Getting Started

The first time I realized my chickens knew exactly who I was, I was standing in my backyard in a borrowed raincoat. It was 2021, my second year keeping chickens after moving to the US from Nigeria. I had six hens at the time, a mix of Buff Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds. That morning, … Read more

You reach down to pet your favorite hen, and instead of running away, she drops low to the ground, flattens her back, spreads her wings slightly, and just… freezes. She holds perfectly still while you stroke her feathers, and when you step away, she stands back up, gives herself a vigorous full-body shake, and waddles … Read more

The humble backyard chicken has a name that sounds more like a Roman emperor than a farmyard bird. When I first started keeping chickens eight years ago, I never imagined I would find myself fascinated by the scientific classification of these birds scratching around my yard. Yet understanding where chickens come from and how they … Read more

My first Minnesota winter with chickens was a disaster waiting to happen. I had read generic winter care guides, but nothing prepared me for the reality of caring for a flock when temperatures dropped to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit during a January polar vortex. That winter, I learned that breed selection matters enormously, and my … Read more

The Buff Brahma rooster is arguably one of the most visually stunning birds you can add to a backyard flock. With warm golden plumage that seems to glow in afternoon sunlight and an imposing size that commands attention, these roosters have earned their reputation as the “Gentle Giants” of the poultry world. Unlike many large … Read more

The Dark Brahma rooster is one of the most visually striking birds you will ever see in a backyard flock. Unlike Light Brahmas where roosters and hens share nearly identical coloring, the Dark Brahma variety displays dramatic sexual dimorphism that makes telling males from females remarkably straightforward, even from a distance. When I first encountered … Read more

If you have ever stared at a brooder full of fluffy Light Brahma chicks and wondered which ones will grow into majestic roosters and which will become your gentle laying hens, you are not alone. Light Brahmas present a unique sexing challenge that trips up even experienced chicken keepers. Unlike breeds where males and females … Read more

The first time I saw a Brahma chicken rooster in person, I genuinely thought someone had crossbred a chicken with a small turkey. Standing nearly waist-high with feathered legs that looked like furry boots, this bird commanded attention in a way no other chicken in that breeder’s yard could match. After six years of raising … Read more

Silkie chickens produce approximately 100 to 155 eggs per year, placing them among the lower-producing breeds in the poultry world. But those numbers only tell part of the story, and after keeping Silkies for three years in my subtropical Queensland flock alongside 50+ birds of various breeds, I have learned that measuring these fluffy hens by … Read more

After keeping Ameraucanas for several years in my flock, I can tell you that the white Ameraucana rooster temperament is generally calm, curious, and relatively gentle compared to many other breeds. According to the Ameraucana Alliance, this breed was “created in the 1970s and 1980s in the North Central region of the United States” and has since earned … Read more