by Jennifer Sartell We gather a lot of eggs around here. We have 42 hens, and on a good day, it’s not out of the question to collect 42 eggs, but for the most part, our daily average is around 26. This number changes depending on many factors, including the number of hens we have […]

by Jennifer Sartell Many of my friends who keep chickens marvel at the array of roosters that we have living in harmony together. At one time we had 14 roosters coexisting happily in the same coop/yard. It’s getting to be that time of year when many of the cute little un-sexed chicks we raised in […]

by Taylor Miller Every week at Community Chickens, we get dozens of questions from people across the world, hoping to find someone who has shared a similar experience. We try to answer them all, and forward them on to experts where we can. But many of the questions are unique, and because of this, we […]

by Meredith Chilson I’ve been in the chicken business for three years now. This is not my first experience with raising chickens, though. When I was young, my mother had a flock of 500 White Leghorns, and when my children were young, we had an assortment of fowl. My mother’s chickens went from brooder house […]

by Rebecca Nickols Q: A friend told me that chicken droppings can transfer harmful bacteria. He said not to use it for fertilizer. Is he right? – Chris   A: Great question, Chris! All animal manures have the potential risk of containing bacteria, but the key to using it as a fertilizer is knowing how […]

Guest post by Claire Culver In our last installment I discussed some of the health pitfalls in living with poultry and how to avoid them. In talking about safety, I’ll share a real-life scenario with you to show how a series of mistakes can lead up to someone like me posting about this not-so-fun aspect […]

by Jennifer Sartell Let me start by saying, we don’t live in a farming community. Our neighbors don’t have chickens. Our neighbor’s neighbors don’t have chickens. You don’t often hear the sound of a rooster crowing miles away. There are no roosters. We’re the odd ones. So forgive me if I sound as though I’m […]

by Rachel Hurd Anger In preparation of our Thanksgiving dinner, we went unconventional and roasted chicken. But, not any old chicken. No ma’am. We went local. This last summer, I had the unique opportunity to attend a workshop meant to take those interested in having a hand through every process of a meal from kill […]

Guest post by Claire Culver My husband and I volunteer with FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program along with Zombie Squad, a nonprofit with a similar mission (but much funnier name and attitude). Both are dedicated to personal safety and disaster preparation/response. I have even become a trainer in the CERT program. However, I […]