Guides for Raising Healthy Chickens Anywhere
Setting up roosting bars in your chicken coop is crucial for your flock’s health, safety, and happiness. Proper roosting ensures sound sleep and prevents injuries or dirty eggs. Trust me, a happy chicken is a quiet chicken, and a quiet chicken means you get to sleep in! Most chicken roosts should be positioned 18–24 inches … Read more
Wondering if tossing kitchen scraps to your chickens could land you in legal trouble? Here’s what you need to know. TL;DR: It’s not illegal federally, but in many U.S. states, feeding chickens meat, dairy, or spoiled scraps can lead to fines—especially for commercial flocks. When I first got my backyard flock, I pictured them happily … Read more
Thinking about turning an old dog house into a chicken coop? Here’s what to know before you toss in the hens. Got a dog house sitting empty? Wondering if your feathered friends could call it home? This guide shows you how to transform a dog house into a chicken coop. We’ll cover essential modifications, predator-proofing, … Read more
Have a backyard flock and kitchen scraps? Many common food items are safe and beneficial for your chickens, reducing waste and providing treats. This guide helps you safely repurpose kitchen waste for your flock. However, some foods are dangerous. Understanding what’s safe and what’s not is crucial for their health. What Kitchen Scraps Are Safe … Read more
Best way to keep your feathered friends safe? A smart, layered approach. Top defense: electric poultry fencing with buried hardware cloth. This combo offers robust protection. “Best” means effectiveness, cost, and maintenance. No single solution is 100% foolproof – predators are smart. But mixing physical barriers, clever design, and psychological tricks dramatically cuts your risk. … Read more
Protect your flock with smart predator-proofing: fully seal your coop from threats above, below, and outside using hardware cloth, buried edges, and secure latches. This creates an impenetrable fortress. Small gaps invite disaster. My first flock nearly became a fox’s dinner due to one tiny, overlooked hole—a common first-time mistake. Predators accounted for 44% of … Read more
Choosing the right coop flooring isn’t just about comfort — it’s the secret to a dry, healthy, odor-free coop. Trust me, you don’t want a stinky coop. This guide will help you discover the best chicken coop litter for your flock. I learned this the hard way. My first coop started with just a thin … Read more
Keeping a happy, healthy flock means paying attention to the little things. And trust me, when it comes to chicken coops, chicken coop ventilation isn’t a little thing – it’s everything. I’ve seen firsthand how quickly a stuffy coop can turn into a disaster zone, leaving your feathered friends panting, miserable, and even in danger. … Read more
Want backyard chickens but cringing at those $500+ coop price tags? I get it. When I built my first chicken coop back in 2020, I made every mistake in the book and still managed to come in under $200. You can do the same with the right approach, though I will be honest upfront: hitting … Read more
Getting into backyard chickens means a big decision: chicken run or free-range? Or maybe both? There’s no single “right” answer. What’s best for your flock truly depends on your space, lifestyle, and local wildlife. This guide helps you figure out what’s truly best for you. I remember picturing chickens happily scratching everywhere. Then reality hit: … Read more