I believe chickens deserve the freedom to satisfy as many of their natural behaviors as possible. We all take risks in life to enjoy our own human lives, so why should the chickens be any different? Free-ranging, at least part time, is the only way to allow chickens the freedom to enjoy their lives to […]
The chicks are almost 6 weeks old. They don’t know much more than how to eat, drink, forage and fly, and they approach mere acquaintances with too much familiarity. They lack social graces and respect for their elders, which the older hens won’t hesitate to teach. The chicks are still not allowed to free-range like […]
Spending time with your flock, observing behaviors, and inspecting each chicken for injury and illness are important chores to add to the daily or weekly to-do list. You know your flock and its individual personalities best, which makes spotting problems easy. I keep a close eye on my Silver-Laced Wyandotte, Pauline. She’s my heaviest chicken, […]
Courtesy Rachel Hurd Anger One of the two Buff Orpingtons I’m raising to pullets for a friend is the runt of the flock. Upon opening the shipping box, the day-old chick was visibly in distress. As the others moved freely and excitedly, this Buff sort of leaned against the wall of the box. My kids […]
Courtesy Rachel Hurd Anger Five future egg layers arrived safely to the post office this week. Two different postal employees called within minutes of each other to announce the chicks’ arrival, which says something about the infectious joy these little peeps can spread. With caution, I asked the first employee who called, “Are they chirping? […]
Photo by Rachel Hurd Anger A chicken’s journey around the circle of life can be a short one on any farm, whether rural or urban. Flock members can fall victim to acute illness, unexplained sudden death, human negligence and predators. These devastations can happen before a chicken reaches a ripe old age, despite the fact […]
I’d spent close to two years researching chickens before ordering my first chicks in 2010. At that time, shortening the distance food traveled to my kitchen was a personal mission. With chickens, I could reduce the distance eggs travel to just 30 feet! My chicken obsession started that honestly, but ultimately, it was just […]
