How to Choose the Best Type of Chicken Feedby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | February 20, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Picking out a homestead poultry feed is probably one of the first things you should consider when you plan on...

What is Cold Stress in Poultry?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | January 2, 2024This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. What is cold stress in poultry? Cold stress is the response a chicken’s body has to staying warm in cold weather. It is...

How to Prevent Marek’s Disease in Chickensby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | November 21, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Marek’s disease is a prevalent virus that commonly infects young and growing chicks but can also infect mature birds as well. This...

Feeding Chickens a Homestead Diet: Grain, Treats, & Supplementsby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | November 7, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Feeding chickens a homestead diet is a great way to raise your flock in a sustainable and frugal way! Each...

What is Marek’s Disease in Chickens?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | October 24, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Marek’s disease a common but little known poultry disease. It can take on many shapes and forms, so it is often a confusing...

Chicken Poop Problems: The Scoop on Poopby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | October 10, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Yup, it’s a gross topic, but it is helpful to discuss chicken poop problems that you might encounter in the homestead flock....

What is Grit for Chickens?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | September 26, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Did you know that chickens eat stones? That’s essentially what chicken grit it. Chicken’s need grit in their diet to aid digestion of other...

The Importance of Calcium for Laying Hensby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | September 12, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. The homestead flock needs to have a balanced and nutritious diet in order to stay healthy and productive. One of the most...

Should Chicks be Fed Medicated Chick Starter Feed?by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | April 11, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Raising a healthy brood of chicks, naturally, is always the goal on the homestead! When deciding what to feed your brood,...

Coccidiosis is a very common chicken disease that is most prevalent in young chicks and chickens. It is a protozoal disease that destroys the intestinal lining in a chicken’s gut. Acute coccidiosis can lead to death. The coccidia protozoa are found nearly everywhere there are chickens present. It naturally exists...

One of the biggest flock health issues northern homesteaders face is frostbite. Frostbite occurs when the flesh freezes and prevents blood flow from reaching the frozen appendages. Frostbite can happen suddenly and if not treated quickly, it can get infected and cause fatal health issues. It is thought that even...

What is coccidiosis? Coccidiosis is one of the most common chicken ailments to affect young chicks. Coccidiosis is a protozoal disease that destroys the intestinal lining, causing malnutrition and sometimes unrepairable damage to the instestines. Since coccidiosis is so common, it is one of the biggest health concerns when raising...

What’s your biggest on-going chicken keeping expense? If I could hazard a guess, I would say it’s buying feed for your homestead flock. Many homesteaders grab at the chance to feed their flock free food. In fact, there are now many suggestions and ideas for how you can feed your...

The winter months can be a time of increased food consumption and strain on a chicken’s daily energy needs. Cold weather and exposure can all increase a chicken’s need for energy in order to stay warm, keep the circulatory system working good, and ensure all other body functions remain healthy...

It’s getting cold outside as winter sets in and one way to help your flock deal with the cold temperatures is by giving them warm treats! Oatmeal is a common treat that comes to mind since chickens love oats and it is an easy thing for you to make for...

What treats can I give my chickens daily? Should I even give my chickens daily treats? These are all great questions that relate to your flock’s homestead diet! Chickens are natural scavengers, and they will at least try just about any food you give them. It can also be fun...

An imbalance in a chicken’s diet can cause the chicken to not receive the proper nutrition it needs, either by having an excess of a dietary element or a deficiency in a dietary element. Dietary imbalances can occur when a chicken’s diet is not balanced or when a chicken’s dietary...

A nutritionally complete and balanced diet for your flock should help prevent a majority of dietary issues, however, sometimes dietary imbalances can be caused by factors that we can’t control or are unaware of. Dietary imbalances can result in a chicken not getting the nutrition it needs to stay healthy....

We’ve reached that time of the year where you get no fresh eggs from your homestead flock and it looks like someone plucked all your hens: welcome to molting season. All birds molt, both wild and domestic. It is a natural occurrence that is often triggered by weather patterns. Molting...

Why do chickens dust bathe? Chickens dust bathe for several reasons. The primary ones being because it seems to be enjoyable for them and it provides natural health benefits that would be important for a flock’s survival in the wild. It seems contradictory, but dust bathing is one way that...