Pasture Your Poultry with a Chicken Tractor A well built chicken tractor may be the perfect home for your chickens, and a great way to aerate and fertilize the soil. 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 on LinkedIn! […]

  Beyond what might be obvious, chickens can be quite the addition to your lifestyle no matter where you live. Here are the top 5 reasons why I think raising chickens should be something everyone should try.   EGGS, EGGS, EGGS If there is one thing we all know about chickens it is this, they […]

Cool Coops – Sponsored by Onduline ;   In this episode of MOTHER EARTH NEWS and Friends our guests and I will discuss the considerations you need to take when you are building a chicken coop including: were to keep the food, how do we space the perches and are automatic doors all they are […]

Over the past year, my coop has evolved with the seasons. During the first year I quickly learned what might have worked for the summer didn’t work well for the winter. Because my coop and pen areas are in 3 parts it allows me plenty of flexibility. The coop is for sleeping & egg laying, […]

It’s spring! As chicken keepers we should all be enjoying the increase of egg production with our flocks. The fall molt has long been over, the summer heat has not yet started and the longer daylight hours should be triggering a laying effect with your flock.   This is prime egg laying season. This is […]

This month’s Cool Coop is a great example of a coop that has easy access – to clean the coop and monitor the flock. I particularly admire the full size door. I think a lot of chicken keepers wish their coop had this feature – especially when removing and replacing coop bedding. Continue reading as Bill shares the specs of his functional coop.

I’ve been a free range backyard chicken keeper for years, but recently I’ve grown tired of the mess my flock creates. I still adore their endearing personalities and amusing antics, I’m just done with the “deposits” they leave on the deck and driveway! And – I’ve had a few episodes of stray dogs attacking my […]

Maybe you’ve experienced a “pay it forward” at a drive through or a grocery market. – Someone pays for your purchase and expects nothing in return. This random act of kindness has a ripple effect restoring our faith in the love and compassion of the human spirit. How awesome would it be to receive your first flock of backyard chickens – FREE! Continued reading as Annie Levesque shares how a gift of chicks inspired our featured “Cool Coop.”

Kids and backyard chickens have a lot in common. You’ve got to feed them, nurture them, protect them and provide them a safe shelter. It just makes sense to combine a chicken coop with an kid’s backyard hangout! Continue reading as Scott from Connecticut describes how he constructed – The Fort Coop:

Old man winter will be knocking on our doors soon, so I thought this would be a good time to review some winter strategies for keeping chickens safe and healthy during cold weather.  A winter check list for your chickens… Your chickens have probably finished molting by now, or should be soon.  Their new feathers […]