How to Care for Chickens During the Holidaysby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Dec. 19, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Our homestead livestock need care all year round, there is no ‘Christmas break’ from homestead chores. But, your homestead flock chores...

10 Reasons Why Hens Stop Laying Eggsby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Nov. 25, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. I expect most of my homestead animals to pay for their keep (although, there are certainly some exceptions!). Is it natural for...

How to Winterize the Chicken Coopby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Nov. 12, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. For northern homesteaders, there seems to be an endless number of things to ‘winterize’ in the fall. So when it comes to winterizing...

Garlic 101: Is Garlic Good for Chickens?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Oct. 29, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. If you had to choose only one supplement to give to your chickens, what would it be? I know for me it...

Chicken Red Mites: Diagnosis, Treatment, & Preventionby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | October 1, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. External parasites are never fun to deal with in the homestead flock. However, red mites are especially annoying since they can live...

How to Treat Northern Fowl Mites on Chickensby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Oct. 1, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Northern fowl mites are the dreaded chicken parasite of northern homesteaders. They live on a chicken’s warm body and don’t seem...

How to Choose the Right Chicken Coop Litterby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Sept. 17, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. One of the most important decisions you will make when building your homestead chicken coop is deciding what coop litter to...

How to Prevent Disease & Death in Chickensby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Sept. 3, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Preventing disease & death in the homestead flock is my number one priority every year! It seems like everything I do...

Chickcozy Automatic Coop Door Reviewby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | August 20, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. The early pioneers wouldn’t have had automatic coop doors on their chicken coops…. but, as modern pioneers, an automatic chicken coop is a convenient...

Why are Roosters Needed on the Homestead?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | August 6, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Roosters are not needed for hens to lay eggs, they are often thought of as being rough on the hens, and they...

What is Avian Influenza & How to Prevent Itby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | July 23, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. The bird flu…. the news makes it sound rather scary, but a better understanding of this avian virus will help...

Why the Poultry Pecking Order is Importantby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | July 9, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. A chicken’s social life is quite complex and ever changing. Chickens are smart and can remember many different individuals as well as...

4-H Steps for Showing Chickens in Showmanshipby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | June 25, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Showing chickens in 4-H was my life for 8 years. Being homeschooled, 4-H was my extra-curricular activity that I devoted all my...

8 Tips for Shipping Hatching Eggs Successfullyby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | June 11, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. From folks who are not familiar with shipping and selling hatching eggs, I get lots of questions in regards to how I...

How To Do A Chicken Health Checkby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 28, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Chickens have a way of getting sick very suddenly. However, it’s probably not that they get sick very suddenly, it’s often they...

Svart Hona Chicken Breed Profileby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 14, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. What’s so special about the Svart Hona? Well, aside from its stunning looks, there is so much more to love about this breed! In...

10 Tips for Hatching Svart Hona Chicksby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | April 30, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. I specialize in breeding, hatching, developing, and selling the rare Svart Hona chicken breed on my homestead. Over the years, this breed...

How to Make a Plan for Incubating & Hatching Chicksby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | April 16, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. There’s no better way to add chicks naturally to your homestead than through hatching them right on the homestead!...

Benefits of Cinnamon for Chickensby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | April 2, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Cinnamon may seem like an ordinary spice since it is so widely used in baking, cooking, and flavoring foods. However, this ordinary spice has...

10 Helpful Facts for Raising Chicks on the Homesteadby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | March 12, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Whether it’s your first time brooding chicks on the homestead or not… there’s always new tips and tricks to learn...