Roxanne taking a dust bath I love to see people’s reactions when they ask how I bathe my chickens. When I tell them that chickens love to take baths in the dirt, they give me a puzzled look and usually ask a few more questions. I remember the first time I saw a chicken dust bathing...I thought for sure she was flopping around to her death. Little did I know, she was probably having the time of her life! When I learned that chickens get dirty to get clean (strange I know!), it

Most of the time, I look forward to writing these blogs because we get to talk about the wonderful ways backyard chickens can add to our lives, fun recipes with our eggs and helpful ways to care for our flocks. However, there are times when we have to talk about the other side of raising backyard chickens, and today is one of those times... Today, we're going to learn all about fowl pox. I will start by saying that my flock has never experienced this and I’m very grateful! So

Do you need a fun, EASY and healthy breakfast for your family on St. Patrick’s Day? Look no further! I've got the recipe for you. Let it be known that I’m also totally on board with just pouring your family a bowl of Lucky Charms in a pinch. However, these days we’re trying to stay away from a lot of extra sugar. Plus, the girls are realizing it’s almost spring, so they're little laying machines! We have an abundance of eggs, so we'll be having fried eggs, scrambled eggs, poa

I remember the very first time we got baby chicks. The excitement was off the charts! We were going to have this perfect little flock. Then reality set in. We had one little Barred Rock who just wouldn’t quit bullying the other chicks. At this point, I was not only mortified by her eye pecks, I was wondering if I was doing something wrong to have her exhibit this behavior. After some research, and now a lot of experience, this is what I’ve found. Identify Environmental Trigge

As many of you know, I have 40 chickens (and counting)! This wasn’t the plan—I was supposed to stop at six chickens, but here we are! And yes, I’m adding to the flock again this spring from Hoover’s Hatchery! Raising baby chicks is one of my favorite parts of chicken keeping, and each spring brings new excitement as I welcome these little ones into the coop. In the past, I’ve ordered chicks online, bought them from our local farm supply store and even hatched my own eggs. No

Would you believe that my first love in the world of feathered friends was actually ducklings? Most people know me for my love of chickens, but it all started with ducks! I’ll never forget the day my kids and I were at the local farm supply store. We always loved looking at the cute baby chicks, but the ones I just couldn’t resist were the ducklings! We brought them home that day, and our love for ducks grew. That same year, someone gifted our son a gosling for his 10th birth

Today’s an exciting day! I get to highlight one of the new chicken treat products by Strong Animals Chicken Essentials - Golden Graze! Wahoo! Why Chickens Treats Are Magic Before we dive into Golden Graze, let me explain why snacks and treats are truly magical. Many people ask me how I’m able to hold my chickens and develop such a strong bond with them. Almost all of my chickens allow me to hold, cuddle, and even carry them around. Well, except for Buck and Gladys… there’s no

I realize my chickens have no idea if it’s Valentine’s Day or not, but what chicken doesn’t love a special treat now and again? Really, we’re a lot like chickens! Ha! Valentine’s Day or not, getting a special treat is fun and makes us feel loved. I was busy in the kitchen today preparing these heart-shaped treats for my girls when one of our kids walked in and made sure I was planning on making him a Valentine's treat, too! I offered him a scratch and mealworm-filled heart, b

Hello February! We’re excited around here in the Wing household because we finally decided which new baby chicks to add to our flock this spring! Our little chicks are scheduled to arrive in a month, so we’re busy discussing what we’d like to see happen around the coop. Stay tuned to see which breeds we’re adding! With all the excitement, I’d like to discuss with you a few common mistakes made by backyard chicken keepers. Most of them have been made by myself or others I know

Most people get into backyard chickens for the fresh eggs, with many looking specifically for the best egg laying chickens to ensure a...

