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 […]

If these large birds intrigue you, hear from a long-time emu breeder Alexandra Douglas about how to navigate raising them. All photos by author. There has been a growing popularity with emus over the last few years. Although the main uses for emus are for meat, eggs, and egg art, many are considering emus as […]

Inexpensive, easy-to-build chicken coops Once you get caught up in the idea of having chickens, it’s easy to find yourself spending more on them and the coop then you ever thought you would. For many people chickens are a hobby as well as pets with benefits: I’m thinking of my wife and me. We spent […]

Small flocks have always been at the forefront of grassroots local production. During the COVID-19 pandemic, small producers proved that they’re an important part of continuity and resilience. The coronavirus shelter-in-place exposed issues of how American food production works – or doesn’t. Local sources became more important for putting food on the table. Community-supported agriculture […]

These frozen yogurt treats are easy to make and they are a fun, healthy treat for your chickens on a hot summer day! During the warm summer, we all enjoy a nice cold treat! Frozen yogurt (aka “froyo”) is one of my favorite healthy treats to have on a hot day! But it wasn’t until […]

On the rural southwest Virginia road where my wife, Elaine, and I live, a number of folks raise chickens. Understandably, then, it’s common for us to exchange information on how our respective flocks are doing. So, several months ago, I wasn’t surprised to receive a frantic call from a neighbor that “some hawk is eating […]

Pheasants are well-known today in the United States, but this wasn’t always the case. These game birds were first brought to North America from Asia in 1733, and it took about 100 years for them to begin to thrive here. The governors of New York and New Hampshire dropped the Old English Blackneck Pheasant in […]

You’ve braised, grilled, fried, spatchcocked, and stuffed. Why not try your hand at poultry sausage? In the modern kitchen, whole birds rule the day, giving families multiple meals from one purchase. Sausage from chicken, duck, or other fowl is easy to make, lean yet juicy, and fun to flavor in creative ways. Here are the […]

Over the years, through trial and error, I’ve tried just about every method and approach to raising Cornish Cross broilers. I’ve experienced flips and poor weight gain and struggled with all that manure until I finally landed on methods that closely mimic commercial growers – and they have produced by far the best results. The […]

Every day of my apprenticeship begins with tending the chickens at the farm. I grab a couple bags of feed and head out to the pasture, my cheeks tingling with the cool, crisp air; my boots drenched with dew. As the golden morning light slowly cascades over the wet grass, I greet our flocks of […]