Chickens are not always kind to each other. Learn how to keep your hens safe and solve some flock problems with this excerpt from The Chicken Keeper’s Problem Solver. PRIMITIVE BEHAVIOR Newcomers to the chicken-keeping hobby are frequently surprised—and often shocked—to discover just how vicious their feathery friends can be. Anything smaller than they are […]

The first six weeks of your chick’s lives need to be especially safe and warm. For our young chicken keeper’s, here are instructions for creating the perfect brooder for new chicks. After you determine which breeds you would like to raise and know when they will arrive at your home, it’s time to make a […]

Learn more about turkeys and wild turkey breeds in this excerpt from Don Schrider’s “Storey’s Guide to Raising Turkeys”. WHEN WE SPEAK OF TURKEYS, we will find some surprising diversity. Turkeys come in a range of colors and patterns, and a few different shapes as well. As we try to sort through this mix, it is […]

Want to know more about chicken breeds?  Enjoy this excerpt from The Backyard Field Guide to Chickens by Christine Heinrichs. Stay tuned for her June article Guineas Create a Sensation here at Community Chickens. The Mediterranean Breeds Mediterranean breeds are associated especially with Italy and Spain, warm climates with long histories of chicken breeding. They’re […]

Making the most of your farm or homestead doesn’t always mean growing more plants or raising more animals.  Here are some ideas about adding value to your place through agritourism.  Enjoy this excerpt from Farms with a Future: Creating and Growing a Sustainable Farm Business by Rebecca Thistlethwaite. Permission from Chelsea Green publishers. It’s not easy […]

Dave Holderread has raised and studies ducks for 50 years.  He taught applied poultry science in Puerto Rico before he and his wife Millie established one of the largest genetic stocks of domestic waterfowl in the world on their farm in Oregon. This excerpt about the need to preserve rare breeds is from Storey’s Guide […]

Learn more about the history of backyard chickens. For new chickens keepers and  experienced ones alike, here’s an excerpt from Amy K. Fewell’s The Homesteader’s Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook. You can read more of Amy’s work in The Homesteader’s Herbal Companion Chicken History and Terminology Chickens have taken over the world! We can find chickens in most […]

Self-Reliance: Guineas have been companions to human beings since the ancient Greeks, yet they can never be called more than “semi-domesticated.” Guinea fowl will be less dependent on you for care than perhaps any other type of animal you raise. They are able to search out their own food—except in winter—and as a result they […]

Goose Breeds: There are about 15 breeds of domesticated geese. Basically, the goose is raised for meat. Personally, I like goose meat much better than turkey. Whatever breed of goose you prefer, you’ll probably want to separate breeds or choose only one, because purebred geese are more marketable than those that are crossbred. An exception […]

Egg Breeds Indian Runner. There are many varieties of Indian Runner ducks of which the White Penciled, Fawn, and White are said to be the best egg producers (225–325 eggs per year). The Indian Runner originated in Asia (as did the rarer Bali to which it is related). Runners are a nervous, light breed (drakes […]