I’ve kept chickens and turkey and now quail, but I had never kept geese before. So I was so excited to get a chance to review The Modern Homesteader’s Guide to Keeping Geese by Kirsten Lie-Nielson because it covers everything you need to keep about keeping waterfowl. Be sure to check out the book and then […]
How to Make Money Raising Chickens at Home
You know there is nothing like naturally grown, organic eggs and chicken meat fresh from your own backyard in terms of taste and quality. This could actually be your marketing pitch when you begin making a small side business out of your chickens.
Getting Hoovers Hatchery Mail-Order Chicks for Eggs & Meat
When we first started keeping chickens we usually stopped by a local feed store and picked up a handful of baby chicks from the cheeping-fluff-filled cages in the back corner. It didn’t take us long to try ordering baby chicks mail-order instead. Wow! What a difference! Half the price and a simple phone call – […]
A Predator-Free Chicken Coop
Keep those predators from eating your chickens with these chicken coops.
Wood Ash For Mite-Free Hens
We know that chickens love and need to dust bathe, so I provide them with wood ashes and sand for bathing. We add sand because it helps to weigh down the ashes. I use it on the floor of the chicken coop, but I’m sure that dry soil would work, too.
Buying Adult Chickens at Auction or Market
There is something to be said for buying a chicken, bringing it home, and having her lay an egg that first day. After all, a baby chick can take anywhere from 14-24 weeks before they begin laying eggs, and if you buy straight-run chicks you could end up with more roosters than you anticipated. But […]
Your Easter-Basket Chicks a Year Later
I get a little bit preachy about not buying baby animals to look cute in an Easter basket. That’s because I’ve seen it from the other side.
How to Deal With a Broody Hen
One of our hens was acting a little broody. You can tell when a hen is broody because they won’t just lay their egg and jump off the nest cackling with delight. They lay their egg and hunker down, ready to wait it out. We generally say around here that the hen has “gone setting” […]
Homemade Chicken Feed for Healthy and Inexpensive Backyard Flocks
With an increase in awareness of the damage of many medicated commercial feeds and genetically modified food sources, some backyard chicken owners are trying their hand at growing their own chicken feed.
Where do you get your baby chicks from?
In previous years we’ve always purchased baby chicks from the local feed store. But this year my in-laws and our family want to go in together on some baby chicks so mail-order will probably be more reasonable in price. Plus the selection is better than what’s available through the local feed stores. Thoughts? Suggestions? What […]
How to Make Homemade Chicken Stock Using Leftovers
Rich, savoury, tasty chicken stock adds instant gourmet to soups and risottos. This homemade version is made using chicken bones or carcasses from the kitchen – as a result, it costs next to nothing. Use a crockpot or saucepan to create delicious stock from scratch with minimal effort.
Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas to Stretch a Dollar
Make a simple roasted chicken work overtime by buying one store-bought, shredding it to make multiple meals, then using the bones to make a chicken stop for soups and cooking.
