Short Answer: Yes, They Really Can! If you’ve ever looked at your backyard flock and thought one of your hens looks a little different than she did last year, you’re not imagining things, chickens really can change colors! It’s one of those quirky, fascinating things about keeping chickens that even experienced flock keepers sometimes don’t know. Chickens can shift in color and pattern over time, and there are a few interesting reasons why it happens. Molting Season Brings Su

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

Picture credit: Freedom Ranger Hatchery Chickens, like any other animals, can run into health issues from time to time. The good news? A lot of those problems can be prevented with good nutrition, a clean coop and a little daily observation. But let’s be honest, sometimes things still happen in the coop. One issue that can sneak up on you is eye infections in chickens. They’re more common than you might think and can quickly impact your flock’s comfort, vision and overall hea

Photo Credit: SunnyDaysNora I find myself standing in front of the refrigerator more often than not wondering what on earth I’m going to make for supper. Does anyone else do this? Haha. I do much better when I have a plan, but let’s be honest… sometimes that plan disappears somewhere between chores, errands and everyday life. That’s why I love recipes like this one. If you have leftover Easter ham, you likely already have most of these ingredients sitting in your fridge and c

Picture credit: Serious Eats Our family loves omelettes! They’re a great source of protein, and the best part is that each person can customize their omelette to their liking. Over the Fourth of July, my brother sets up a big omelette bar for breakfast, and it’s become a family favorite. I’m usually a ham-and-cheese omelette kind of girl, but sometimes I crave something a little lighter. That’s where the Florentine omelette comes in. It’s rich, satisfying and packed with flav

I think one of the most stressful parts of raising backyard chickens is the thought of one, or many, of them getting sick. As chicken keepers, we do everything we can to keep our birds healthy and happy. So when you hear a chick sneeze, it can definitely make your heart skip a beat. The good news? Most chick sneezing is caused by something harmless, like dust or bedding irritation. But sometimes, sneezing can signal a bigger issue. Understanding the difference can help you re

Raising baby chicks is super fun, fascinating and honestly? I don’t get much of anything else done when I have baby chicks because I always find myself watching them in their brooder! Their instinctive behaviors are mind blowing. When a mama hen hatches her chicks, she teaches them the ropes on eating, dust bathing and how to stay safe. But what about the chicks that are hatched in an incubator or hatchery? These chicks still seem to know what to do! Creation is amazing. One

Baby chick with a splayed leg A Real Story: Bleu the Silkie A number of years ago, I hatched a small group of Silkies in an incubator. That was an experience in and of itself, so fun and honestly, a little stressful. It always makes me wonder in awe how mama hens do it so naturally. Chicks need just the right temperature and humidity to hatch. It’s incredible. All of my Silkies hatched healthy and spunky except one little lady I named Bleu. Bleu had a harder time during hatch

Raising healthy baby chicks takes more than starter feed and fresh water! Early nutrition plays a huge role in immunity, feather development and long-term flock health. That’s why more backyard chicken keepers across the U.S., especially here in the Midwest where chick season hits hard every spring, are talking about sea kelp. Sea kelp is a mineral-rich sea vegetable that delivers powerful benefits when used correctly, especially during a chick’s first few weeks of life. What

If you’re wondering what it’s really like to receive baby chicks shipped through the mail, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common questions new backyard chicken owners ask.

Picture credit: Hoover's Hatchery If you’ve spent any time raising backyard chickens, you know how it starts. At first, you just want a few nice hens that lay eggs. Simple enough, right? Then suddenly you’re learning about different egg colors, feather patterns, personalities and before you know it… you’re planning your next chicken addition. That’s exactly where I’m at. While scrolling through Hoover’s Hatchery (as one does), I came across a breed I hadn’t seriously consider

Picture credit: EurekAlert! If you’ve been around here long enough, you know I’m passionate about poultry and all things eggs. But I’m fairly sure I’ve never talked about quail or their cute, itty-bitty eggs. So today, we’re cracking into the similarities and differences between quail eggs and chicken eggs, and which one makes the most sense for everyday use. Eggs are a staple in many diets and a reliable source of high-quality protein. When it comes to choosing between chick

When it comes to eggs, not all are created equal. I never fully understood just how different they could be until I started raising my own backyard flock. Whether you’re making a quick weekday breakfast or baking something special, the difference between store-bought eggs and farm-fresh eggs really can show up on your plate. So let’s crack open this topic (sorry, I had to 😉). What Are Store-Bought Eggs? Store-bought eggs are what you’ll find at grocery stores and big-box ret

Happy New Year, everyone! January has a way of making us think about getting back to healthy habits, especially during these long Minnesota winter weeks when simple, hearty meals are a lifesaver. What if most of us make eating healthy more complicated than it needs to be? Nutritious food can still be fun, it’s really about moderation and saying no to the “good things” that keep us from our best. I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions, but I do see January as a clean sl

Picture credit: Hoover’s Hatchery Every so often, I come across a chicken breed that makes me pause and think, maybe someday . The Buckeye is one of those breeds for me! I don’t have them in my coop right now, but I’ve spent plenty of time reading about them and appreciating what they bring to the table for backyard chicken keepers. If you’re drawn to practical, hardy chickens with a good balance of eggs, personality and cold weather hardiness, the Buckeye is one worth gettin

Discover the family story behind Strong Animals Chicken Essentials made in the USA in Marshall, Minnesota, backed by science and family-owned for over 50 years.

