Guide to Backyard Chickens & How to Raise Chickens

Just because you don’t live in the country doesn’t mean you can’t produce some of your own food. Urban agriculture is on the rise because everyone wants fresher, healthier and cheaper groceries. Your mini farm can do more than grow a few tomatoes. You can enjoy fresh eggs by keeping urban chickens. Organic, free-range eggs […]

The silkie chicken is a unique and highly desirable addition to any flock. She gets her name from her soft, poofy plumage which is said to feel just like silk. While the silkie chicken likely originated in Asia, this poultry breed has spread all over the world. You can expect to see them at poultry

A rooster crowing is the quintessential symbol of dawn. Long before alarm clocks it was the rooster that called farmers from their beds in the pre-dawn darkness. Today it is a sound most Americans rarely hear, since roosters are forbidden in most urban and suburban neighborhoods, precisely because of their crowing.

Do you want to raise chickens for their eggs? We can help you choose the right breed. All hens lay edible eggs, but some simply excel at egg production. While there is some individual variation from hen to hen, there are specific chicken breeds that are the masters of egg laying.

A broody hen is one that wants to raise chicks. At some point in your chicken raising career you’ll encounter one of these tenacious birds. A broody hen is determined to sit on her eggs until they hatch, and persuading her otherwise can be challenging. Fortunately, a broody hen can be very useful. She’ll do

The Livestock Conservancy lays out strict requirements for heritage chicken breeds. To be called “heritage” a chicken must be have parents and grandparents of a breed recognized by the American Poultry Association prior to the mid-20th century, they must reproduce through natural mating, live a long productive life (5-7 years for breeding hens) and have

Even if you’re soft at heart, name your flock, refer to them as “the girls” and just can’t bring yourself to raise chickens for meat, they are very useful as livestock. You can just raise chickens for eggs and, at the same time, make use of their poop as awesome garden and vegetable fertilizer and take advantage

Despite your best efforts, sometimes a chicken falls ill. There are many common chicken diseases that can affect your flock, but fortunately their are simple and natural remedies you can use to prevent and treat this illnesses. Here are natural treatments for the 10 most common poultry diseases.

Most chicken keepers want to feed their hens non GMO, organic chicken feed. After all, you’ll be eating their eggs and possibly their meat. Commercial organic chicken feed is a great option, but one that can easily break the bank. You can make your own chicken feed as a cost-effective way to give your hens

Many backyard poultry keepers want to know how to raise chickens for eggs ethically. There is a growing awareness in America of the disturbing practices on large factory farms. Indeed, it is the desire not to participate in this harmful system that leads many of us to keep our own hens. If that is your