Backyard Chickens
The Best Egg-Laying Chicken Breeds for Beginners
The best egg-laying chicken breeds for beginners, from a keeper who's raised most of them — honest picks with the pros, the cons, and how many…
Backyard Chickens
How to Collect and Store Fresh Eggs From Your Flock
How to collect and store fresh eggs from your own flock — the bloom, whether to wash them, counter vs. fridge, how long they really keep,…
Backyard Chickens
How to Stop Chickens From Pecking Each Other in the Coop
How to stop chickens pecking each other — the real reasons hens start feather-picking and bullying, and the fixes that actually worked on my Tennessee flock.
Backyard Chickens
How to Introduce New Chickens to Your Flock the Right Way
How to introduce new chickens to your flock without the bloodshed: the quarantine step everyone skips, the see-but-don't-touch method, and how to keep the peace.
Backyard Chickens
What to Feed Chickens for the Best Eggs (and What to Skip)
What to feed chickens for eggs, from a six-year keeper: the layer feed rules, the calcium and water most people miss, and the treats that quietly…
Backyard Chickens
How to Winterize a Chicken Coop for a Healthy Flock
How to winterize a chicken coop — why dry, draft-free ventilation matters more than heat, how I keep water thawed, and the winter prep that keeps…
Backyard Chickens
How to Raise Chicks Without a Heat Lamp (Safely)
How to raise chicks without a heat lamp using a radiant heat plate — why I switched after a close call, the brooder setup that works,…
Backyard Chickens
Why Is My Hen Crowing Like a Rooster? The Real Answer
Why is your hen crowing like a rooster? The two real reasons — a flock that lost its rooster, and true spontaneous sex reversal — and…
Backyard Chickens
How to Keep Chicken Water From Freezing in Winter
Here's how I keep chicken water from freezing through a Tennessee winter — the heated setup I trust, the no-electricity tricks that actually work, and the…
Backyard Chickens
A Backyard Chicken First-Aid Kit: The OTC Essentials
A backyard chicken first-aid kit you build before you need it. The over-the-counter basics I keep in my bin, what each one is for, and the…