Chicken combs come in many different shapes and sizes from rose combs to buttercup combs. Kaylee Vaughn writes here about eight distinctive comb types. A chicken’s comb is the fleshy red appendage on the top of its head. Combs come in all shapes and sizes and vary greatly depending upon the breed. While combs certainly […]

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, […]

Blogger Traci DeLore found herself in a cast and had to figure out how to care for her flock while temporarily disabled. Have you ever thought about caring for your flock when you’re injured or not able to do so? What would you do if illness or injury made it so you weren’t able to […]

Traci DeLore helps us understand how to keep some useful flock records. Keeping flock records might not seem necessary when you have a small backyard flock. However, over time, you may wish you had a written record of certain things to look back on.  I was about a year into keeping chickens when I realized it […]

Michele Cook shares ideas for keeping your chickens occupied during the long, cold winter. Bored chickens, like bored children, can find some not so great ways to occupy themselves if they have nothing to challenge their little minds. In the winter, there are no bugs to chase, no worms to dig up and no grass […]

From turkey part names to pardoned turkeys, Kaylee Vaughn tells us fun facts about Ben Franklin’s favorite bird. Turkeys have long been the bird of choice to serve at Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. But, have you ever considered just how unique and interesting these birds really are? Wow your family and friends over the dinner table this […]

After you’ve checked all your coops and tucked your flock in for the winter, Michele Cook reminds you to do a little TLC for yourself. This morning the temperatures hovered in the mid-teens and my nose hairs froze the second I stepped outside. I grumbled about the cold as I pulled the 12th layer of clothing […]

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 […]

Kaylee Vaugh de-mythtifies eggs for us. Over the last several decades, it has became less common for people to keep chickens and many people have become more disconnected from their food sources. Because of this, many myths have become commonly accepted.  I’m sure that every chicken keeper has no doubt heard (and maybe even believed!) a […]

Turkeys are pretty healthy birds, but they can catch some diseases. Luckily, you can vaccinate your birds for many of them.  Turkey Diseases Turkeys are generally healthy birds. Most backyard farmers will tell you while the birds may be fragile for the first couple of weeks, they grow into robust adults with few health problems. […]