever domesticated by humans. The APA recognizes 65 breeds alone and there are many, many more hobby breeds, fancy breeds, and interesting egg layers beyond that. Have you ever […]

by Jennifer Sartell Story and photos Spring is coming! Well, not for a while, but it’s nice to think about anyway. In Michigan, the winters are long and depressing. I just read an article titled “Every State, Ranked by How Miserable its Winters Are” with Michigan coming in second to Minnesota. We even beat Alaska! […]

It gets dark here in Michigan around 5:30 now. The forced winter hibernation has begun. Zach and I have been scrambling after he gets home from work to take advantage of the waning daylight hours to rush through outdoor projects before the sun sets. Last night we worked on goat fencing with the Jeep headlights […]