I recently received a new flock of Bantam Cochin chickens and this time I decided to keep a rooster in the flock. Roosters help to keep the flock safe and with a five-year-old at home, we would like to raise…
I like to let my backyard flock free-range in our yard, this has benefits and dangers. This winter my husband heard our rooster and several of my hens making a big fuss. They were being louder than normal much louder,…
Chicken coops come in a wide variety of designs and can be made from various materials. Some chicken owners go to great lengths to design elaborate structures for their chickens. They decorate the chicken coops in carefully chosen styles and…
Responsible chicken owners want to provide the best living environment for their chickens. Chicken owners need to consider the space that each chicken requires both inside the coop and outside in the run. Chickens need one to three square feet…
A chicken tractor is a moveable chicken coop on wheels. The chickens have access to the ground beneath and as they dig for bugs they “work” the soil similar to a tractor. Most chicken tractors consist of a coop and…
We all need a holiday sometimes but going away when you own chickens adds an extra layer of difficulty and responsibility. Unfortunately, there are no chicken boarding houses, such as there are for dogs, cats, or parrots. Chickens must be…
Chickens are governed by a strict social hierarchy or pecking order that maintains peace in the flock. Introducing new chickens upsets the order and causes chickens to act out and squabble amongst each other to establish a new order. More…
There are lots of reasons as to why you may want to know if your chickens’ eggs are fertilized; it could be to see if your rooster is fertile or to estimate the number of chicks you could hatch or…
If you keep backyard chickens, it can be confusing when it comes to what you will need to provide to keep them happy and healthy. One of the questions that come up concerns the use of chicken grit and oyster…
Just like us, chickens need enough rest to function at their best. It is surprising that, in terms of sleep, chickens and humans have a lot in common. We both experience REM (‘rapid eye movement’) sleep, as well as deep,…
