Michele Cook — A few years ago, I did something crazy. I quit my nearly six figure job to start a small farm. My husband lovingly called it “the hippie plan”. Basically, I would have laying hens, milk goats for soap, and a large garden. I would hawk my wares at the local farmer’s market […]

Egg are Seasonal If you’re new to raising chickens you might not realize that chickens do not naturally lay an egg every day, year-round. In the late summer/early fall you might notice that your hens stop laying altogether. You might also notice that your coop is littered with feathers. This is the seasonal molt where […]

I have big plans for breeding chickens this spring. I finally have my show-quality, heritage breed Buff Orpingtons. We drove from Mid-Michigan to eastern Ohio last year to pick up two beautiful pairs of Buffs at the Ohio National Poultry show. I can’t wait to fill my incubator with eggs from these gorgeous birds! I […]

Let’s Start With The Soup This is great whether you’re fighting against a chilly day or you’re under the weather and craving soup.  Snuggle up on the couch with a warm blanket, your soup, and a hot glass of tea.  There are so many ways to use the chickens we keep and produce in our […]

It is a common occurrence in egg-laying-chickendom that hens slow down or cease laying eggs in winter. Shorter days resulting in less daylight would make anyone sluggish and long to take a break from the daily grind. If you have a strong reliance on eggs, this season in a hen’s life can be worrisome.  However, […]

We have all heard how amazing the incredible edible egg is for us to eat, but what about for external uses? There are so many great all-natural beauty products available on the market today.  Many of them come with a hefty price tag to boot.  What if I told you, stop buying them?  It’s not […]

My Dad and I are the only ones in our family that like eggnog, so I guess that’s why I have only been exposed to the stuff you buy in a carton.  Now, don’t get me wrong, the stuff in the carton is good, but I was curious to know what homemade eggnog tasted like.  […]

As we head into the fall and winter months my chickens are laying eggs left and right. So much so, I have an overabundance of eggs piling up in my ‘egg-stra’ refrigerator. On average, I collect 10-12 eggs per day from the 13 hens currently laying. Four additional pullets have yet to produce but at […]

Chicken collecting is a hard habit to break. Especially when there are so many varieties to choose from. Often, people start the chicken venture with the idea that it would be great to have a couple of daily egg layers. Then they realize what a pleasure it is to own chickens and they get a […]

Chicken eggs are the most consumed eggs all around the world. It’s good, it’s healthy, it’s easy. But some people, out of curiosity or nutritional reason, might be interested in trying some other type of eggs, like duck eggs. Switching to duck eggs can give your boring breakfast routine a refreshing change. Plus, duck eggs […]