Boredom can become an issue for homestead flock’s that have to be cooped up due to inclement weather. The winter months are an especially hard time to keep your flock entertained and active. Preventing boredom not only makes for a happy flock, but it also prevents issues like feather pulling,...

There are literally hundreds of chicken breeds to choose from when it comes to starting your first flock or adding to your existing flock! How do you choose the right breeds? Are there ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ chicken breeds? This guide for choosing chicken breeds for the homestead should give you...

Fall is over and with it the fall molt is nearly finished, which means you might expect egg production to kick back into gear again, right? Well… it’s not quite like that unfortunately. Why do hens stop laying during the winter? Winter egg production on the homestead can be affected...

Providing supplemental lighting in the coop can be somewhat of a debate in the chicken world. Supplemental lighting can be provided during the winter to trigger a hen’s laying cycle. But, do hens need supplemental light? Does making them lay more often shorten their lifespan? How do I go about...

It seems like every predator is willing to put chicken on its menu, which is very unfortunate for homestead chicken keepers. It doesn’t matter if you live in a densely wooded area or an urban suburb, poultry predators are everywhere! Having poultry predator awareness and knowing of the common poultry...

What does raising a homestead flock entail? Find out what skills and knowledge you need to have in order to succesfully raise homestead chickens! Welcome to the chicken keeper’s survival list! The Chicken Keeper’s Survival List is a compilation of tasks that you will need to know how to do...

I often get caught up in the what, whys, and how’s of raising homestead chickens, but then I remind myself, don’t let raising a homestead flock become overwhelming, confusing, or daunting. When you stick to the basics, learning how to raise homestead chickens becomes fun, enjoyable, and rewarding! There are...

Whether you’ve hatched out your own chicks using a broody hen or an incubator, or bought straight-run chicks, or even ordered ‘pullets’ from a hatchery, at some point in your chicken raising experience you may find you have one too many roosters than you were planning on keeping. Of course,...

Whether you are starting off with your first homestead flock or you have been raising chickens on the homestead for years, we all find ourselves asking, what is my chicken doing? Chickens are entertaining to watch, but knowing what their different behaviors, sounds, and body language means makes watching them...

Chickens form a dynamic flock that is run by their own set of rules and codes. Each bird has a place in the flock and knows its limits. When a flock’s dynamics are interrupted, havoc can break out! Knowing how to properly introduce new birds into your flock can prevent...

One of the biggest challenges with homesteading is finding someone to care for your animals when you have to be gone for a few days (or a few weeks). Some homesteaders are perfectly content with not traveling a whole lot, however, other homesteaders have the traveling bug, or at least...

Chickens are such adaptable creatures. However, caring for chickens can vary depending on your regional zone. Weather patterns, different seasons, and availability of resources can all have an effect on how you care for your homestead flock. Care practices that work for one flock may not be the best for...

Winter chicken keeping is not as challenging as it sounds. Once you get the cold weather logistics figured out, caring for your flock during the winter should be pretty similar to other times of the year, with just a few management changes. The cold weather’s main affect on poultry is...

Oh dear, it’s that winter chicken keeping question again… Do chickens need heat during the winter? The answer to that question is no. However, the answer to the next question may surprise you… Do chickens need supplemental heat during the winter? The answer is, sometimes. Yes, I’m saying that your...

With Christmas and New Years right around the corner, I figured I would share with you some of the helpful management tips that I use to care for my flock over the winter holiday season. These 8 winter holiday management tips for chickens include fun activities and helpful ideas for...

A peaceful, well socialized, and coherent flock makes for happy, calm, and stress free flock members who are productive and healthy! When there is strife or division within the flock, it causes stress. Stress leads to a decrease in production, an opportunity for disease, and even death for some members...

With Christmas right around the corner you might be thinking about the people you need to find gifts for.  I love finding that perfect gift, but it’s not always easy.  Raising chickens is becoming more popular and you can now find many fun, unique, and useful products that would make the perfect...

Practically speaking, I raise chickens for enjoyment and for the sake of homesteading. Eggs are a complimentary bonus. Is it natural for hens to lay eggs? Absolutely! Is it natural for them to lay every day, 365 days out of the year? No. Over the years, I have come to...

Roosters are not needed for hens to lay eggs, they are often thought of as being rough on the hens, and they can be mean. So, why are roosters needed on the homestead? Roosters actually have several very important roles in the homestead flock. If you are allowed to get...

Deciding to free-range your chickens or not is a personal decision that will be based off of many different factors. However, I would like to discuss the reasons why I chose to free-range my laying flock. These 8 reasons why chickens should free-range are positive aspects of free-ranging chickens. While...