I think there must’ve been something in the water last winter because there are a lot of babies being born these days! In addition to our own Little One joining us in October, two of our close friends and many of our acquaintances have either recently given birth or are…
Chicken love dirt baths, which is a very good thing since dust bathing is actually good for them! Not only do dust baths encourage preening and fight against parasites, they make for happy chickens (which is helpful in keeping the whole flock happy). Some people install dust bathing areas for…
You know that compost overhaul I talked about a couple of days ago? Well, apparently there was a wealth of worms living in one of the bales of straw. When I went into the coop to freshen up the Ladies water a couple of days after putting the bales…
Compost is one of those magical things that I read about (and pin about) and participate in all the time, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t fully believe that it will do it’s job. Do you ever feel like that? I mean, really…You set up a spot, toss…
What do you get when you keep your own chickens? Sweet imperfections and great diversity. Extra calcium (deposits) included. I find that, despite keeping backyard laying hens for the past few years, I am continually amazed by how beautiful and how different each individual egg is. The colors, the shapes,…
As the Program Manager for a very intentional, very busy Summer Camp, I am constantly looking for new ways to show our Facilitators how much we appreciate all of the work they do with our campers. Luckily, we have established a few “old stand-bys” that seem to find their way…
One of the details we didn’t really think through when we first got our laying hens a few years ago was what they would eat, how much it would really cost and whether or not we would always have the option of organic chicken feed for the Ladies. Luckily, our…
Well, it looks like Spring brings broody chickens. A few weeks ago, one of our Black Australorps went broody on us. She even plucked her belly feathers to help incubate her unfertilized eggs. Luckily, she’s been much more docile than our broody Ameraucana last spring and there have been…