What to do with an Aggressive Roosterby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | July 11, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Any rooster can be protective and assertive, so knowing how to deal with an aggressive rooster is important for raising a safe...

How to Prep a Chicken for a Poultry Showby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | July 5, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Poultry shows are actually significant to us as modern pioneer homesteaders. They encourage the maintenance and preservation of heritage chicken...

When to Remove Chicks from the Incubatorby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | June 27, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. If everything goes as planned during a hatch, you shouldn’t have a problem with knowing when to take the fluffy youngsters out...

How to Stop a Hen from Being Broodyby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | June 20, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. What causes your friendly, mischievous hen to turn into a lion in the nesting box!? Broodiness. A hen who has gone...

Broody Hen 101: Troubleshooting a Broody Henby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | June 13, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. A broody hen can be a great asset to the homestead flock! When a hen goes broody, she wants to set on...

8 Ways to Get Rid of Roosters on the Homesteadby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | June 6, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Roosters… do you find them cute? Annoying? Beautiful? A problem? Chickens have a 50/50 gender ratio, meaning that in...

How to Use Herbs for Chickens on the Homesteadby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 23, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. There are right ways and wrong ways to use herbs for chickens on the homestead, but don’t let that scare...

Homestead Chick Growth Guide (with pictures)by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | May 9, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. Your homestead brood’s needs will change rapidly as they grow. In order for chicks to mature into healthy, productive adults, each crucial milestone...

Incubating Chicken Eggs Part 3- Lockdown & Hatchingby Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | April 25, 2023This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information. For those of you following along in our homestead Incubating series, part three covers the last two big parts of incubating...

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,...

I feel like spring is the both the most exciting time and the most frustrating time for raising chickens on the homestead. Spring means it’s time to hatch chicks, and it’s hard not to have a good day when you have chicks on the homestead! However, spring can also be...

How much does it cost to raise chicks? Do you know how much of an investment those cute little fluff balls will be for your homestead budget? I didn’t either until I started keeping poultry expense records for my 4-H poultry project each year. Every year I would record what...

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...

Deciphering between fact and fiction when it comes to using holistic remedies or natural supplements for your homestead flock can be difficult. Cayenne pepper is often touted as a supplement that will help your chickens lay better during the winter and will help prevent frostbite. However, are those benefits true?...

An external heat source is critical for raising young chicks since they can’t control their own body temperature for the first few days of their life. Their fluffy down feathers do not help trap body heat which makes it difficult for chicks to maintain a stable body temperature on their...

Hot weather is dangerous for chickens. Unlike us who can take layers on and off, chickens are stuck with their feathers during hot weather. Chickens naturally have a high body temperature and thrive in temperate to slightly cool weather conditions. If you live in a region that regularly experiences hot...

These homestead chicken breed reviews for 4-H showmanship are perfect for homestead youth who are trying to decided what breed will be best for showmanship but still be helpful on the homestead! Throughout my 7 years of raising and showing chickens through 4-H I have had experience with a variety...

Cold hardy chicken breeds are the way to go for northern homesteads! While chickens can naturally handle cooler weather better than hot weather, when it comes to brutal and severe winter weather… having a few extra features to help conserve body heat can help. This guide to cold hardy chicken...

Chickens are often considered the gateway animal to homesteading. However, just because they are one of the smallest livestock animals to start raising doesn’t mean they are the easiest! Your modern pioneer journey can start even without any livestock animals, but maybe this year you are considering adding a flock...