BackYard Chickens

Many of us keep dogs, or cats and many have kept one or both before we took the plunge and started keeping chickens. We're curious to hear how you all think chicken keeping compares to keeping dogs or cats. Please cast your vote in the poll options above and share your thoughts in reply to this thread :pop

A Haunter Run A'fowl Halloween Picture Contest This contest is brought to you by our sponsor Home2Yard Show us how you and your poultrygeists celebrate Halloween and you can win one of THREE PestOff Rat & Pest Proof Poultry Feeders proudly sponsored by Home2Yard....

My best calculation to date is that I can easily keep my feed cost at $1.34 per head per month, or just under $200 per year for the 12 chickens I currently have. I'll break that down and then if anyone would be so kind as to give me their overall impression of my feed ration and methods and also give me an idea of how that cost compares to what you are doing (and what it is costing you), I would love to hear your feedback. They are let out on open bahia grass with plenty of areas like...

A message from one of our sponsors Free e-book: A week-by-week guide to a happy, healthy flock Did you get new chicks this year? Congratulations! Raising backyard chickens is especially exciting when you have a partner in the process. Our friends at Purina Poultry have created a comprehensive week-by-week guide for your first year with chickens. The free how-to guide includes everything from what to ask before getting chickens to brooder set-up and from coop building to preparing for the...

Pic by @Eel Noob Many chicken keepers start their flocks with a few hens and some stage decide to add a rooster. For protecting the flock, for eye candy, or in most cases for fertile eggs. Whatever your reason, the questions remain the same: - How do you pick a good rooster for the flock? I.e. What do you look for when selecting a mature rooster? - What is the best way to go about adding a rooster to an existing flock of hens (with no rooster)