by Meredith Chilson Have you been reading some of the recent newspaper articles telling about animal shelters and rescues being flooded with chickens?  One article in particular, from the NY Post (READ IT HERE), was brought to my attention. It begins this way:             Raising chickens in backyard coops is all the rage with nostalgia-loving […]

by Meredith Chilson Does it seem like this has been a really long winter? Are you wishing for a break in the weather, sunshine, anything that might indicate springtime? I’ve been leafing through seed and hatchery catalogues for months. Seeds are ordered, the garden is planned, and in about a month I’ll be starting the […]

by Meredith Chilson   My neighbors have had the flu, earaches, colds — and the winter’s not quite half over.  It seems that everyone I meet is sneezing, coughing, or sniffling. I remember when I was a small girl, my mother would make a special dish for us when we weren’t feeling well—it was creamy and […]

by Meredith Chilson Will you be buying eggs to hatch or ordering chicks this spring?  Have you ordered yet?  Do you have a specific breed in mind, or are you going to be a little adventurous and order a few chicks of a different breed? I’d like to suggest you consider Marans—specifically Black Copper Marans.  […]

by Meredith Chilson Several weeks ago, I was approached to review a product from Incubator Warehouse.  I was told I could look through the entire site and choose something for my existing flock. Incubator Warehouse sells incubators in all sizes and price ranges for any sort of egg you might want to hatch.  They also […]

by Meredith Chilson The late December temperatures are hovering in the single digits, and snow covers the ground here in Western New York.  We don’t heat our chicken coop, so fresh water must be carried to the chickens first thing in the morning and again in the afternoon. Snowy day in WNY It’s not a […]

by Meredith Chilson This is the time of year that our thoughts turn to gifts and our minds begin to reflect on the past, isn’t it? I want to share with you some reflections of the gifts my chickens have given me. Many of the gifts are lessons taught to me, and I’m passing these […]

by Meredith Chilson Probably the most important first step when going into the “chicken business” is planning where you will house your birds. The first time we had chickens, years ago, we housed them in our All-Purpose Shed, along with rabbits, a couple of goats, ducks, and occasionally, a pony and/or a goose.  There was […]

by Meredith Chilson   Why do you have chickens? Do people ask you this?  Do you ever wonder; think back to the beginning; try to figure out where it all came from? When I was small, I lived on a dairy farm.  Milk checks came once a month, and my mother raised chickens for “egg […]

by Meredith Chilson A lady came to my house for some eggs.  She said, “I’m a vegetarian.  I need vegetarian eggs.  Are these vegetarian eggs?” I said:  “Well, hmmm….maybe yes….and maybe no.” Maybe yesbecause: ·       Vegetarians do not eat animal flesh.  The eggs in question are not fertilized.  We do not have a rooster in […]