Chickens needs baths too, but they prefer dust. Liz Fulghum shares her tips and tricks to help your birds exfoliate and dislodge insects. If you’re new to chickens, you may have noticed your flock digging a shallow ditch in a sunny spot and then rolling around, getting all down and dirty. They may puff themselves […]

Poultry parasites can cause harm to individual birds, or the whole flock. Elizabeth Mack identifies some common parasites to watch for and what to do about them. For small flock chicken owners, nothing raises more alarm than finding out that one of your chickens has parasites. Chickens can pick up internal parasites from ingesting contaminated […]

Blogger Sandy Cryder shares her adventures with her very first flock of chickens. The four Buff Orpington hens in my first flock were beautiful! Large bodied; warm, golden, buff colored feathers; heavy, feathered breasts; full, downy Fluffs; Red wattles and single combs. They lay large, brown eggs starting between 5-7 months of age. Buffs are […]

Tis the season for fleas, ticks and other creepy crawlies.  They can affect not only human health but also that of our dogs, cats and feathered friends.  Finding a natural solution is easy once you become acquainted with the power of Neem Oil. After moving to our new farm last year I tried to find […]

Depending on where you live in the country, your flock can be affected by a variety of pests. These include mites, lice, assorted fleas and ticks. Most people do not think of these as predators. How could something so tiny do so much damage? Well, in fact, it is important to stay on top of […]

Jennifer Sartell Photos by author   A couple of years ago we went to The Grandpa Tiny’s Chicken Show. It’s a spectacular display of beautiful and rare poultry. The finest of the finest in our mid-Michigan area. At the show, I remember passing a cage among the junior entries with a Silkie in it. This […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author Last Saturday was a perfect spring day: warm breeze, sunshine—I was up early with plans for the day. Laundry washed and on the clothesline—check! Garden peas weeded—check! Garage cleaned and materials laid out for making “chick corral”—check! Nest boxes cleaned in henhouse—ICK! Crawly things! Ick, ick, ick. My plans […]

by Suzanne Roark Photos by author Other than a fluke blizzard-like snowstorm way back in October, we haven’t had a stitch of snow here in southern New Hampshire. With temperatures hitting the near-50° mark, it’s the perfect time to take care of some business out in the coops. Maybe it’s because the coop is kept […]