Do your chickens have names? The first of my chickens that I ever named were the original six Cornish cross meat birds we raised. As a farm kid, I’ve always known where food comes from and it didn’t bother me that we would eventually eat these chickens. So we named them Marsala, Extra Crispy, Pot […]

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the coop, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse (for fear he would be eaten.)   The chicken sweaters were hung in the feed shed with care, in hopes the crazy chicken lady soon would be there. The hens were snuggled down deep in the straw, […]

I have a favorite chicken. Ssssshhhh! Don’t tell the rest of the flock. Much like parents aren’t supposed to have a favorite kid, I worry that I’m not supposed to have a favorite chicken. However, I do. Her name is Penny. Penny came to us a little over a year into our chicken-keeping adventure. We […]

Our adventure in turkeys began with a simple phone call. Ten days ago, I received a phone call from a dear friend in a bit of a pickle. She had left a few days earlier on a road trip from Ohio to Colorado. She called from Topeka, Kansas, in need of a favor. The friend […]

  It seemed fitting that after Zach and I wrapped up our final Community Chickens podcast episode that I name my new chickens after the Golden Girls! That was a suggestion of Zach’s on the show.     You may have gotten a glimpse of my chicken coop in my previous post regarding Bruce. Here’s a […]

IT STARTED LIKE ANY OTHER CHORE TIME When chickens are given the option, they prefer to be out rooming amongst the yard. Working hard at capturing bugs and munching upon the grass. Have you ever really thought about what it must feel like to be a chicken, that’s cooped up all day every day? Even […]

This coming June will be 2 years since starting my first flock of chicken(s) here on 25 Acres. Even though there has been a slow down to the number of “firsts” I’m experiencing, it still doesn’t make it any less shocking when weird things happen. Recently, I started supplementing the chicken dust bathing area with […]

My grandmother, born in October 1928, grew up on her grandparent’s farm in Craigsville, West Virginia.  Her childhood began alongside The Great Depression.  As one of the middle children, she had many responsibilities around the farm.  Some of her earliest memories are of the animals on the farm, especially the chickens. My grandmother has loved […]

I count on my chickens in so many ways: eggs, bug control, food, and companionship, to name a few.  Just recently they took on the role of janitorial staff as well.  For me, each day begins the same, heading to the barn for morning chores. Grain is given to the goats and cows; water cleaned […]

After being without eggs for almost eight months, due to the petering of eggs from an old flock, followed by their demise, and waiting for the Jennies (Novogens) to lay, the Jennies seemed like wonder hens to me. We had eggs again! Baskets of big, beautiful, jumbo brown eggs.  My excitement and gratitude led me […]