Predators know no “urban” or “rural” boundaries. Learn what predators you may see in your urban/suburban yard and how to protect your poultry. Some days it seems like poultry predators are everywhere. Not even your back yard is safe from suburban poultry predators who want nothing more than to go after your feathery friends. Here’s […]

Learn tips and tricks for safely housing these marvelous birds from quail expert and owner, Kelly Bohling. (Unless otherwise noted, all photos by author.) Quail Are Easy to House Raising Coturnix quail—also known as Japanese quail—is an approachable endeavor, made easier by the low maintenance habits of the birds and their hardiness against disease and […]

As many of you will already know, fall and winter are a dangerous time for chickens. This is because predator attacks are much more likely at this time of year. So in this article, we are going to give you some ideas about how to improve your flock security to prevent attacks. You can prevent […]

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about companion planting. It’s a gardening technique in which different species of vegetables and flowers are planted together and they work as a group to benefit each other. In the Mother Earth News article Companion Planting With Vegetables and Flowers, the author Barbara Pleasant gives an example of the […]

We all know some of the problems associated with roosters when protecting your flock of hens: Noise Aggression Mounting your hens When we think of our roosters, we rarely think of them as a guardian, but that is their primary role when it comes to a small holding or farm. If not for egg fertilization, […]

After working on this article a few times, and gathering photos for it, an ironic thing happened the day I was going to post it. We had our first ever deadly predator attack.  First.  Ever. After raising approximately 200-300 meat birds a year and providing a year-round, safe environment for about forty pet and breeding […]

Last week I had my first close-encounter with a predator…  Even though I allow my flock to free range during the day and I live among a slew of predators (fox, raccoon, hawk, etc..), I’ve not had to deal with an actual predator attack until now. I do realize that by allowing the hens full […]

Raising chickens is a valuable practice for any homesteader, but protecting chickens from predators can be a tough job. In this video, I provide some tips for keeping your flock safe and happy. Your backyard chickens depend on you for health, housing and safety. In return, they will supply you with eggs, entertainment, pest control, […]

Whether chickens free-range or are primarily confined to the coop and run, protecting them from predators can be one of the most challenging aspects of backyard chicken-keeping. An awareness of coop security basics goes a long way towards keeping backyard pets safe from unwelcome, hungry visitors 1. Don’t allow Chickens to Roost Outside  Chickens are […]