Raising your chickens is rewarding because you get fresh eggs and fresh chicken meat, and it’s fun to watch them grow, play, and produce. But while your backyard buddies offer these rewards freely, there could be a price to pay for raising chickens if you’re not careful about how you handle them. There are health … Read more
Chicken manure is a combination of chicken droppings, bedding, and other debris found in a chicken coop. Being very “hot”, it is a good idea to learn how to use chicken manure wisely. Chicken manure can be used in solid and liquid form and both are loaded with the big three nutrients, N(itrogen), P(hosphorus), and … Read more
I am very fortunate to own a small plot of land surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest. I can let my chickens free-range without too much worry. The point is that they make themselves at home on property other than my own, and nobody cares. There will come a time soon when a neighbor … Read more
This is about the essential equipment, housing, tools, and know-how to find out what you need to raise chickens. I’m including everything that you can find to make your chickens comfortable, safe, and healthy, from the baby chick stage to adulthood. I’m going to assume that you already know why you want to raise chickens, … Read more
Chickens lay eggs consistently for 2 to 3 years for most breeds. After that time, they slow down and eventually stop laying altogether. Old age is one of the reasons why chickens stop laying eggs. I want to talk about this, and some other reasons as well. I had a flock several years ago when … Read more
Chickens are very social animals. In my little herd (I know, I know) of beaked wonders, there are a few different breeds. They were all raised together from when they were chicks. Even so, as adults they tend to stick with their own kind… The Rhodies with the Rhodies, and the Brahmas with the Brahmas. … Read more
I’m a live-and-let-live kind of guy. If I see something a little out of the ordinary, let’s say, and it isn’t hurting anybody, I tend to look the other way. Finding a few chickens tucked away in a basement where they can’t be seen by the public is not something that you see every day. … Read more
When it comes to breakfast, if you asked someone what three foods come to mind when you think about breakfast, I’m willing to bet that 9 times out of 10, eggs are going to be in the top 3. Two-thirds of the breakfast menu items at that place with the gold-colored arches contain eggs. It’s … Read more