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...

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...

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...

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...

10 Chicken Keeping Myths to Ignoreby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | March 5, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. With a rise in chicken keeping and homesteading also comes an increase in information about keeping chickens on the homestead. And, as with...

SPECIAL POST: Elder Farms Products for Chickensby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | February 6, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Elderberries are a powerful holistic berry that has been used in ancient medicine for centuries. Elderberry supplements should certainly be a staple...

8 Most Cold Hardy Chicken Breedsby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 2, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. You know the saying, “gotta’ have the right tool for the job”. Well it’s the same logic when it comes to choosing chicken...

What is Cold Stress in Poultry?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | January 2, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. What is cold stress in poultry? Cold stress is the response a chicken’s body has to staying warm in cold weather. It is...

Should I Insulate the Chicken Coop?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | December 19, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. When it comes to winter chicken keeping, questions like, ‘should I heat the chicken coop?’, ‘does the coop need to be insulated?’, and...

The Deep Litter Method for the Chicken Coopby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | December 5, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. If you’ve been a northern homesteader for any length of time, you’re probably pretty familiar with the term ‘deep litter method’....

What is Grit for Chickens?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | September 26, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Did you know that chickens eat stones? That’s essentially what chicken grit it. Chicken’s need grit in their diet to aid digestion of other...

5 Tips to Vacation-Proof the Chicken Coopby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | August 29, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Maybe you are a modern pioneer who likes to travel (like me). Or you just need your homestead chicken coop to be...

How to Design a Chicken Coopby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | July 18, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. When building a homestead chicken coop, there are guidelines to keep in mind and there are also essentials that must be included. If...

What to do with an Aggressive Roosterby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | July 11, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Any rooster can be protective and assertive, so knowing how to deal with an aggressive rooster is important for raising a safe...