Locavore author, Bruce Ingram tells us how he treated Flystrike or myiasis in one of his hens. Lucky Six Our hen–my wife Elaine and I named her Six–came into this world lucky. When her mother Mary gave up sitting on her nest after five chicks had hatched, the egg containing Six went two days without […]

An impacted crop is a life-threatening condition that effects chickens. Find out how to recognize an impacted crop and how to help prevent it in your flock! Spring is a wonderful time of year! The grass turns green and new growth starts shooting up all around us. While these fresh greens can provide a healthy […]

Blogger Michele Cook writes a three-part series on caring for new chickens.  This is Part 3: Sick Chicks.  Look for Parts 1 & 2: “Housing Chicks” and “Chick Care Basics”. It is inevitable that one or two of your new chicks will get sick. Some issues, like pasty butt, are relatively minor, while others, such […]

Community Chickens Editor, Carla Tilghman and author Carrie Miller team up with share information with you about rodent borne diseases and some basic techniques for safely cleaning up their messes. Companion piece to Carrie Miller’s Rodents and Your Coop. Why not just coexist? Because rodents can carry many diseases harmful to both birds and humans. […]

When it comes to chicken keeping injuries and illnesses are par for the course.  Keeping a chicken first aid kit is extremely important, knowing what supplies you need even more so.  I like to have a separate small tackle box or tool chest for each type of animal.  What’s in my chicken kit?  Let’s go […]

At the minimum, a well balanced, age-appropriate chicken feed will provide a complete source of nutrition for your flock. I say “age appropriate” because chickens need different levels of protein at different ages. For example, chicks and young chickens need higher protein levels as they grow than adult birds. Meat birds also need additional protein […]

The garden has died off, trees have dropped their brilliantly colored leaves, the once persistent buzzing of insects has slowly quieted; chickens have less to find as they spend the shorter days scratching about the yard. My chickens spend more time in the wooded section of our property verse the dying off meadow like field.They are turning […]

There are those who will argue that corn contains all the nutrients necessary for a chicken to survive, and they may not be wrong. What they might not understand is that a chicken’s body is not able to utilize all those nutrients.

Did you know that chickens have 4 types of feathers? These include webbed feathers, down feathers, bristles and filoplumes. Each type of feather has a different function.

Do chickens like to free range? That seems like such a simple question to me. In my experience as a backyard chicken keeper as well as growing up in a rural area, chickens like to free range. Have you ever seen a bird sunning themselves and thought they weren’t enjoying that moment? Dust bath anyone? […]