Keep your flock healthy this coming fall and winter with helpful tips from Elizabeth Mack. Keeping backyard poultry can be a fun and rewarding hobby, but it doesn’t come without its challenges. Maintaining a healthy flock requires managing the day-to-day upkeep, as well as monthly and seasonal concerns. Take the guesswork out of chicken husbandry […]

Selling your farm fresh eggs? There’s no doubt that farm fresh eggs are different from traditional store-bought eggs! Here are some important differences that you will want to mention to customers when selling your farm fresh eggs.  When the COVID-19 pandemic began effecting conventional sources of our food supply, many people began seeing empty grocery […]

Acquiring baby chicks is always exciting! But what happens when a chick doesn’t turn out as planned and a deformity is present? When it comes to raising chicks there are a few common deformities that you may experience from time to time. Hand-picking chicks from a breeder or farm store can help to minimize the […]

As the snow begins to melt and the crocus start to push up through the earth, there’s no denying that Spring has finally come! It can be a very busy time of year as we rush to plant gardens, care for newly born animals and enjoy some extra outdoors time! But, spring is also an […]

Predators know no “urban” or “rural” boundaries. Learn what predators you may see in your urban/suburban yard and how to protect your poultry. Some days it seems like poultry predators are everywhere. Not even your back yard is safe from suburban poultry predators who want nothing more than to go after your feathery friends. Here’s […]

Ascites in backyard chickens isn’t super common, but it’s possible you will come across this condition if you keep chickens. Ascites isn’t really an illness itself. Rather, it’s a symptom that something is wrong with your chicken. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, ascites is when fluid builds up in the peritoneal cavities of a […]

Animal-Assisted Therapy has come into its own in the last decade or so. Marissa Buchanan helps us understand how to start an AAT program with chickens. Response to the Cackle and Purr In the human body, there are all sorts of hormones floating around. Some of these hormones cause stress, while others induce relaxation. Some […]

In the winter months, as the weather turns colder, chicken keepers are forced to keep their birds shut indoors to protect them from adverse weather conditions. Confinement indoors can create conditions, triggering respiratory illness in poultry.   The respiratory systems of chickens are very sensitive to dust and ammonia, too much of either can bring […]

Impacted crop surgery on your chicken sounds scary, but it’s not impossible to perform this surgery. It’s inevitable if you have chickens that you are going to encounter crop issues at some time. The crop, located on the hen’s right side just beneath the skin, is a balloon-like pouch where everything they eat or drink […]

Thyme, oregano, a little vodka…not a recipe for pasta sauce, but herbal treatments from  Amy Fewell for chicken ailments such as bumblefoot, external parasites, and respiratory ailments. Poultry body language can help you recognize the first signs of sickness, and to help them prevent issues from arising. Prevention is key when it comes to keeping […]