Easily process Cornish Cross broilers with this clever and usable setup from Anne Gordon. This article is Part 4 of an ongoing series on Cornish Cross Chickens. Here are links to other parts in the series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Perhaps the greatest distinction between Cornish Cross broilers and layer chickens is how […]

Chickens are one of the easiest livestock to take care of, but did you know there are different ways to feed your chickens other than with regular chicken feed? While you can buy chicken feed at the farm store, or even make your own, there are ways you can cut down on the cost of feed. […]

Insulate, Clean, and Cover: Winterizing Your Coop The cold winter months bring many new challenges to backyard chicken keepers, particularly regarding the safety and well-being of your flock. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to face these challenges head-on without too much difficulty. Not only that, but the same steps you can take to […]

Part of our Breed Profiles series, the Buckeye is a dual-purpose bird with gorgeous dark-red plumage. History For those of you who know that Ohio is call the Buckeye State after the tree, you won’t be surprised to learn that the Buckeye chicken breed was originally developed by Nettie Metcalf of Warren, Ohio, in 1896. […]

Happy chickens are productive chickens. Keep your chickens active and amused with these suggestions for a chicken playground from author Liz Fulghum. Happy Chickens Chickens are happiest when they can cluck around during the day, free-ranging and foraging through mulch, leaves, and dirt for tasty bugs and seeds. But sometimes, to keep them safe or […]

Chris Lesley helps us understand what to do with an egg-bound chicken. When raising a backyard flock, nothing is more exciting than collecting a carton’s worth of eggs each day. Every chicken owner puts in a lot of work for their flock, from feeding the birds to cleaning the coop, and a fresh omelet is […]

Like most everyone else that has fresh eggs, I struggle with peeling after hard boiling them. I have tried all the traditional and unique approaches. Add baking soda to the water, or some say baking powder—boiling and ice bathing. How about a genuine egg cooker? Have one of those too, not impressed! I’ve attempted steaming […]

Acquiring baby chicks is always exciting! But what happens when a chick doesn’t turn out as planned and a deformity is present? When it comes to raising chicks there are a few common deformities that you may experience from time to time. Hand-picking chicks from a breeder or farm store can help to minimize the […]

I have a confession to make, I used to be afraid of chickens. I am fine getting on a 1000-pound animal and riding through hill and dale, but chickens used to seriously freak me out. Where this irrational fear came from, I’m not sure, I do know how I got over it. I was boarding […]

We are all familiar with the concept of Victory Gardens, but did you realize that backyard chickens were also important in the “fight on the home front” during WWI and WWII? In fact, suburban chicken-keeping was highly encouraged!  A Brief History of Backyard Chickens: During WWI and WWII, those on the home front joined the […]