by Karla T. We’ve always had a lot of self-sufficient living books at our house. The Almanac of Rural Living, Back to Basics, Making the Best of Basics and many more. So when we decided to start keeping chickens I did a LOT of reading both online and in our personal library. One book that […]

by Rebecca Nickols With the end of the year approaching, I find myself reflecting on the events of 2010. Of course it’s the year we got our first flock, but it’s also the year our neighboring city, Springfield, MO, gave their approval for residents inside the city limits to have backyard chickens. This has been […]

by Meredith Chilson I would love to be able to free range my hens. Even though we live in a rural area, on a back road, it’s a narrow valley we live in with that rural road running right down the center. On one side of the road is a narrow field with a small […]

Guest post by Pam Baker Chickens are fun. Ask anyone who has them. Well, fun is a relative term; you can’t take them to the movies or play cards with them, but many chicken keepers will tell you that they spend enjoyable hours watching their antics. Some make pets out of them, give them names […]

by Susan Waughtal It seems like you can never have too many large plastic buckets on a farm. They are invaluable for hauling water and feed, garden veggies, compost, moving baby chicks, storing tools, collecting maple sap, and even making nesting boxes. My hen population has grown and they needed more nesting sites. Yesterday, I […]

by Susan Waughtal Our little turn-of-the century farmstead has a classic set of red outbuildings. The date embossed on its cupola proclaims the barn was built in 1918, probably the same year they built the chicken coop, my favorite structure of the farm. We have lived here two years now, and I am continually impressed […]

by Jennifer Burcke It’s moving day here at 1840 Farm. No, not for the humans or even the miniature schnauzer. The chickens are on the move. That’s right, our little chicken babies are all grown up. Well, maybe not all grown up, but they’re ready to take a giant leap in that direction. They arrived […]

Guest post by Candice There’s been an unsettling mystery here at Blue Feather Hollow for the past week. Our turkeys – 7 adults, 7 “teenagers” (just over 2 months old), and the 9 new poults with Mama Swan (yes, we have a turkey named Swan – a story for another day) – reside in a […]

Guest post by: Patsy Melton I love chickens. I didn’t know I loved chickens till I cobbled together a dog kennel around a chicken coop given to me by a dear friend (whose daughter had used it for 4-H chicken projects). It took me quite a bit of time to get it ready for chickens. It […]

by Joy Currie My husband and I are the third generation to live on the farm my grandfather bought in 1930. We live on the farm with my aunt, brother, parents, Fifi the cat, Louis the pig and nine chickens. Our goal is to be continually moving toward a more self-sufficient and sustainable life. I […]