by Jennifer Burcke A few weeks ago, I was browsing through the local newspaper and happened upon the type of story that sends a chill down a chicken keeper’s spine.  A family in a neighboring town had endured an unthinkable tragedy.  Their newly built coop had burned down to the ground, killing all 38 of […]

by Wendy EN Thomas of Lessons Learned from the Flock I remember the days of youth when nothing, and I mean nothing, could keep me indoors on a winter afternoon. Spring chick that I was, each day my mother would cluck over me as I put on my snow pants, jacket, hat, mittens, jam my […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author I’ve been keeping chickens for two years now.  I keep waiting for the excitement of finding an egg in the nest box to wear off.  Yet I get that same giddy feeling every time I find that one of our hens has left a beautiful, fresh egg for my […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author Brooding a batch of chicks is akin to bringing home a newborn child. No matter how many books you have read or people you have talked to, the best experience you gather will come firsthand. Caring for a tiny living being that counts their lifetime in hours or days […]

by Paul Gardener Photos by author Chickens’ needs are few: food, water, shelter and ideally, a perch on which to roost. But folks raising chicks know the youngsters’ requirements are different. In addition to food and water, they need an adequate heat source and protection from drafts. Baby chicks grow fast, so you have to […]

by Cheryl Long — Photographed by Jordi Sole Marimon If you have ever considered raising chickens, it’s a lot easier than it sounds. One way is to start with day-old chicks purchased from a farm store or mail-order catalog. Mail orders usually require a minimum shipment of 25 chicks, so if you just want three […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author   I don’t know who originally coined the phrase “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.”  While I’m unsure of its origin or inspiration, I am willing to make a bold statement about its application.  I believe firmly that Necessity must have been a chicken keeper. I pride myself on […]

by Herman Beck-Chenoweth, J. R. Smyth Jr. and B.C. Wentworth Turkeys are so fascinating, fast and large that Benjamin Franklin suggested that the turkey would be suitable as our national bird. “I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country,” Franklin wrote. “He is a bird of bad moral […]

Photos and story by Cherie Langlois Thinking about getting some Muscovy ducks around your place? Well, then, what could be more adorable than a flock of fuzzy little Muscovy ducklings? If this is your first foray into raising ducks, you can buy your first baby ducks from a local breeder, feed store, hatchery or animal […]

by Nancy Smith – Photograph by Martina Berg Guineas are indigenous to grasslands and woodlands of southern Africa, and large, wild flocks continue to roam with semi-domesticated birds kept by farmers. Guineas are hunted in the wild along with ducks and geese as game birds; a commercial safari-type shoot can set a hunting enthusiast back […]