The brooder supplies a chick’s three basic survival needs: heat, food, and water. Knowing how to properly set up the brooder is essential before you get chicks. However, you may know what you should include in the brooder, but do you know about some of the things you should not...

Ever wonder exactly what it takes to raise chickens? Or maybe you’re wondering what tools and supplies are available to help you raise a backyard flock? The Complete Guide to Supplies for Raising Chickens lists all of the materials you may need to begin and continue your backyard chicken raising...

Cold stress is often an overlooked aspect of winter chicken keeping due to the fact that chickens generally handle cold weather better than warm weather. However, cold stress is almost always present in the flock during the winter, it’s just a matter of determining when that stress becomes detrimental to...

Winter chicken keeping is not as challenging as it sounds. Once you get the cold weather logistics figured out, caring for your flock during the winter should be pretty similar to other times of the year, with just a few management changes. The cold weather’s main affect on poultry is...

What’s warm, cheap, easy to make, and something that chickens love on cold winter mornings? Oatmeal why of course! However, there are also many other treats that fall into those same categories and are even healthier for your flock than oatmeal! Oatmeal is not downright terrible for chickens, but there...

A peaceful, well socialized, and coherent flock makes for happy, calm, and stress free flock members who are productive and healthy! When there is strife or division within the flock, it causes stress. Stress leads to a decrease in production, an opportunity for disease, and even death for some members...

With Christmas right around the corner you might be thinking about the people you need to find gifts for.  I love finding that perfect gift, but it’s not always easy.  Raising chickens is becoming more popular and you can now find many fun, unique, and useful products that would make the perfect...

How fancy is your coop? Or maybe a more practical question for homestead chicken raisers is, how fancy does my coop need to be? There is a difference between frivolous and functional when it comes to amenities in the coop. With winter almost here, it’s time to think about how...

Raising chickens on the homestead means you have natural composters right at your finger tips! However, just because chickens act like they will eat anything doesn’t mean they can eat everything. There are good and bad table scraps for chickens that you should be aware of when giving your flock...

Like any good pet owner, I enjoy browsing the farm store isles looking for goodies for my chickens. Since I’ve been striving to become more sustainable and self-sufficient, I have started looking for ways to make my own chicken treats, but occasionally I still like to buy them a ‘store-bought’...

Raising chickens on the homestead means using what resources and materials you have available to keep your flock happy, healthy, and safe. These 9 diy projects for the chicken coop are functional items you can make for the coop. Not only do these projects help spruce up the coop, but...

Supplements are important in a chicken’s diet too! While choosing the right homestead poultry feed goes a long way in promoting health in your flock, adding supplements to your flock’s diet can increase longevity, productivity, and overall health. However, you must learn how to use chicken feed supplements properly in...

The natural chicken keeper’s first aid kit will look different than the average poultry first aid kit. These natural chicken keeping first aid kit supplies can prove to be in-valuable to the modern homesteader. Instead of synthetic anti-biotics, chemical treatments, and processed supplements, there will be natural anti-biotics, plant-based remedies,...

Did you know that your chickens can actually help you eat healthier? Everything on the homestead is related, and that includes you and your chickens. What you feed your chickens can actually reflect upon your lifestyle. The treats you give your chickens depends on what your diet is, which should...

Homestead chicken keepers should strive to raise their flock as naturally as possible. Since homesteading is about sustainability, living off the land, and using what resources are available, it only makes sense that our chicken keeping routine should be the same! Simple natural chicken keeping on the homestead should be...

Deciding to free-range your chickens or not is a personal decision that will be based off of many different factors. However, I would like to discuss the reasons why I chose to free-range my laying flock. These 8 reasons why chickens should free-range are positive aspects of free-ranging chickens. While...

My chicken is smarter than your dog! Did you know that cognitive research has actually proven that chickens can be smarter than dogs, cats, and even 4-year old toddlers!? Chickens are entertaining in and of themselves, but training them can be both fun and functional. These 7 things to train...

Chickens are intelligent creatures. They can recognize up to 100 different individuals and have the ability to compare themselves to other flock members in relation to ability, experiences and gender. When I first had the idea to train one of my chickens, I didn’t realize how easy it was going...

My Svart Hona pullet, Hitan is a very unique chicken. And I don’t just say that because she is completely black, inside and out. She has her very own quirks and perks that make her special....

After last weeks over view of our Texas vacation it is time to introduce you to a few more of the residents at the coop. Arrow is an Ameraucana hen who thinks that she is the princess of the coop. She is picky about what she eats and doesn’t like...