Urban homesteading on a regular lot in the suburbs of Atlanta. Six years of backyard chickens — started with seventeen, down to three, and there’s a story behind every one. A garden I’m trying to get better at, cheese made with the wrong acid, and more sourdough starters killed than I can count. The canner is still in the box. It’s never too late to learn. Not a tutorial, and not a farm.
Birds are delicate creatures, and chickens are no exception. When your chicken starts limping, you should always investigate. Unfortunately, determining the cause is sometimes tricky, and there are many reasons why a chicken may limp. Chickens may limp because of…
Chickens are such a common sight in a farmyard that they are almost taken for granted. Not many people think twice about them or their lives. Most people eat eggs regularly without thinking about how they are produced. Chickens are…
Most people are used to the wake-up calls of a rooster crowing in the early hours of the morning, while to other people, this sound can be the bane of their existence. But there is a lot more to a…
We all need a balanced diet to meet our vitamin requirements, and chickens are no exception. Vitamins are essential to keep chickens healthy and to allow them to grow and function optimally. Sometimes chickens can become deficient in specific vitamins. …
Internal parasites make most of us feel a bit squeamish. The thought of a worm infestation in our chicken flock makes us rush off to the nearest agricultural depot searching for deworming products. Six different types of worms can infect…
If you have delved into the chicken world at all, you have probably come across an aggressive rooster at some stage. My current bantam cochin rooster has an aggressive side. Although roosters are small compared to people, they can still…
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 such an integral part of human society that it is hard to think of a time when they were not domesticated animals, living with humans to provide eggs and meat. Most chicken breeds have been dependent on humans…
Chickens are social birds and are naturally inquisitive. They use their beaks to explore in the same way we use our hands – pecking at objects in their surroundings or often at members of their flock. While hen pecking is…
Some people might think that the chicken is but a simple bird, but the opposite is true; they are a lot more complex than we might think – I have always thought of them as fascinating creatures! There really is…
