Posted on Leave a comment

How to Trim a Chicken’s Toenails

Toe Nail Trimming

A chicken’s toenails constantly grow, just like a human’s. Unlike a human, though, a chicken can often keep its own toenails trimmed back by scratching the ground while looking for things to eat. Scattering a small amount of scratch grain or some mealworms on the ground encourages chickens to scratch and keep their nails properly […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 10 Comments

Which Chicken Breeds Make the Best Broody Hens?

Broody Hen

Some chicken breeds make great broody hens. Others are iffy. Still others are completely unreliable. And some never go broody at all. What does broody mean and why does it matter? Broodiness, in a nutshell, is maternal instinct. After a hen has accumulated a nestful of eggs, maternal instinct tells her to keep the eggs […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 1 Comment

Got Chicks®! Now What? 8 Chicken Facts That Surprise First Time Owners

Got Chicks

So, you finally did it. You went out and got chicks®. Now what? Here are eight facts about baby chicks that commonly surprise first time owners. Brooding baby poultry of any type generates a lot of fine dust, so locate your brooder where dust won’t be a problem. Your living room or guest room, for […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 1 Comment

Chicken Predators [Infographic]

From burrowing badgers to high-flying hawks, chickens have their fair share of dangerous predators to contend with. As chicken keepers, it’s up to us to protect our flocks from these threats whenever possible. That’s why we put together this handy infographic that identifies a number of common predators and offers suggestions on how to keep […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 2 Comments

How to Help Your Chickens Stay Warm in Winter

Rooster in Snow

Whether or not your chickens experience cold stress in winter depends on a number of factors, including how rapidly the temperature drops, how cold it gets, how long it stays cold and the chickens’ ability to stay dry and out of the wind. A well-feathered bird can be perfectly comfortable at an air temperature of […]

Continue Reading
Posted on Leave a comment

How Chickens Keep Themselves Warm in Winter

orpington hens

Chickens have a naturally high body temperature, averaging around 106°F, which allows them to remain active despite cold weather. As the temperature drops, a chicken’s metabolism speeds up to keep the bird warm.   At the same time, the flow of blood to a chicken’s legs decreases to minimize the escape of body heat from […]

Continue Reading
Posted on Leave a comment

What to Do with Unwanted Roosters

Unwanted Rooster

It’s a problem every chicken keeper eventually faces: What to do with unwanted roosters. If you purchase chicks, or hatch your own, you’ll have this problem sooner rather than later. Even sexed chicks that are sold as pullets (young hens) almost invariably include one or more cockerels (young roosters). If you end up with more […]

Continue Reading
Posted on Leave a comment

Which Chicken Started Laying Eggs?

First Egg

When you raise hens from baby chicks, finding their first eggs can be exciting. Chickens don’t all start laying at the same time, so you’ll likely find an occasional small egg, then maybe one each day. Before long you’ll be finding multiple eggs daily. But since most chickens don’t lay an egg every day, how […]

Continue Reading
Posted on 1 Comment

How to Protect Your Poultry During a Natural Disaster

Rooster Burrito

Natural disasters are on the rise, and if you keep poultry you are responsible for the safety of your birds. No matter where you live, nearly everyone is vulnerable to disasters of one sort or another — wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions, chemical spills, hurricanes or tornadoes. Here are eight commonsense steps that will […]

Continue Reading