Protecting your homestead from predators is always important, but sometimes it can be tricky seeing more elusive creatures such as snakes when they’re creeping around your property. Many areas have venomous snakes, like copperheads, that can be found creeping around chicken coops, but will they kill a member of your flock? A copperhead is a…
The adventure of breeding and hatching chickens is super exciting! Especially for homesteaders that are looking for ways to expand their flock or make little extra money selling fertile eggs or very young chicks. But when is the best time to even breed chickens and incubate their eggs? Spring is the best time to breed,…
The process of incubating chicken eggs can be a really exciting one for everyone involved, but there are a few important steps to tackle first. Before you even acquire your fertile eggs, you should have the incubator set up and ready to go. But that leads to the question of, where should you even put…
Chickens always seem to get a bad rap for being stupid or not capable of much emotion, but the truth is they are actually a complex species that can show love and affection to their owners and family. So, many folks who aren’t familiar with chickens and their emotions may be wondering, do chickens really…
The safety and shelter of the chicken coop can be appealing to our feathered friends, especially if there is something going on physically or psychologically with them. There can even be moments where backyard chicken raisers may be wondering how lazy their birds are. Well, the truth is, there can be several reasons why your…
Knowing if you have a fertilized egg or not can be tricky, especially if you aren’t sure what to look for. Many farmers and backyard chicken raisers have gotten pretty good at knowing how to tell when an egg has a potential chick growing inside of it. From candling to just cracking them open, there…
Starting the process of raising a flock of chickens can seem complicated and maybe a little costly at first. There are many financial factors that need to be considered when you are preparing yourself for your first flock of hens, like the coop, food and bedding. But then there is the question of how much…
Chickens can be fun and rewarding but also messy. They will get poop and dirt on anything without much care in the world, even when it’s their water or food supply. Keeping these things clean can be a challenge if you don’t have the proper containers. When their food or water is left in a…
There are hundreds of chicken breeds to choose from when you are wanting to start a flock, but some are, by far, more popular or commonly seen than others. Every chicken has its own unique purpose and reasons for why people prefer some breeds over others. But what is the most common breed of chicken?…
Staying on a farm is a lot of fun, and we love having animals of all shapes and sizes strutting around. We had an unusual few weeks a year back where some of our chickens either went missing or mysteriously died. When raising chickens, you need to know all about their health, shelter, what to…
