Chickens

92 articles
Do Our Backyard Chickens Still Pay for Themselves?

Do Our Backyard Chickens Still Pay for Themselves?

Keeping chickens over the past few years has been quite the adventure in both the actual keeping of chickens and in the human response to the fact that we keep chickens.  Conversations are either based around confusion or excitement!  I get questions all the time like;You can keep chickens in the city?Is it expensive to keep chickens?I've always wanted to…
September 2, 2013
Flies in the Chicken Scratch

Flies in the Chicken Scratch

Teeny, tiny flies...tons of them...in our chicken scratch. We've been keeping chickens for a few years now and I have never seen this before!  I first saw them on Saturday when I went out to feed the Ladies.  I opened up the Scratch Bin and noticed a few tiny flies, but didn't think anything of it.  Then, as I scooped…
August 20, 2013
Chickens Love Dirt Baths

Chickens Love Dirt Baths

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 their chickens and include dirt, soil, ashes and diatomacious earth.…
July 11, 2013
The Early (Chicken) Gets the Worm

The Early (Chicken) Gets the Worm

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 in their run, one of the Ladies had her head…
July 9, 2013
Bumpy Eggs

Bumpy Eggs

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, the funkiness of the occasional egg simply amaze me.  And I am…
June 25, 2013
Chicken Feed & Egg Sales

Chicken Feed & Egg Sales

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 local Feed Bin carries Ranch Way products and luckily, Ranch…
June 7, 2013