by Jennifer BurckeI grew up celebrating Independence Day with sparklers and barbecue. I lived in Kansas then and we didn’t really need an excuse to eat barbecue. We viewed a warm weather holiday as an opportunity and seized it. Fourth of July parades and celebrations seemed to be as ubiquitous as sunshine on a summer […]

Photos and story by Cherie Langlois Thinking about getting some Muscovy ducks around your place? Well, then, what could be more adorable than a flock of fuzzy little Muscovy ducklings? If this is your first foray into raising ducks, you can buy your first baby ducks from a local breeder, feed store, hatchery or animal […]

by Amy Grisak — Title photograph by Mark Vogel Ducks can be helpful, colorful little characters in your garden patch, providing a measure of truly natural garden pest control – and the eggs they lay taste delicious! Here are some fun facts about a few heirloom breeds. Indian Runners are comical-looking ducks that stand tall […]

by Jennifer Sartell One of the bittersweet things about raising ducks, specifically pekins, is that they grow SO fast. Ducklings are so adorable, and while my heart melts when they’re little, I’m not sad to get the brooders out of the house after they’ve grown. Our brooding time was about a third of what we […]

by Jennifer Sartell The year after I got my first chickens, my dad told me that I had proven myself responsible with the care of our birds and that I could add a few more to our flock. How quickly the spring sunshine and collecting your first egg can cloud your mind with amnesia, as […]

by Margaret E. Kellogg They say you learn something new every day, and I find this to be so true. I didn’t know that it takes about five months for a mallard drake to look like a drake. Did you? My son, Stephen, is infatuated with mallard ducks. I just couldn’t understand why he thought […]

By Eric Guel After a bantam hen and random pullet went broody a few weeks ago, our little farm had another round of chicks hatch last week. The foster moms did famously, sitting on their respective clutches with religious devotion, despite the string of 100+ degree afternoons we’ve recently had (welcome to Texas, y’all!). Alas, […]

by Margaret E. Kellogg I’m finding that hatching my own eggs is productive and enjoyable. I have three Brinsea Mini Eco incubators at work full of eggs. These little incubators have been a great tool. I got the crazy idea that I wanted to incubate some of my own eggs. I’m sure my husband wishes […]

by Nancy Farrell Q. I was wondering how the garden would fare if chickens were allowed to free range? Will they eat everything if not fenced off? – Chris, from Medaryville, Ind. A. Great question, Chris! One that I think I can help you with. When we first got our chickens I too visualized a […]

by Margaret E. Kellogg I have had great experience with incubating some eggs. I had the delight of having a duckling, a chick and then a batch of chicks. With the first couple, I tried something new to me: I put them in with a companion. For the duck, this worked well, although I think […]