In this incubation guide, I will take you through the common terms, temperatures, times, and humidity levels for common, assorted backyard poultry.   Often times, when people new to hatching are researching how to carry out the process, seasoned breeders will throw out terms that perhaps not everyone is familiar with. Hopefully this will act […]

     Wry Neck Wreck       May Woodworth        Our friends and family know Uno’s story well. They know that his Rhode Island Red parents (Red & RooRoo) had a zany relationship. They know that Red lost interest in sitting on her clutch of eggs on the exact day of RooRoo’s […]

As they say, there’s a first time for everything!  Over the past month I had been hoping a couple of my birds might become broody.  Specifically, I was hoping for a broody chicken but instead a duck made my wish come true. Diller (aka Phyllis Diller) is a small crested duck with a floppy foot. […]

The term anthropomorphism is to assign human traits to animals or inanimate objects. Being active in many livestock forums, farm Facebook groups and other animal specific online communities, I’ve often heard this term used in an accusatory manner. Usually in the comment section of some article or post…people get upset when you claim that animals […]

This post is your guide to all things chicken! Everything from why you should raise chickens, different styles of rearing, choosing breeds that are right for you, designing a coop, keeping you flock healthy and raising chicks. It’s the perfect place to start if you’re just starting out with your first flock, or are interested […]

It’s that time of year again! We visited our local feed store to buy goat grain the other night, and as soon as the sliding doors parted we could hear the familiar “peep, peep, peeping” of all the new 2016 baby chicks. When I was a teenager, I remember there was only one store in […]

Let me start by saying that we have had a little broodiness before.  No big deal…we moved the chicken out of the nesting box a few times, collected the eggs and all was good.  But this time…no eggs in the nesting box for two days!  The ladies ALWAYS lay their eggs in the same nesting […]

I’m sure you’ve all heard the phrase be careful what you wish for. That might be touching on a bit of what we’re experiencing with our turkey population here. We decided to raise Black Spanish turkeys a few years back for meat and to help with the movement to further the breed’s numbers. The first […]

The springtime is one of the most exciting times in the chicken keeping experience. It’s all about new life! Our hens start laying again after their long winter break, baby chicks are popping up at feed stores, and in many homes you can hear the whirr of running incubators. This post covers everything you need […]

by Jennifer Sartell of Iron Oak Farm When raising chickens it’s always important to have a “back up” plan. Just when you think everyone in the flock is happy, content and healthy, nature has a way of surprising us. Chickens can become ill or suffer injuries. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to […]