There’s a reason people refer to getting settled in as “nesting.” Chickens are the masters of creating a comfy nook for themselves to either roost or lay their delicious eggs. Planning for chickens includes the vital decision of which type of chicken coop bedding to use. Bedding serves many purposes besides comfort; it must also […]
We feed meat chickens is a little different than feeding a typical layer hen. Chickens bred to be efficient meat birds grow much faster than chickens intended to produce eggs, meaning they have different nutritional requirements. A Cornish Cross, for example, is ready for processing in about 8-9 weeks, while a heritage breed like the […]
It would be great to have a hard-and-fast rule for the exact day, weight, or age to slaughter a chicken. That kind of precision is nearly impossible due to the number of variables involved. In this article, I’ll go over the variables to consider when planning your chicken processing day so you’ll have the perfect […]
Read More… from Chicken Processing 101: When to Slaughter Your Chickens, Steps, and Equipment
There is an age-old debate surrounding the idea of washing fresh eggs, and there are really two ways of looking at it. To understand why there are so many questions surrounding the great egg-washing debacle, we need to go over egg-washing concerns. Why Wash Eggs Rightfully so, egg-washing is a must. Period. And at […]
Did you ever want to get chickens but thought it was too much trouble? Did the thought of housing them, feeding them, and cleaning the coop put you off!? There is no denying that some work is attached to keeping chickens, but it’s nowhere near as bad as you think! Once you have your coop […]
Read More… from Why Raising Chickens Is Much Easier Than You Think!
If you’re looking for natural ways to treat your flock for parasites, you may want to add diatomaceous earth to your care plan. More and more chicken owners have jumped on board with natural methods of coop care in recent years. Luckily, more research is conducted every year to use this ancient substance to prevent […]
Read More… from Reasons Why Diatomaceous Earth Is Used For Chickens
So hopefully, our post on 5 Reasons to Keep Chickens did its job and persuaded you to keep chickens. The next step is picking the breed of chicken you want. Picking the right breed of chicken as a beginner can be the difference between thoroughly enjoying every moment with your chickens or questioning why you […]
The Ayam Cemani has certainly had people talking excitedly about it over the last few years. It is a total blackbird – inside and out, so as you can imagine, it has been associated with the Dark Arts, especially in its’ own country of Indonesia. At the current time, they remain a pretty rare bird […]
Read More… from Ayam Cemani: Breed Information, Care Guide, Egg Color and More
Most backyard chicken owners will agree that the single best part of keeping chickens is walking down to the coop each morning to collect eggs. How do you get chickens to lay eggs? I normally have anywhere from 8-10 fresh warm eggs waiting for me every morning, and the family loves eating them for breakfast! […]
I think we all get ‘that’ craving every time spring comes round- introducing new chickens to our flock!? In fact, with our first flock, it didn’t even take us this long. After the first weekend, we went and got another six pullets. Before we knew it, we had twelve pullets in our coop staring back […]
Read More… from How to Introduce New Chickens to Your Existing Flock