USDA Releases 2011 Bird Calendar
December 21, 2010Poultry enthusiasts can order the 2011 Backyard Biosecurity calendar for tips on keeping their flocks healthy.
The Miracle of Chicken Diapers
December 13, 2010Courtesy Audrey Pavia Maddie the Cochin hen will soon be spending all her time indoors. When you keep livestock in the city, word gets around the office. I’m known throughout my department as someone who keeps chickens, and I’m occasionally posed with a question or two about chickens and their daily lives. But the other […]
Chicken Expressions and Lessons
December 6, 2010The English language is full of references to chickens. I never really paid much attention to these expressions until I became a chicken owner. My flock as helped me understand the true meaning behind many of these terms—on a personal level.
Back to the Flock
November 29, 2010It wasn’t easy getting Bobbi Jo over her bout with fowl pox. Unlike her niece, Baby Jo, it took her more than a week before I felt she was well enough to return to the flock.
Dropping Like Flies
November 22, 2010Photo by Audrey Pavia Flies like to hang out in the stall roof. Urban farmers in Southern California don’t normally have to deal with rain. Doing chores in wet weather just isn’t on our regular agenda. But this past weekend, one of the first storms of the season blew into town and I had no […]
APOXalypse Now
November 15, 2010Last week, my youngest hen, Baby Jo, came down with the fowl pox virus. Since then, another one of my hens, Bobbi Jo, was also stricken by this nasty disease.
The First Omelet
November 1, 2010Photo by Audrey Pavia My happy chickens that give me healthy eggs for omelets. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but the first time I was faced with eating eggs from my own backyard chickens, I felt squeamish. Like most city people, I was used to my eggs coming from a carton bought at a grocery […]
Planning My Dream Garden
October 7, 2010On a very exciting note, we have invited a landscape architect friend of mine (we went to college together) to come over and redesign our back patio and gardens.
Rooster Chivalry
September 27, 2010Courtesy Audrey Pavia Mr. Mabel the rooster escorts one of his hens around the urban farm. Whoever said chivalry is dead never spent any time around roosters. Sometimes I just can’t get over how gracious and doting roosters are with their hens. At my urban farm, Mr. Mabel is the top roo (beating out his […]
How To Keep Livestock And Make Money
February 18, 2009Decide if keeping livestock for profit is right for you and your hobby farm, and choose the right species to keep with this guide.
