by Rachel Hurd Anger   Raising backyard chickens for eggs became an unlikely obsession. I can’t even say when it started, but I owe it mostly to author Michael Pollan and my first reading of his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Now I devour information about sustainable living, and bit by bit, my goal is to […]

by Rebecca Nickols Since I’m 10 weeks into my chicken experience at the start of my blog, I’m going to begin my chicken story by explaining how this all started… We lived in the city for 12 years in an old house with a small yard. I think I had something planted in every inch […]

by Jennifer Burcke It was an idea that seemed simple enough. We would build a chicken coop next to our existing barn and add a few chickens to 1840 Farm. How hard could it be? As it turned out, incredibly hard. First we needed to decide what kind of structure to build. Chicken ark? Chicken […]

by Jennifer Sartell A couple of weekends ago, Zach and I visited the Grandpa Tiny’s Fowl Fest in Frankenmuth, Michigan on our way up north for our 1 year anniversary. Yes, I know, nothing says true love like a chicken show! It is an amazing event. This year there were 1504 birds exhibited through 172 […]

Guest post by Chuck Hagi I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago and was quite happy living the city life. All that changed when I was in fifth grade. My parents apparently got sick of the fast pace of city-life and decided that we would pack up all of our belongings and […]

by Eric Guel A couple of years ago I would have never guessed that I’d be a chicken farmer. Alright, maybe dubbing myself a “farmer” is a bit of a stretch, but my wife, Brandi, and I got our first flock of 10 birds in July 2009, and we haven’t looked back! Our first flock […]

Guest post by Pam Baker I am, my husband and I are, proud to say we are backyard chicken farmers. But let me start at the beginning. Moving to Vermont was a decision based on family. At forty- something, my husband and I had grown tired of the suburban life. Well, actually, I had grown […]

by Nancy Rundel You know it’s going to be a good day when you hear a rooster crow outside and you think, “Wow, that rooster sounds close to the house.” Sure enough, when you look out the window, he’s right there on the railing of your deck, robustly welcoming the day. At this point, you […]

by Jennifer Kendall Chickens are omnivores with simple stomachs. They can and will eat both animal and vegetable products. In addition to foraged plants and insects, it is important to provide them with adequate protein in a form that is easily digested. Heritage Chickens need more protein than is in rations prepared for commercial chickens. […]

by Barbara Palermo I love dogs. I also love chickens. One of my dogs (a golden retriever), pays no attention to the hens – except for having an insatiable appetite for the pooh they leave behind. I am certain, however, that my other dog (a Blue Heeler/border collie mix) would chase down and destroy my […]