These days the gardens, back porches, side steps, railings and cellar ways are filling up with oversized squashes, odd baskets of cucumbers or buckets of green beans, stalks of garlic and ripening tomatoes. Here, too, the yards, coops, barns, garage and assorted sheds on the homestead are filled with various sizes of poultry! There is […]

I recently conducted a class for the Master Gardener chapter that I’m a member of on 20 “DIY” bird-feeders utilizing natural sources, recycled materials and re-purposed items. Of course the best bird-feeder is what nature provides: nuts, seeds and fruit from native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. But – this class was all about creating bird-feeders […]

by Meredith ChilsonCourtney collects chickens.  Well, maybe it’s more accurate to say that Courtney attracts chickens.  It all started at a yard sale almost six years ago. At this particular sale, a mother hen and five baby chicks were in a pen in the yard with a “free to a good home” sign.  Now, really.  […]

by Rebecca Nickols It seems that this time of the year a lot of time is spent in the kitchen…  Whether it’s preparing Thanksgiving dinner or just spending time with family and friends–everyone always gravitates to the warmth and comfort of this room. I doubt that many of you ever think of a potential chicken […]

by Rebecca Nickols As this series of awe-inspiring chicken coops continues, I’m continually amazed at how creative, resourceful and imaginative some chicken keepers are when it comes to constructing their coop. It reminds me of how one person might look at an abandoned house and see only its pitfalls; while another person views the same neglected […]

by Rebecca Nickols This month’s “Cool Coop” is guaranteed  to bring a smile to your day! The on-going theme of this series of unique, creative and inspiring coops is–recycling, re-purposing, reusing… I think that everyone would agree that a reclaimed school bus chicken coop is about as cool as it gets! I love the idea of […]

by Rebecca Nickols Once again I’m on my quest to find the most creative, unique and just down-right “cool” coops. This month I think I might just have stumbled upon a collection of awe-inspiring coops that are in a class all their own! These one-of-kind coops are located on Whidbey Island (about 35 miles north […]

by Meredith Chilson Photos by author The original title of this post was “Do-It-Yourself: Grit/Shell Feeder”. After an afternoon struggling with the carpentry aspect of the feeder, I realized it wasn’t going to be done by MYself.  For my handyman husband, however, this was an easy project.  We recycle and save all sorts of things, […]

by Rebecca Nickols Photos by author Once again, I’m amazed at how clever and creative some chicken keepers are when it comes to constructing their coops. I especially appreciate the coops that repurpose and recycle materials. I’ve about decided that with a little imagination (and some basic building skills) you can make a coop out […]

by Rebecca Nickols Photos by author When my husband and I were designing our coop we poured over the numerous free blueprints, photos and examples of chicken coops at BackYard Chickens (backyardchickens.com).  I’m amazed at how clever and creative some chicken keepers are when it comes to constructing their coop. I especially appreciate the coops […]