Guides for Raising Healthy Chickens Anywhere
Finding fewer eggs in your nesting boxes during winter can be frustrating, especially when your backyard hens were laying consistently throughout spring and summer. If your chickens are not laying in winter, the first thing to investigate is the change in daylight rather than assuming that cold temperatures are the only problem. Shorter days affect … Read more
If you picked up Midnight Majesty Marans chicks and you’re not sure whether you have hens or roosters, you’re in luck. This is one of the few hatchery hybrids where you can make a confident guess on the very day they hatch, before a single feather grows in. The short answer: solid black down at … Read more
I have to be honest with you about how I discovered this breed. A friend of mine texted me a photo of her egg basket one Sunday morning, and I thought my phone screen had a color filter on it. The eggs were green. Not olive. Not brown with a green tint. Actual, unmistakable pastel … Read more
I’ll be upfront with you right from the start. I used to grab whatever chicken was on sale at the grocery store. “Free range.” “Natural.” “Organic.” I assumed they all meant the same thing, that the chickens lived good lives outside, ate clean food, and that the meat on my plate was healthy. I was … Read more
You step into the yard, your coffee still warm in your hand, and your hen suddenly bursts into a full wing display with no obvious reason. Is she okay? Is she angry? Is something wrong? Here is the short answer: wing flapping in chickens is almost always completely normal. In fact, it is one of the richest … Read more
You are slicing a fresh pineapple in the yard and your flock is already sprinting toward you, necks stretched and eyes wide. Sound familiar? Before you toss them a chunk, it makes sense to know exactly what you are working with. Yes, chickens can eat pineapple. Pineapple is safe to feed chickens in moderation and with … Read more
Your hens spend a surprising amount of time in their nesting boxes. Every single day, they settle in, arrange whatever material is beneath them, and trust that spot to cradle the egg they are about to lay. If the nesting material is wrong, you will know it quickly. Dirty eggs, broken shells, hens refusing to … Read more
If you keep backyard chickens, you already know the coop produces a lot more than eggs. Every week, you are shoveling out bedding soaked with droppings, and if you have been tossing it all in the trash or piling it in a corner of your yard, you are literally throwing away one of the best … Read more
You cracked open an egg from your backyard flock and there they were. Two bright orange yolks sitting side by side in the pan. Your first thought was probably somewhere between excitement and worry. Is this a good sign? Is something wrong with my hen? Should I be concerned? Take a breath. In most cases, … Read more
You just walked out to the coop, reached under your favorite hen, and pulled out a warm, freshly laid egg. Now you are standing in your kitchen wondering: should this go in the fridge, or is the counter perfectly fine? It is one of the most common questions backyard chicken owners ask. And honestly, the … Read more