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...

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...

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...

Chicken Poop Problems: The Scoop on Poopby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | October 10, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Yup, it’s a gross topic, but it is helpful to discuss chicken poop problems that you might encounter in the homestead flock....

The Importance of Calcium for Laying Hensby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | September 12, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. The homestead flock needs to have a balanced and nutritious diet in order to stay healthy and productive. One of the most...

While chickens may be the gateway animal to homesteading, there are also plenty of other poultry species to consider adding to your homestead! Raising poultry on the homestead can be fun, educational, challenging, and even rewarding. My goal is to raise every species of domesticated poultry, and so far I...

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...

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...

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...