What better pet than one that comes up to you, follows you around, and lays a tasty treat? If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about chickens here. When handled properly, most chickens can become quite friendly, smart, and sociable. As I've learned through the years, there is most certainly an...
While I'll admit that I didn't carefully plan out all the details to my first batch of chickens, sometimes it can really help to plan it out. The news spreads fast that if you want the best eggs, look no farther than your own backyard! Hence, many people buy chickens initially for their eggs...
Hens can be expected to not lay on a schedule, though if you find they are laying significantly less or even not at all, something may be influencing them to do so. There are actually many factors that can cause a hen to decrease laying or stop for a while.
Daylight
It takes about 14 hours...
The more I find myself becoming obsessed with chickens, the more I crave to know the bizarre facts about them. No matter how long I've owned chickens for, I never can know too much and I always want to know more about them. They are, without a doubt, some very interesting animals worthy of...
Note: this article is based purely off my own experience. Results may vary, however, I swear by these treatments.
I'm all for fixing any problems my chickens have with a cost-effective option. Surprisingly, most of my findings were accidental, but my results were astounding. These remedies...
The question is asked many times, "What's wrong with my chicken?" Not that there's anything wrong with that question, in fact, it is a perfectly fine question to ask. We all have asked that before, but hopefully this article can lead you in the right direction as to what exactly is wrong with...
In late March of this year, I bought an incubator because it was an amazing deal. Of course, being as impatient as I am, I started it up soon. I gathered together 7 eggs from my hens and rooster who really does his job.
After a few days, I was discouraged because a couple eggs had stopped...
Just recently I came to a realization of just how many chickens I've owned in the 4 1/2 years of raising them. For most of them, I have pictures, but some I do not. I've laughed, cried, gotten angry, and everything in between, but I just love raising chickens.
The history- we originally...
Anatomy, while not something often thought of, is a major part of a chicken. Many people know where their own heart, lungs, stomach, and other body organs are located, but few know where a chicken's body organs are. Knowing the location of different parts of a chicken can help you identify...
The subject of training chickens is often brought up. "How do I do it? What can I teach them to do? How long will this take? Can you teach an old chicken new tricks?" Those are some pretty common questions. Many people teach their dog some tricks, but chickens can also be taught tricks. While...
The difference in knowledge between chicken owners and non-chicken owners is like the difference between night and day. I walked into the wonderful world of chicken owning believing many stereotypes and myths about them. But in the now 4 years of owning them, I've learned much from and about...
As a chicken owner, I want my chickens to be as happy as possible. Happy hens lay better eggs, too! My hens look much better than commercial hens, and the eggs cannot compare. So it's a true win-win scenario, my hens are happy and we are happy with their eggs. Having had chickens for 3 years and...
When I first started raising chickens, I had to do some research. Being new to chickens, I didn't exactly know what was or wasn't true. Did I really need a rooster for eggs? What is the health difference in different colored eggs? Am I eating a potential chick each time I eat the egg's yolk...
As fall evolves into winter, winter into spring, spring into summer, and so on, your coop may require modifications for each season. Your coop, which has been converted to maximize the comfort for your flock, needs to be altered for each new season.
Winter
Snow is falling, and inside you're...
Bumble foot is an infection in a bird's foot that, if left untreated, can lead to crippledness or death. Bumble foot is usually caused if a bird externally injures their foot (scrape, irritate, minor cut) and then bacteria get in the wound and cause an infection. But in order to treat it, first...
Just as many chicken owners discover, chickens and other feathered friends may molt in the summer or fall. Some molting may be light enough so that it is barely even noticeable, but you may go in the chicken coop one morning or evening to what looks like a pillow explosion. Either way, this is...
It's something just about all chickens work and figure out- the pecking order. Now what exactly is the pecking order, is it necessary, and should you encourage it? First, lets take a look at what the pecking order is.
The pecking order is a ranking among chickens in a flock to see who is...
We bought Ginger and her friend Chester as pullets from a feed store. They were 2 of the 10 first chicks we ever raised. I came to learn that Ginger is a Partridge Plymouth Rock after I thought she didn't look like your everyday Rhode Island Red, and it turns out she's not! While I was putting...
So many of us know that there are many breeds of chickens, but which one is right for your flock? In this article, I will not be able to mention every chicken breed, but I will try to mention some of the main or popular chicken breeds.
Ameraucana
Eggs/week- about 3
Egg color- blue
Cold...