What are these three things chickens don’t need? When raising chickens naturally, in winter, there are things chickens don’t need. I know its hard to believe that chickens can and do make it through the winter months, even in very cold climates, without our interfering. How can a chicken possibly survive the cold and reach the warmer spring months healthy and happy? Because this happens over and over. Chickens all over the world weather the winter without these three things chickens don’t need for winter.  Here are the three things chickens don’t need for winter; heated coops, extra ..read more

Properly treating foot injuries in chickens is very important. Cleaning wounds and a bumble foot treatment plan should be started promptly. The chicken may not eat or drink enough if it has a foot injury. This will weaken the bird and could lead to infection and death A good habit to get into is looking at each one of your animals every day. Learning on the homestead never stops. Every day there is a new issue to resolve or roadblock to scale. Knowing all of your animals, and what is normal behavior for each one, is important and can make a difference in their health or even survival. Keeping ..read more

Why would you keep the rooster? The general feeling from most chicken keepers seems to be just the opposite. Rightly so in the case of neighborhood rules, or possibly having small children around. But in many cases, if you keep the rooster, your flock will benefit from a good leader. When you picked up your chicks this year, the little fluffy balls of fun were so cute! No doubt one was your favorite. Now that the chicks are reaching 10 to 12 weeks of age, you have begun to notice something a little different about your favorite chick. It may be slightly bigger, stand a little taller, have big ..read more

We are heading into the prime season for a chicken coop fire. Cool weather leading into actual cold weather begins and soft hearted chicken keepers try to keep the coop warm. There are methods to keeping the coop comfortable for chickens and still avoid causing a chicken coop fire. The same prevention strategies will also help avoid barn fires. Understanding the Chicken and Cold Weather We might be tempted to view chickens as fragile, helpless birds that need us to dress them and supply a heater in the coop. Nothing could be further from the truth. While there are some less cold hardy breeds ..read more

Are there homemade chicken feed options available for the homesteader? I scoured the internet looking for the best simple, possibly inexpensive, layer chicken feed. Many options for organic, corn-free and soy-free recipes and formulas were found in the process and I’m happy to share them with you! But first, let’s take a look at what is needed in a chicken diet. Chickens need carbohydrates, protein, fat, as well as vitamins and minerals as shown below. Vitamins A D E K B1 (Thiamin) B2 (Riboflavin) B12 (folate) Folic acid Biotin Choline Niacin Minerals Calcium Phosphorus Magnesium Manganese ..read more

Getting ready for fall starts in the late summer. Fall chicken care thoughts begin to run through my head. Chilly weather will require some changes to routine, and buildings need to be checked for repairs. Using the days with pleasant weather to get these things done keeps us from repairing and scrambling during a storm. Are you preparing now? Here are some of the things we begin to do. Health Check – Beak to Tail Chicken Checkup Making sure that your individual flock members are ready to weather the upcoming changes is important. Some minor ailments can be treated successfully when found ear ..read more

Summer chicks can be the perfect time to grow your flock Waiting until spring for the best time to start chicks, can be too much to handle. Nothing starts a severe  case of chicken fever like a brooder full of baby fluff butts. Chicks are extremely susceptible to the cold weather and unless you live in an area that has warm weather year round, It can be much easier to wait until close to Spring. Here are my reasons for waiting for the best time to start chicks. Baby chicks are mailed from hatcheries soon after hatching. They are mailed out via priority overnight mail and usually pick ..read more

Are you chicken gardening? Chicken gardening means growing foods that can be used to supplement your chicken’s diet. Chicken gardening is slightly different than gardening only for people. Our flock of chickens, ducks, turkeys and guinea hens love all sorts of vegetable products and scraps. In the winter months, I ask the local grocer for the trimmings from the produce and then a feast occurs. During the rest of the year, we are able to grow fresh garden produce and herbs for our chickens, ducks and rabbits. Beginning in early spring, we plant the cool weather leafy greens such as romaine, k ..read more