by Meredith Chilson As a “seasoned” hen keeper, I can tell when it’s beginning.  It’s partly the change in the temperatures from summer to fall and partly the evenings that arrive earlier and mornings that don’t brighten quite as early.  Those are reminders.  It’s the first hen that doesn’t join in the usual henny activities […]

by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author I opened the garden gate the other day with a little tinge of sadness. I wasn’t going in to pick a delicious fruit or vegetable, but instead, rallied the chickens toward the door. The rusty horseshoe that we found while plowing has kept the gate closed to the chickens […]

By Sara Morrissette In every flock there seems to be the innate understanding of a pecking order. Once the order is set you can begin to catch glimpses of a society. If you watch even closer, you can learn the quirks, moods and habits of each individual chicken. I’m convinced that within the basic pecking […]

Jennifer Sartell Photos by author   A couple of years ago we went to The Grandpa Tiny’s Chicken Show. It’s a spectacular display of beautiful and rare poultry. The finest of the finest in our mid-Michigan area. At the show, I remember passing a cage among the junior entries with a Silkie in it. This […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author Eggs are a very precious commodity here at 1840 Farm. It has been almost a full year since our flock of heritage hens began laying eggs, yet the excitement of discovering an egg in the nest box hasn’t diminished at all. In fact, we still bring each egg into […]

by Rebecca Nickols I’m going into my second winter of chicken-keeping, but this is the first molt I (or my chickens) have experienced. What I have observed is a splotchy, tousled appearance, and it may be my imagination but it seems that they’re more nervous, panicky and fearful of everything. However, the most apparent observation […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author Most of the girls in my flock were 3 years old in May. The Buff Orpingtons and the Rhode Island Reds started laying eggs in September 2008. In 2010, I added three more birds … a Silkie and a couple of mixed breed ladies. They are healthy birds, good […]