While in the coop doing my morning chores I was met with an unusual surprise.  An unfamiliar colored egg had found its way into one of my nesting boxes.  I was use to seeing nearly every shade of brown from my eight hens but never one with a completely white eggshell. This discovery lead me […]

by Donna McGlasson from Gardens & Chickens & Worms, Oh My! Laying hens need calcium to lay and have strong shells.  A healthy diet and a separate container with a calcium source are very important to offer your girls.  If your laying hens do not get enough calcium, their bodies will pull calcium from their […]

by Meredith Chilson We have a chicken that seems to wait too long before heading to the nest boxes.  About once a week, I find an egg that’s rolled into a corner of the hen yard, or under a branch, or even in the middle of the coop floor.  I’m never quite sure how fresh […]

I have an abundance of eggs.  A plethora. A….LOT!  Stacks of cartons in the refrigerator; a full basket every day.  It’s wonderful!  I’ve used some of the eggs with our fresh asparagus to make frittata, I’ve baked and fixed breakfasts—I’ve even taken eggs to church on Sunday morning and handed them out. Today, I’m putting […]

 by Meredith Chilson The holidays are looming, and I’ve pulled down the crates and tubs of decorations and ornaments from the high shelf in the garage.  As I sort through the boxes, I realize that many of them are handmade—some of glitter, glue and toothpicks made by tiny hands, others of ceramic, glass or wood.  […]

by Jennifer Sartell Photos by author The other day I was at the grocery store. I hate grocery shopping, so I always make a list so I can get what I need and get out of there as fast as possible. Sometimes I feel like grocery shopping is like bumper boats with shopping carts, only […]

I normally crush up all our eggshells and feed them free-choice to our chickens as an economical way to provide them the extra calcium they need to lay eggs with nice hard shells.  But there are other practical uses for eggshells. 1.  Supplemental calcium source for your chickens This is what normally ends up happening […]

by Jennifer Burcke Photos by author If you read the Community Chickens e-newsletter on a weekly basis, you’ve probably seen the great collection of posts that discuss gardening with your chickens. Fellow contributor Rebecca Nickols wrote a four-part series that includes a wealth of information regarding the subject. I have enjoyed reading the other contributors’ […]