During a vacation when I was a kid, I learned that seagulls were nicknamed “rats with wings.” It would be many more years before I learned that all birds are scavengers or foragers. On that vacation, my dad sprinkled hot sauce onto a French fry and threw it out of the car window to a […]
Gian Luigi Perrella Across the country, city chicken regulations have countless variations, ranging from residents simply being allowed to have chickens to restrictions on flock numbers based on yard size. Some flocks can free-range, while others cannot (and some rebels do it anyway). Some cities require that each bird be registered like its dogs and […]
Rabbits are an efficient, productive protein source that can be raised on properties of all sizes. Here’s why you should consider keeping them.
Ease your children’s transition to helping out with livestock on your farm by starting them off with one of these species.
Rachel Hurd Anger Chickens have a symbiotic relationship with our kitchens. They provide for each other, through us, of course. But, where do we draw the line on feeding chicken scraps? Emma asks, “Is feeding cooked chicken leftovers (bones, etc.) to chickens bad for them?” Some foods are absolutely not appropriate for chickens. Green potato […]
Having a hard time getting your birds to bed at night? These tips will help.
Rachel Hurd Anger “My girls aren’t producing the quality of eggs that I’m used to. Some shells are rough, and they’ve reduced in size, but that’s primarily from my brown egg layers. My Rhode Island Red girls are young, but even some of their eggs have become smaller. My Dominique girls are a bit […]
Rachel Hurd Anger Not long ago, one of my hens laid an egg that weighed a mere ounce—even smaller than the USDA’s minimum weight for a peewee egg. Since then, the same hen has laid one more. Two days after I’d brought that second egg in from the nest box, I was busy getting the […]
Do you have what it takes to raise chickens organically? Here’s what you need to know from pastured poultry to non-GMO feed and antibiotic-free practices.
Rachel Hurd Anger Any suggestions for chickens and hurricanes in Florida? Leave them in the coop? Lock them in the shed? What’s best for them? —Jeff, via Facebook I love this question. Because my experience is raising chickens in Kentucky, I generally focus on the severe weather most common to me: thunderstorms and snowstorms, though […]
Local-food advocates say farm-fresh eggs are better than the eggs people can buy at supermarkets. We investigate what's behind that claim.
