The hens are beginning to lay a few more eggs, but at the same time the shelves in my pantry and freezer are starting to look a little bare. It’s the time of year that I look through my mother’s recipe box for ideas. I know I’ll find something in her Depression/WWII era collection of […]

It’s cold, very cold outside, here in Western New York. We have plenty of snow, which makes it difficult—and sometimes downright dangerous—to visit friends, hang out at the local diner/coffee shop, and keep up with the community gossip…er, news. Television “marathon” programs are re-runs. I’m thinking it’s time to shake things up a little with […]

We’ve all read, or been told, that eggs (especially egg yolks) are to be avoided when it comes to health. Do you know why? Is this true? Here’s what I found: More than 25 years ago, when scientists were beginning to seriously research heart disease, they learned that high blood cholesterol was closely associated with the […]

By Meredith Chilson I think I’m going to raise meat birds this spring. Here’s why: I’ve been tempted by photos and catalogues offering little chicks once too often. You’re getting those catalogues in the mailbox and photos in your news feed, too, aren’t you? Doesn’t it make you think of spring and new life and […]

by Meredith Chilson Do you grow sprouts? If you do, are they for your own use—salads, stir-fries, crunchy sandwich toppers? Or, have you grown them for your chickens? Last winter, I was asked to try growing fodder for my chickens. I discovered that the green fodder mat became a healthy addition to the flock’s daily […]

by Meredith Chilson The hustle and bustle of the holidays are past. As the new year unfolds, I like to take some time to reflect on the previous twelve months and to do some proper planning for the next. Proper planning begins with paper and pencil. I envision the days, weeks and months as an […]

  Early in August of this year, I wrote about my new adventure as a turkey farmer. The first few days were spent watching the tiny birds adapt to their environment under brooder lights. I learned a lot… you can read about some of the things I learned in those first weeks HERE. Days and […]

by Meredith Chilson Thanksgiving is just a week or so away, and at our house, turkey traditionally has a place of honor on the table at the family feast. I expect it may also be a tradition at your house. Most of us, though, have side dishes, sauces, relishes, or desserts that are just as […]

by Meredith Chilson Life in the chicken coop on our little homestead has been moving along predictably. Summer found the girls in the nest boxes in the mornings, getting their egg-laying duties done by noon, and off to the afternoon hunt and peck fun. Late summer and fall, for some reason, found several hens going […]

by Meredith Chilson I am adding to my vocabulary as I continue to learn more and more about turkeys. Wattle: No, it’s not a gait similar to a duck’s, and in this case, wattle does not mean the branches or twigs that are interwoven to make a fence. In the poultry world, a wattle is […]