Hobby Farms
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 […]
Some roosters are large, gentle protectors, but many more are misguided aggressors. Many city ordinances won’t even allow them to be kept in backyard flocks. Straight runs—unsexed mixes of male and female chickens—usually go to farms where they’re raised for meat, while males that hatch from orders of females are often destroyed. Only a small […]
I couldn’t tell you who named Steve or even where the name came from, but regardless of the origin, “Steve” quickly became a bar to which all future roosters would be measured.
As I attempt to drift off to sleep, my mind is reviewing my day’s to-do list, working on tomorrow’s list and remembering all the things I forgot.
Our rooster all of sudden turned on us and keeps going after us every chance he gets. He was never this way before. How come? —Gayle
Photo by Audrey Pavia It’s time to give one of my new roosters, Henryfonda, away. When one of my hens hatched three chicks several months ago, despite the odds, I had fingers crossed they’d all be hens. I ended up with two roosters and only one hen. When I first got chickens, I wanted just […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia My friend, Stephanie, and my rooster, Mr. Mabel, have a stormy relationship. Early last week, I got an email from my old friend, Stephanie, who lives in Pittsburgh. Her planned trip to Russia fell through, and she asked if she could come stay with me this week. I was thrilled—I hadn’t […]
I remember the first time I saw her. She was a little gray ball of fuzz, no bigger than a mouse.
I have the benefits of city life alongside those of the barnyard.
It wasn’t easy getting Bobbi Jo over her bout with fowl pox. Unlike her niece, Baby Jo, it took her more than a week before I felt she was well enough to return to the flock.
