Picture credit: Preppy Kitchen Labor Day is the unofficial last hurrah of summer and the best way to cap it off is a backyard cookout with a crowd-pleasing dessert that feels a little fancy without actually being hard! Enter: the chocolate lava cake. These individual molten chocolate cakes are warm, gooey and completely irresistible. The best part? They’re made in single-serving ramekins, so everyone gets their own little moment of chocolatey magic. No sharing required! H

There’s a reason pumpkin spice shows up everywhere the moment the air turns crisp, it just feels good! Warm, cozy, a little nostalgic. It turns out the essential oils behind that signature scent aren’t just pleasant to smell, they’ve been valued for centuries, by humans and homesteaders alike, for the way they support wellness. That’s exactly why we built our newest natural coop refresher, Pumpkin Spice Coop Recuperate, around a blend of essential oils for chickens featuring

If you’ve ever lost one of your girls, you may have noticed other birds acting “off” afterwards. If that’s the case, you weren’t imagining things. Chickens are far more socially complex than most people give them credit for. So, yes they do experience something that looks a lot like grief. Chickens Choose Their People (And Their Favorites) Watch your flock for even a few days and you’ll see it. The hens that always forage together, the pair that roosts side by side every sing

Source: Hoover’s Hatchery If you’ve been thinking about adding ducks to your backyard flock or if you’re a dedicated duck keeper looking for your next favorite breed, the Golden Cascade might just steal your heart! These birds are beautiful, strong egg layers and genuinely a joy to raise. Whether you’re drawn to their warm golden coloring, their impressive gift of eggs or their easy-going personalities, there’s a lot to love about the Golden Cascade. The History of the Golden

What is Egg Bound Peritonitis? If you’ve kept backyard chickens for any length of time, you’ve probably dealt with a sick hen or two. Most of the time, a little extra TLC goes a long way. But there are a few conditions that are more serious and egg-bound peritonitis is one of them. It’s not the most common thing you’ll encounter while raising a backyard flock, but knowing what it is and what to watch for could make a real difference for the girls you love! How it Happens Pict

One of the greatest joys of keeping backyard chickens is watching them do what they do best, scratching through grass, dust bathing in the garden and foraging freely in the sunshine. Free-ranging is wonderful for your birds’ physical and mental wellbeing. But as temperatures rise and your flock spends more time outside, there’s something every chicken keeper should have on their radar: warm weather is peak season for parasites. Whether your chickens roam a large pasture or a

Picture credit: On Sutton Place There’s a reason basil has been beloved for thousands of years, and it turns out the benefits go well beyond your pasta sauce! This fragrant, easy-to-grow herb is a powerhouse for human health and a fantastic addition to your backyard flock’s wellness routine. Whether you’re a seasoned herb gardener or just getting started, basil is one plant that earns its place in every chicken keeper’s garden. Let’s dig into what basil does for your body, wh

Picture credit: Raising Happy Chickens Lets’ be honest, flies are one of the least glamorous parts of keeping chickens. They’re annoying, they spread bacteria, and if left unchecked, they can create real health problems for your flock. But before you reach for the chemical sprays, you might be surprised how much you can accomplish with natural methods. Here’s a practical guide to keeping fly populations under control the natural way. Why Fly Control Matters Flies aren’t just

Rounding up a free-ranging flock at the end of the day doesn’t have to be a wild goose chase! Here’s how to make coop time something your chickens actually look forward to. Tip 1 - Use Daily Treats as Your Secret Weapon Chickens are creatures of habit and they’re motivated by food! If you offer a tasty snack at coop time every single evening, they’ll start associating the routine with something delicious and they’ll come running. Strong Animals Happy Tract and Golden Graze ar

If you have backyard chickens, you already know they can be a little particular about where they lay their eggs. Some hens will happily use the nesting boxes, while others seem determined to find the most inconvenient corner of the coop! The good news is that a cozy, well designed nesting box can make a big difference. It gives your hens a quiet, comfortable place to lay, helps keep eggs cleaner and makes daily egg collecting much easier. Whether you’re setting up your first

