I remember walking out to check on the girls one hot summer day a few years back. I do regular health checks on my flock, so I...

Deworming chickens is an essential part of maintaining a healthy flock. Worm infestations can lead to weight loss, decreased egg production and even serious health complications if left untreated. While worms are a common issue for chickens, the good news is that with proper care and prevention, you can keep your flock healthy and happy. Let’s dive into how chickens get worms, signs of infestations and the best ways to prevent and treat them. How Do Chickens Get Worms? Chicke

One of the top questions I get about raising backyard chickens is how I keep them cozy in the winter. I mean we live in Minnesota—we know cold! People always ask, 'How cold is too cold for chickens?' It’s a good question, especially up here where we’re all just trying to keep warm and make sure our feathered friends stay safe too! When I first started, I was actually pretty concerned about this! Our winters can get really cold and harsh. My coop wasn’t insulated, and I’d he

Shortly after I got my recent flock of chickens, I quickly decided to add more chicks to my flock. It was quite the process of integrating the two flocks! After I got them all to be “one happy family”, I felt more comfortable. If you’ve integrated flocks, you know exactly what I’m talking about! One day, our daughter came running into the house yelling for me. “Mom! I think Georgia is dying!” I frantically ran out to the coop to find Georgia, my Barnevelder, lying on her back

Photo Credit: American Poultry Association The pros of raising backyard chickens far outweigh the cons in my opinion! However, at some...

Raising backyard chickens doesn’t take a lot of extra work, and when it comes to nutrition, they pretty much eat anything you give them....

When raising backyard chickens, it’s important to know some basics on their anatomy and the function for each part. This way you can keep close tabs on your flocks’ health and notice any changes that might signal a problem. Chickens are gorgeous birds and were created so well. When you sit and really think about the process a chicken goes through to lay their egg, it’s astounding! Today we’re going to be talking about the basic anatomy of a chicken. You can always do a deep d

This week we’re going to talk about the benefits of tea tree and lavender essential oils for your chickens. We use both lavender and tea tree essential oils in our home as well as our coop. I think one of the biggest reasons that some backyard chicken keepers are leery of using essential oils is because they aren’t sure which ones are safe for their flock as well as how much to use and where. Why Should You Use Essential Oils for Chickens? I understand that some backyard chic

We are in a heat wave here…along with most of the country. It’s mid July and there’s no break in sight. As you know, a chicken’s feathers act like a winter coat. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine wearing a winter coat in this heat! Along with their feathers, chickens don’t have sweat glands. This combination can provide the perfect storm for your chickens to overheat. Once they overheat, chickens can go downhill really fast. According to Chicken Scratch, in hot clim

If you brought chicks home this spring, and if they haven’t started laying, they will soon! There’s nothing much better than collecting...

Spring is finally here! We’ve been busy in our yard and gardens, getting everything ready for the growing season. Do you enjoy gardening too? Our go-to petunias are already in their pots, our flower beds are full of beautiful blooms, and our food garden is prepped and ready to plant. Why Gardening with Chickens is Even Better Gardening is rewarding on its own, but when you garden with chickens , it’s even more fun! Our chicken run is separated from the garden by a fence, but

I think we can all agree that our chickens are very valuable to us. Whether they are simply a way for you to get fresh eggs, or if they’ve become like family as in our case, chickens are an investment. With that said, we do everything we can to ensure the health and safety of our flock. Chickens are actually fairly fragile and while they don’t take a lot of extra care, it’s important to keep an eye on them. Chickens use their feet for so many things. Scratching, perching, jum

I had the pleasure of growing up in a family that understood the rich benefits of working hard and growing our food. We didn’t have any farm animals, but we did have an awesome garden every summer! Fortunately, my husband's parents taught him these same values, so we set out to grow our first garden. There were a lot of ups and downs and learning curves. And while I don’t consider myself a “professional” gardener, I have learned some tips along the way. We even ran an organic

We have an interesting situation at our house. Our family raises backyard chickens and Labrador Retrievers. If you know anything about either of these wonderful animals, you know that they really don’t go together! Our dogs are from excellent bloodlines and are bred for hunting as well as family pets. With that said, they have a high drive when it comes to bird hunting. Insert my chickens into the story. Yikes! They are unable to defend themselves against our dogs, so we’ve h

I have been sitting here contemplating where to even start with this blog. We have been raising backyard chickens on and off for the last...

Spring is in the air! We are looking forward to longer days and warmer temperatures around here! The girls are starting to pick up their...

I am so excited to write this blog! We have been raising backyard chickens on and off for the last 15 years. So, naturally, we’ve learned...

When I got back into chickens a few years ago, I started in the fall. Our local farm supply store didn’t carry chicks in the fall, so I...

I am so excited to share this week’s blog with you all! I feel there are so many questions in the backyard chicken world about essential oils. What essential oils should I use? Are all essential oils created equal? Can I overfeed essential oils to my flock? Well, guess what? I got to sit down and talk with Dr. Tim Broderick from the Strong Animals team and ask some of the questions you all have! Meet Dr. Tim Broderick Dr. Broderick received his bachelor’s degree in animal sci

Opal and Myrtle are challenging you to a water taste test! If you know me at all, you know I love a good challenge! Some people think...