I know what you’re thinking: “Really, Annie? A whole blog about toys and stocking stuffers for chickens?” And honestly, if you had asked me this back when I first started keeping chickens, I probably would’ve rolled my eyes right along with you! But stick with me, there’s a reason this little tradition has become one of my favorites. Why Winter Gifts Matter for Your Chickens Winter in Minnesota is long. Like… six-months-of-snow long. And when the weather keeps your flock indo

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I’ve always loved this holiday, there’s something special about slowing down, gathering with family and friends and soaking up that feeling of gratitude. Recently, we had a friend visiting from South Africa who was excited for his very first Thanksgiving dinner… until he realized his flight home was three days before the holiday. So, we did what any good Minnesota host would do, we cooked a full Thanksgiving meal early! And because stuffing almost n

Picture credit: Feathered Acres I still remember the day I fell down a Google rabbit hole searching for unique egg colors to diversify my egg basket. When I discovered black eggs, I was convinced someone was joking. But it led me straight to the beautiful Cayuga duck, a breed known for laying those stunning dark eggs. Now, I never ended up adding ducks to our flock (as much as the kids begged!), but I did learn a LOT about this fascinating waterfowl. And if you’re thinking ab

When the temperatures drop here in Minnesota, my family instantly switches into soup mode. But breakfast soup? I’ll admit, when someone challenged me to make a crockpot breakfast soup, my first reaction was, “That can’t be good.” I’m happy to report I was very wrong! This recipe turned out to be one of the easiest crockpot soups I’ve ever made. Throw it together the night before, wake up to a hearty, warm breakfast that tastes like a hug! It’s packed with potatoes, sausage, b

Molting is a natural and essential part of a chicken’s life! It’s when they shed old feathers and grow new ones. Some hens molt lightly, while others go through a dramatic hard molt where it looks like they exploded feathers everywhere. Either way, it can be stressful for both the flock and you but it’s completely normal! Because feathers are made mostly of protein, molting requires a lot of energy. During this time, chickens often slow down or pause egg production as their b

If you’ve ever seen my tiny chicken, Tinkerbell, you know why people stop and ask, “What kind of chicken is she?” Mini chickens, or bantam chickens, are quickly becoming a backyard favorite. They’re adorable, full of personality and perfect for people with smaller yards or urban setups. But what exactly are mini chickens, and are they right for you? What is a Mini Chicken? Mini chickens, also called bantams, are smaller versions of standard chicken breeds, or naturally small

There’s something so special about walking out to the coop to collect fresh eggs! The hard shells, rich yolks and buttery taste of farm fresh eggs can’t be rivaled. But when it comes to cleaning those fresh eggs from your flock, there’s often some confusion about the best way to do it. Proper egg washing is key to keeping your eggs safe, clean and fresh whether you’re collecting for your family, gifting to friends or selling at a local farmers market. Here’s everything you ne

Backyard chicken keepers are some of the most resourceful people out there. A quick search online will bring up countless opinions, recipes and debates on what to feed your chickens. If you’re considering making your own chicken feed, whether to save money or to know exactly what your flock is getting, there are a few important things to keep in mind! Why Nutrition Matters for Backyard Chickens One of the biggest keys to a healthy, productive flock is what goes into their fee

Have you ever noticed at the end of a long, lazy day of foraging that your chickens have a little bulge in their chest area? That’s their crop, a cute, specialized storage pouch that plays a big role in how chickens digest their food! Understanding the crop can help backyard chicken keepers better care for their flock, spot health issues early and keep hens thriving year-round. What is a Chicken’s Crop? The crop is an expandable, muscular pouch located at the lower end of the

Picture credit: Hoover’s Hatchery Thinking of adding Wyandotte chickens to your backyard flock? These gorgeous birds are known for their striking laced feathers, cold-hardy nature, and dependable egg production. But as with any breed, every chicken has its own personality, and some can surprise you! My Experience With Wyandottes I’ll be honest, Henrietta and Hazel, my Silver Wyandottes, were the only hens I ever had to rehome. They were gorgeous, but super aggressive toward m

Backyard chicken keepers love the little surprises their hens leave in the coop, and one of the most curious finds is the tiny “fairy egg.” These miniature eggs are adorable, but they also raise a common question: are fairy eggs safe to eat? Let’s explore what they are, why they happen and whether you should be concerned! What is a Fairy Egg? A “fairy egg” (sometimes called a fart egg, dwarf egg or wind egg) is an unusually small chicken egg. Unlike normal-sized eggs, fairy e

Picture credit: What Molly Made It’s only the second week of school around here and if your family is anything like ours, you’re already hunting for quick, healthy breakfast recipes. Honestly? These breakfast nachos work for any meal of the day! We’re definitely “breakfast for supper” people. The best part? Everyone can build their own plate with toppings they love! Ingredients for Breakfast Nachos Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy recipe: Tortilla chips Cooked breakf

Picture credit: Hoover’s Hatchery When you think of backyard chickens, popular breeds like Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Leghorns or Rhode Island Reds often come to mind. But there’s another breed you should absolutely consider when starting or expanding your flock, the Black Australorp. Known worldwide for their "egg-ceptional " laying ability, hardiness and striking black plumage, Black Australorps have become a favorite among chicken keepers. The Origin of the Black Australorp

I live in Minnesota where the summers are long and hot, and the winters feel even longer! When I first started raising backyard chickens, I thought winter was the toughest season for them. I worried about keeping my flock warm, not realizing that the summer months can actually be harder, thanks to their built-in down coats! Raising backyard chickens isn’t difficult, but there are a few essentials that make the experience healthier for your flock and more enjoyable for you. Ou

I’ll never forget the first time I thought my hen, Coco, laid her first egg. I was so excited I told the whole internet about it… only to...