Your sweetest hen suddenly turns vicious and moody? Does your chicken fluff up and growl in the nesting box? Have you found a hen sleeping in the nesting box? You’ve probably got a broody hen on your hands. If you’re wanting to hatch some baby chicks, that’s great news…if not…well…you’re probably reading this blog post […]
How to break a broody hen: Busy People Method Read More »
Want how much it costs to raise backyard chickens? Wondering if selling eggs makes a profit or if your chickens are just expensive pets? Many of us get into homesteading with the goal of becoming self-sufficient and saving money on groceries by growing or raising most of our own food. But at the same time
How much does it cost to raise backyard chickens? Read More »
It was like our flock knew the day the calendar flipped over to November. We nearly immediately had almost no eggs! Our two youngest layers gave us a few eggs a week through the first half of the month, and then nothing…until the very last day of the month and one of our legbars graced
November 2021 Chicken Update Read More »
POOF! And then there were no eggs. After returning from our vacation our easter egger Hazel laid us one last blue egg for the year and then overnight she exploded off her feathers in one go. For those less familiar with chickens, each fall they lose their old feathers and regrow new ones in time
October 2021 Chicken Update Read More »
Cock-a-doodle-doo! It’s time for the September 2021 chicken update. We’ve heard our first adolescent crows coming from the backyard this past month. Elsie’s summer hatch of chicks are officially mature…and the little roos unfortunately can’t stick around long-term in suburbia. We knew this going into allowing Elsie to hatch eggs, but it’s still a bit
September 2021 Chicken Update Read More »
The August 2021 Chicken Update this month unfortunately has a sad start. We had to say farewell to sweet Amelia at the beginning of this month. She was a sweet blue orpington and was a big bird in her prime. She’d had health issues for nearly 2 years (malnutrition issues from a pendulous crop that
August 2021 Chicken Update – Cost to raise chickens Read More »
Canning and food preservation season is in full swing! Which means more food is going into jars than what we’re eating directly. The $$ savings from this month will benefit us come this winter when we’re craving tomato soup or a bit of salsa. Read on for the July 2021 chicken update on the homestead
July 2021 Chicken Update – Cost to raise chickens Read More »
It’s nearly time to pick up that peeping box from the post office or pick up a few cute little baby chicks from the feed and seed store. It’s hard to resist such cute fluffy little biddies chirping peep peep peep. Even our dog adores baby chicks! But before bringing them home, there are a
Preparing for Chicks – 5 Essentials to be ready Read More »
You open up the coop one morning and it looks like a fox got in the henhouse. Feathers are EVERYWHERE. All your hens are accounted for, so why does it look like a massive pillow fight occurred in your henhouse?!? All of your chickens seemed healthy yesterday? What happened? If you’re concerned about your flock,
How to care for molting chickens – 5 ways to help Read More »
“Baby” Grace is sadly on her way out. When I started keeping chickens 5 years ago, I made a policy of not eating anything I name. But that also means watching my ladies age and pass away. Many homesteaders cull their laying hens after the first few productive egg-laying years, but I know that not everyone
Chicken Hospice – Dying Chicken Care Read More »