IT STARTED LIKE ANY OTHER CHORE TIME When chickens are given the option, they prefer to be out rooming amongst the yard. Working hard at capturing bugs and munching upon the grass. Have you ever really thought about what it must feel like to be a chicken, that’s cooped up all day every day? Even […]

I’m stuck in a coop and I can’t get out!     I wish I could say the headline is a joke, but it’s not.  I also wish I could laugh about it, like the saying ‘someday you’ll laugh about it,’ suggests.  It’s only been a month since the coop ordeal. I’m sure someday I […]

Cool Coops – Sponsored by Onduline ;   In this episode of MOTHER EARTH NEWS and Friends our guests and I will discuss the considerations you need to take when you are building a chicken coop including: were to keep the food, how do we space the perches and are automatic doors all they are […]

I had 3 guineas: Penny, Marcia, and Kelly. Being game birds, they tend to be very high-strung, even as chicks. Their basic reaction when anyone got within a couple of feet was to run away and if I needed to corral them for any reason, they behaved like I was going to rend them limb from limb. […]

The Christmas Holiday has come and gone at our house. This was the first year that  our children did not get up at the first crack of dawn to rush to the living room while screaming, “Santa Came!” It was a bit of a milestone I must say, and I was feeling a bit nostalgic […]

Chicken coops are like real estate.  After all, a coop is a house, right?  Housing for humans and chickens are really needed for the same reason:  shelter from the elements of life.  How fancy or simple a house or coop is, depends on the person (not the chicken – I have yet to meet a […]

Winter, the season of short days and long nights.  Often, the skies are grey and snow filled and all I want to do is feel the warm sun on my face. Dreams of beach days,  flip flops and warm breezes fill my thoughts. I imagine they fill the thoughts of most people on a cold […]

by Melissa Caughey of Tilly’s Nest 1. Chickens can be addictive. Once you have a flock I think you might find yourself wanting more. There are so many wonderful beautiful breeds and colored eggs that you might just find yourself becoming a chickens addict. 2. Get a bigger coop. Whether your purchase a coop or build […]

With a little elbow grease, this Cool Coop is a great example of using recycled material and minimal supplies to come up with a functional coop on a limited budget. This DIY project takes advantage of discarded wooden pallets. – I’ve featured a “Cool Coop” constructed of pallets before and many readers were concerned on […]

by Rebecca Nickols This month’s Cool Coop is for those of us out there that want an awesome chicken coop, but don’t have the time or skills to do a complete DIY project. The Green Chicken Coop is a great example of a ready to assemble coop that is a safe, solid housing structure for […]