by Meredith Chilson Q. Why do farm fresh eggs sometimes have a speck of blood in them and how do I keep this from happening? – Bonnie A. Bonnie, not too long ago I looked for the answer to this question myself! The short answer is actually right in your question: Specks of blood are […]

by Meredith Chilson I love to hear stories from the elders in my family. I’ve gathered many through the years, along with several notebooks full of handwritten family recipes. It’s important to me to know where my food comes from … and what ingredients are in the food that I serve my family. And I […]

by Meredith Chilson Q: After enjoying eggs from our three hens for the past several months, we decided to increase our small flock by two. After reading up on introducing new hens, we decided to put the two in after dusk, when all had settled down for the night. For the first several hours the […]

by Meredith Chilson Q: Is there anything I can feed my chickens over the winter when they are not outside to get the yolks of their eggs that nice orange color? – Ruth A: I was thinking about the same thing just the other day, Ruth. In the summer when my hens are filling up […]

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 […]

My Rooster Stew by Meredith Chilson In the spring, I always seem to have some little chicks around. Some of those little chicks turn into “my girls”—the hens that I nurture and keep for eggs. The others—well, I keep them for a while, too. Those are the ones that grow the magnificent tail feathers and […]

by Meredith Chilson I haven’t purchased eggs in about three years, not since my backyard flock of hens started laying. I’m happy to use fresh, flavorful eggs. I wasn’t worried a bit when the salmonella scare hit last year. I know my hens. I know what and where they’ve been eating; I know that the […]

by Meredith Chilson We’re only a few days away from the winter solstice. The nights are long; the days are short. This morning the sun rose at 7:30 and by 4:30 this afternoon it will have faded away behind the hills. My hens spend a lot of time on their roosts. I thought this would […]

by Meredith Chilson I would love to be able to free range my hens. Even though we live in a rural area, on a back road, it’s a narrow valley we live in with that rural road running right down the center. On one side of the road is a narrow field with a small […]