Picture credit: Recipe Teacher Our secret for fall-off-the-bone drumsticks, oven or grill, it works every time and is perfect for a 4th of July cookout. We believe great chicken starts with quality, but the real magic happens in how you cook it. After years of perfecting our drumsticks, we’re sharing the one secret that separates a so-so chicken leg from one that makes your guests go quiet mid-bite. The Secret is Out Here is our secret. Cook your chicken legs to 185°F - 195°F

Picture credit: Eating By Elaine Because everyone in the backyard deserves a cool treat, feathers included! Hot summer days call for cool treats. With a few simple ingredients, you can make dye-free snow cones for the kids and a chicken-friendly shaved ice treat for your flock! First, Why Dye-Free? Artificial food dyes are everywhere in store-bought snow cone syrups. Those neon-red, electric-blue, radioactive-green bottles are basically the firework show of the food colorin

It’s a hot summer afternoon. You head out to check on your flock and notice something alarming. Your hens are standing still with their beaks wide open, breathing fast. Some are holding their wings away from their bodies. Your first instinct might be to worry, and you should listen to that instinct! Your chickens are panting, and they’re telling you something really important. The heat is getting to them. Here’s what’s happening inside your hens and why it matters. Why Chicke

Summer heat can be hard on backyard chickens! When temperatures climb, hens may pant more, eat less, drink more and slow down on egg production as their bodies work to stay cool. Unlike people, chickens can’t sweat. They regulate body temperature by panting, which can cause them to lose important electrolytes and vitamins faster during hot weather. That’s why hydration, shade and simple cooling treats can make a big difference for your flock. Frozen fruit and mint treats are

If you’ve got a backyard flock, you’ve probably watched your girls happily pecking away at the grass in your yard and thought, good for them, they’re doing what chickens do. And you’re right! Foraging is one of the best things chickens can do for their physical and mental wellbeing. But here’s something that surprises a lot of backyard keepers. Grass, specifically long grass, can actually be a sneaky trigger for one of the most common and unpleasant digestive problems we see

Make the most of summer with your flock and your family! Summer is the perfect time to slow down, head outside, and make memories with the ones you love including your feathered friends! Whether your kids are already chicken obsessed or just getting started, these three activities blend backyard fun with learning, creativity, and quality time. Best of all, your flock gets to be part of the action. Here are three of our favorite summer activities to enjoy with your kids and yo

8 Week Old Chick, Picture Credit: Willow Creek Farms You head out to do your morning chicken chores with a coffee in hand, still half-asleep and something stops you cold. A dropping that doesn’t look right. Red. Maybe streaky. Maybe just…wrong. Your heart does that little lurch. We’ve been there. And the first thing we want to tell you is: breathe. Not every alarming-looking dropping means something terrible is happening. But it does mean your birds are trying to tell you som

Picture credit: The Vanderveen House Okay, real talk. How many of you have stood in your backyard, looked at your chicken run, your coop, your kids’ bikes, the patio furniture, and thought… where on earth would I even put a garden? Here’s the thing though. Growing your own food doesn’t have to mean a big sprawling garden with raised beds stretching across your yard. More and more backyard homesteaders, especially those of us working with a suburban sized lot, are turning to v

Stressors like predators, sickness, disease, molting, extreme heat, cold weather and pecking order changes can all take a toll on your chickens. Along with keeping a close eye on our birds, we use Strong Animals Chicken Essentials every day to help keep our flock and coop in tip-top shape! A little care really does go a long way in keeping backyard chickens healthy. Some of the most common questions we get are: What is the difference between Chicken E-lixir and Flock Fixer? D

One of my favorite chickens I’ve ever had was Paris, my Prairie Bluebell Egger. Her personality matched her gorgeous plumage, and she brought so much joy to the coop. If you’re looking for a chicken that lays beautiful blue eggs and fits well into a backyard flock, the Prairie Bluebell Egger chicken is definitely one to consider. These birds have become increasingly popular with backyard chicken keepers because they combine dependable egg production, eye-catching feather colo