When Good Hens Go Broody

A game of seek-and-find with my broody hen didn’t produce the results that the poor girl probably wanted.

6 Things Everyone Should Know About Chickens

When I started raising my first flock of chickens, I would sometimes start a conversation with something like, “So sorry I’m late! I had to chase a chicken.” It was always true, of course, but it was a great conversation starter about my favorite hobby. Now that I’m more seasoned, I’ve noticed a pattern when […]

Now, That’s My Kind of Tractor

As I dream of a stately vintage tractor posing on my property, I depend to a simple, lightweight chicken tractor to perform my garden tilling.

chickens and cat

Are Cats a Danger to My Flock?

Because cats are carnivorous predators, it’s common to wonder if a neighborhood cat or stray will leap over your fence and attack your laying hens. But are cats really that dangerous? Stray Cat Strut While my first flock was still quite young—feathered out but not laying—a neighborhood cat would come by to stalk my birds. […]

Feeling Cooped Up

Chickens are spooked easily by sudden changes. Where I live, we haven’t had much of a traditional winter, but last week, the sky fell. In fact, an entire foot of sky piled up around my chicken coop. My dearly departed Red Star Mabel would have trudged through the snow like an Arctic explorer, but since […]

Why I’m Totally Into Chicks

The hens in our charter flock turned me from chicken agnostic to borderline obsessed. The Girls, as we call them, have officially achieved family status.

6 Ways to Banish Rodents from the Coop

Have you ever found little mouse droppings peppered throughout your coop bedding—black oval pellets about the size of a grain of rice? Evidence of rodents in your chicken coop can be unnerving, but it’s important to recognize that winter is a hungry time for wild animals. The reward of a warm bed and a full […]

Is Turmeric Good for Chickens?

If you’re looking for natural relief for your chickens’ pain or illness, turmeric might be the herb for you.