In my “GoPro on a Rooster” series of videos, we are going undercover inside my chicken coop to see how my chickens behave when humans aren’t around. In this video, I can see one of my hens eating feathers…. Any thoughts or questions about this video? Send me an email or leave a comment …
I recently got a question from Lorraine, a backyard chicken farmer. Lorraine asks: “I am a backyard farmer and want to do free range chickens for meat and eggs. Can I use the mass produced broiler chicks for this? I hate putting my chickens in small cages. How long does it take for the chickens …
I recently built an outside addition to my chicken coops. I’m always learning about my flock, and I learned last summer that I needed to both protect my vegetable garden from my birds and also protect them from the various predators interested in adding chicken to their diets. Allowing my birds to roam free is …
Meet my broiler chickens! Broilers are chickens we raise with the intention of harvesting them for their meat, as opposed to layer chickens, which we raise primarily for the eggs they lay. I raise both categories, and have a coop for each. These broilers are free range, which means they are able to graze and …
As fun, rewarding, and interesting as raising your own chickens can be, it’s also work! Great and worthwhile work, but work nonetheless. Paying attention to the details while raising chickens in their environment is really important. Being a chicken manager isn’t the easiest or hardest thing you’ll ever do, but it’s worth it! It is …
You have a few options when selecting a nest box fill. In my coop, I’ve chosen to use pine needles (also known as pine straw) for my nest boxes. I was really excited about my pine needles! They were dry, free to me from the forest floor, soft for my birds, and a sustainable use …
It’s amazing to watch the way in which innate instincts in a young pullet reveal themselves as she adapts to her new surroundings. Earlier, I mentioned some of the things I’ve been learning as a new pullet manager; namely, that the roost or perch bars I had installed were to high for my new pullets. …
Good day iChickeners! I hope you are enjoying the last weeks of spring as much as I am. I want to share a humorous, short story with you that serves as a reminder to me about what not to do. Last week, I planted some beautiful onion bulbs in my raised garden beds. They were …
Great news! Blood spots on the yolks of your eggs are perfectly safe to eat and are not harmful. What is a blood spot? It is a pinhead-sized red or brown spot on the yolk of an egg. These are caused by the rupture of small blood vessels during the formation of the egg. A …
April 26 was an exciting day! We we brought home twelve 19-week-old starter pullets (young hen) from a reputable pullet operation here in Ontario. These beautiful pullets are ready to lay. By manipulating their feed (or ration) a bit and helping to increase their day length (I’ll explain in detail later), the hormones of these …
The first night with our layer chickens: April 26, 2013 Read More »
