As part of our breed series, Jeannette Beranger clues us into which chicken breeds are North American. Photos courtesy of the Livestock Conservancy. Chickens come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, and general appearances, making them one of our most diverse domestic species. To help make some sense out of organizing them, the American Poultry […]

Excited about new chicks, but nervous about introducing them to your existing flock? Elizabeth Mack walks you through bird dynamics to keep everyone safe. Bringing new chicks home can be a stressful time, but it’s especially nerve-wracking when you have an existing flock. The old girls are set in their ways, know their place, and […]

Nest boxes, hidey-holes, dust baths, learn how to make quail “furniture” with Kelly Bohling. Photos by author. In my years of keeping Japanese quail, I discovered that these birds always enjoy two pieces of “quail furniture”: a shelter to hide in, and a good dust bath! I also learned that whatever quail spend a lot of […]

Please fence me in! Great advice from carpenter Frank Hyman about how to set posts. Photos by author. There’s a little bit of an art to setting posts for a pen. Okay, it’s very little art. Nonetheless, I’m particular about setting posts. I live in fear of my work looking like some fence lines I’ve […]

Maat van Uitert shares five great ways to teach your kids confidence around your flocks. Ever watch those videos of roosters chasing kids and laugh? Did you know that confidence around our feathered friends can be taught? And that confidence can influence the rest of your kids’ lives? We’ve all heard that involving children in […]

Bringing home a peeping box with fluffy little chicks can be scary, but Elizabeth Mack has lots of excellent advice to help you. Photos by author. For new chicken owners, nothing is more exciting — and more terrifying — than bringing baby chicks home for the first time. Hopefully, you’ve done lots of pre-planning, and […]

Having chickens means eventually having interested predators. -Advertisement- Chickens are one of the best and most rewarding animals on the farm. Unfortunately, they’re also one of the most vulnerable. Many species of predators will go after your chickens. Exactly which predators you have to deal with will vary with your location and environment, but there […]

Maat van Uitert shares smart instructions for an easy and strong chicken coop. Did you get chickens this spring, and now need a coop for them? Want to build it yourself? In this article, we’ll show you how we built an 8-by-8-foot chicken coop for less than $400! This coop is perfect for seven chickens […]

Salt-cured egg yolks are the most delightful addition to any meal. Story and photos by Kelly Bohling. I hadn’t heard of salt-cured egg yolks until this past year, when I took a deep dive into cooking shows. Raising quail, I naturally found myself wondering if salt-cured quail egg yolks would be possible. I was then […]

How does a chicken get clean? By getting dirty! -Advertisement-  A Natural Instinct Flinging around dirt to get clean seems counterintuitive, but Mother Nature knows what She’s doing.  Dust bathing is an instinctive activity for many animals, including some mammals and many types of birds like sparrows, ostriches, and most game birds.  Dust bathing is […]