The girls and I have very exciting news to share with our faithful friends and followers and we wanted you to hear it here first! No, I didn’t get new chicks to add to my flock. YET! (winks) You all know the girls and I love Strong Animals Chicken Essentials products and I use them religiously to keep my flock healthy, happy and thriving. What you might not know is that we have an incredible team of people behind the scenes listening to feedback about the products, the packag

Strong Animals announced today their collaboration with Hoover’s Hatchery™ and NatureServe® feeds to encourage everyone raising chickens at home to use the same essential oils and natural approaches employed by Hoover’s Hatchery. Strong Animals: Pioneers in Essential Oils for Animal Health For decades, Strong Animals has used essential oils and other plant-based products to naturally promote the overall health of animals. Strong Animals knows that backyard flock owners desire

Happy New Year! I know that all of us are looking forward to 2021. The new year brings a fresh feeling of new beginnings. Many of us realize we ate too many of those delicious cut-out cookies during the Christmas season, and are in need of a bit of an overhaul in our healthy eating. In our home, we are going to focus more on whole foods and less sugar! So, I whipped up these 4 ingredient egg cups in about 25 minutes. That’s including the bake time! Enjoy! Ingredients: Sliced

Hurry! You’ve been invited to a friend’s house for a get together and you’re not sure what to bring? Well, I'll help you out! I’m not going to go into a long story on how I came about all of this. It’s really not that spectacular. And, if you’re in a rush like I was, the last thing you want to do is to scroll through a long story before you get to the actual recipe! Haha, am I right? Deviled Egg Christmas Wreath Recipe Ingredients 6 large eggs 3 tbs. mayo 2 tsp. yellow mustar

We are busy getting ready for Christmas here at the Wing residence! From decking the halls and singing Christmas carols to watching old movies and baking sugar cookies, we’ve been preparing our hearts to celebrate the most precious gift of all—Jesus Christ. We pray your family is doing well and that you’re able to celebrate this holiday season in special ways! A Family Tradition: Christmas Cut-Out Cookies To continue our celebration, I wanted to share my favorite Christmas cu

I was born and raised here and now we’re raising our family here. I love every season. But, there are certain things we have to do to prepare for winter, and preparing our coop and chickens for this extreme weather is at the top of our to-do list every year! Do You Need to Heat the Coop in Winter? One of the most common questions I get from new backyard chicken keepers is, “Do I need to heat the coop when it gets really cold?” The answer might surprise you: we don’t use a hea

Happy December, everyone! I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with everything you love. Around here, we’ve already started decorating, and this year, I decided to make it a bit festive for our flock as well. I’m excited to show you two different ways I decorated our chicken coop—one budget-friendly option that cost under $10, and another that’s a bit more extravagant. Simple Christmas Coop Decorations for Under $10 For a simple and affordable Christmas coop makeover, I headed

This past week, I embarked on a fun little "adult science fair" project to try sprouted grains for chickens. I ordered some raw, organic, non-GMO barley and alfalfa seeds to experiment with. You can sprout various grains, beans, or lentils for your flock, but here’s an important note: never feed your chickens dried, uncooked beans. They contain a toxin called hemagglutinin, which can be deadly. However, once cooked or sprouted, the toxins are destroyed, making them safe and n

I know what you’re thinking… "It’s the week before Thanksgiving, shouldn’t we be talking about turkey and stuffing?" Stick with me, though! This peanut butter burger recipe will quickly become a family favorite, and it’s a must-try no matter the season. Here in Minnesota, we grill year-round—even after two snowstorms! This burger is the perfect combination of meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, a fried egg, and, yes, peanut butter! Trust me, when you add it all together, it’s a pa

If you’ve been eating or using eggs for any length of time (hello almost everyone!), you probably have had a blood spot in your egg once or twice. While this isn’t appealing to the eye, you need to know that they are perfectly fine to consume or use! What Are Blood Spots in Eggs? Contrary to popular belief, a blood spot does not mean that the egg is fertilized. It simply means that a blood vessel ruptured while the hen was laying the egg. What Causes Blood Spots in Eggs? Seve