Chickens are on their feet all day. Even when they roost, perch or relax, they are still on their feet! Consequently, foot and toes injuries can occur no matter how many preventatives you implement. Bumblefoot is one such ailment that is caused when an infection develops in the foot pad...

I know you have probably heard me say this over and over in my articles, or at least something like this: your flock’s diet is their life blood. It’s what gives them energy and keeps them healthy. And it must change and adapt based on the seasons. What your flock...

A chicken’s diet is essential for keeping it healthy and productive. Sudden diet changes can be hard for your homestead flock to adjust to, and feed switches can even cause health problems if they are not done properly. While complete diet changes should be avoided as much as possible, there...

Just like chickens are the gateway animal for raising homestead livestock, I feel like herbs are the gateway plants for homestead gardening. So, it only makes since that chickens and herbs go together! Using herbs for your homestead flock is a great way to help them stay healthy naturally. Herbs...

There is nothing I like better than seeing my homestead flock happily pecking around in the yard, garden, and surrounding woods with the warm sun on their backs and the lush grass (or dried leaves) under their feet. I know they are doing what instinctually comes natural for them, and...

The crop is the gateway to a chicken’s stomach. Ensuring that the crop is functioning properly is essential for keeping your flock healthy and productive! There are two common ailments that affect the crop: sour crop and impacted crop. Learning to tell the difference between sour crop vs impacted crop...

Why is my chicken losing feathers? A chicken’s feathers are what protect its skin and helps keep the chicken warm. There are two main reasons why a chicken would lose its feathers. Usually feather loss is caused by molting or the feathers being pulled out by other flock members. Feather...

Learning how to make fermented chicken feed is a great cost effective, nutritious, and easy way to feed your homestead flock! Fermented chicken feed helps you get the most out of your feed bags while still providing nutritious food for your chickens. My flock loves their fermented feed and I...

Once you start raising chicks, pasty butt becomes a part of everyday lingo. And yes, pasty butt is just as gross as it sounds. Knowing how to identify, and most importantly, how to treat pasty butt in baby chicks is essential to raising a healthy brood. However, you should also...

One question that many northern homesteaders may find themselves asking is: how can I help my homestead flock stay warm when the temperatures never get above freezing? First, let me tell you that it is a legitimate question to ask. Chickens can handle cold weather better then warm weather, and...

Boredom can become an issue for homestead flock’s that have to be cooped up due to inclement weather. The winter months are an especially hard time to keep your flock entertained and active. Preventing boredom not only makes for a happy flock, but it also prevents issues like feather pulling,...

Biosecurity is extremely important for homestead chicken keepers. Biosecurity is the measures you take to prevent disease, parasites, and pathogens from affecting your flock. Understanding how biosecurity works and all that it entails will help you keep your flock healthy and free from disease and parasites. I use these 8...

Want to overcome one of the toughest winter chicken keeping problems on the homestead? Figure out how to keep your flock’s water from freezing during the winter! These 20 ways to keep your chickens’ water from freezing will be helpful for conquering this winter chicken keeping problem! Having electricity out...

A balanced diet is important year round to keep your flock healthy. During the winter, your flock’s dietary needs change slightly due to weather changes, decreased activity, and the increased need to stay warm. If these changes are not met, your flock could suffer from a deficiency or surplus in...

You may have heard about putting apple cider vinegar in your flock’s water to improve their health. However, before you go about adding this natural supplement into your flock’s diet, you must first learn how it affects their health. Vinegar can be both a help and a hindrance to the...

While there are homeopathic and herbal concoctions made specifically for treating internal parasites in chickens, I like to try and source supplements from around the homestead for treating my flock’s health ailments. There are many natural supplements and herbs which contain anti-parasitic properties helpful for both preventing and treating internal...

Are you poultry first aid certified? Me neither, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know how to treat basic injuries and ailments that appear in your homestead flock. Chickens are notorious for getting suddenly injured or mysteriously becoming ill. Knowing a few poultry first aid tips will help you deal...

Knowing how to treat worms in chickens naturally is essential for raising a homestead flock. Especially if you live in regions that provide optimal worm habitat. However, knowing how to prevent worms in chickens naturally is even more important. Preventing internal parasites is the key to keeping them from becoming...

Internal parasites, specifically worms, are one of those ever present but rarely seen menaces that can wreak havoc if not managed properly. If one or more of your flock members starts ailing, you may want to ask, does my chicken have worms? Worms are a fairly common internal parasite that...

Protein is needed for a chicken to survive. It is required for nearly all the body functions to work properly. Balancing protein in a flock’s diet is important because many factors play a role in the protein needs of individual chickens. The standard protein content in commercial chicken feeds may...