Roosters Make Great Dads! Franny believes that a rooster’s job description consists of more than alarm clock or egg fertilizer! Find out why keeping a rooster with your flock is so important! Visit Homestead Hustle for more from Franny’s Farm and great tips on profiting from your homestead! Find Homestead Hustle on Facebook – Network with us […]

We are so excited!  Some baby chicks have arrived at LL Farm!  Because we don’t have a rooster (or a broody hen to put fertile eggs under), we are raising baby chicks in a brooder again.  Isn’t it amazing how things have changed over the last century or so?  There are many ways to get […]

Usually around this time of year, I start getting e-mails and Facebook messages from people about roosters. The reason for this is that around this time of year, spring cockerels start crowing, which is the last confirmation that your supposed pullet chick, is in fact a boy.   Lots of people start contacting me asking […]

Wry Neck Wreck (Part 2) May Woodworth     The next three weeks were worrisome. Incubators were a mystery to me. Scary even. Hens and mother birds were supposed to hatch babies, not hunks of electrified plastic. Machinery in general are a challenge for me, and I try to do things manually as often as […]

     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 […]

Chickens are some of the most varied animals ever domesticated by humans. The APA recognizes 65 breeds alone and there are many, many more hobby breeds, fancy breeds, and interesting egg layers beyond that.   Have you ever found a chicken on an internet search and wished you could have a few of that breed, […]

Hatching baby chicks in your own incubator is not only easy — it’s a blast! This content is sponsored by Brinsea. I’ve heard from many backyard poultry enthusiasts who’d like to become more self-sufficient by hatching their own chicks, but who have concerns about the cost and difficulty of doing so. Well, there’s little to worry […]

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 […]

Have you heard of pasty butt? It also goes by the term “pasting up”. As you spend time with your chicks, you might happen to notice  that some of their bottoms have poo stuck to their backside (the vent). This can happen for a number of reasons including getting acclimated to eating food, poor quality […]

The Iron Oak Farm Year of the Chicken   It’s Spring! And for most, the chicken keeping year starts in the spring. Perhaps you’re bringing home your first chicks, or maybe last year’s pullets are beginning to lay. Maybe you’re collecting eggs for the incubator, or maybe you’re a seasoned chicken keeper who’s just thankful […]