You may have heard about putting apple cider vinegar in your flock’s water to improve their health. However, before you go about adding this natural supplement into your flock’s diet, you must first learn how it affects their health. Vinegar can be both a help and a hindrance to the...

While there are homeopathic and herbal concoctions made specifically for treating internal parasites in chickens, I like to try and source supplements from around the homestead for treating my flock’s health ailments. There are many natural supplements and herbs which contain anti-parasitic properties helpful for both preventing and treating internal...

Knowing how to treat worms in chickens naturally is essential for raising a homestead flock. Especially if you live in regions that provide optimal worm habitat. However, knowing how to prevent worms in chickens naturally is even more important. Preventing internal parasites is the key to keeping them from becoming...

What can I feed my sick chicken? Ailing chickens are often picky and can loose their appetite quickly. Once a chicken stops eating, things go down hill quickly, once they stop drinking, you know you have little time left to do anything to help them recover. That’s why it is...

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...

Internal parasites, specifically worms, are one of those ever present but rarely seen menaces that can wreak havoc if not managed properly. If one or more of your flock members starts ailing, you may want to ask, does my chicken have worms? Worms are a fairly common internal parasite that...

Food is the fuel source for your flock. What they eat will determine their health and productivity. When it comes to feeding your homestead flock, learning how to feed chickens naturally is essential for ensuring they get the nutrition they need on a daily basis. Surprisingly, there are several different...

Supposably the annual fall molt should go smoothly and without issue, but if you have raised chickens for any length of time, you will know that they love to keep life interesting! Knowing when to step in and administer emergency care to molting chickens is essential for when your flock...

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...

Learning how to harvest your own herbs, both for you and your homestead flock, is an essential modern pioneer life skill. It is a simple skill that you can easily learn no matter where you are at in your modern pioneer journey! For natural chicken keepers, harvesting, drying, and storing...

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...

Homesteaders have been using old school chicken coop doors for years and years. However, there is now a new option on the market for modern pioneers and homesteaders: the automatic chicken door. After investing in an automatic chicken coop door for my first chicken coop, I knew when I built...

Chickens are very sensitive to high temperatures, much more so than cooler temperatures. While winter chicken keeping does pose its challenges, summer chicken keeping also presents a whole new set of issues. Chickens have a normal body temperature around 105-107 degrees F, so keeping them cool in hot weather is...

No homestead chicken raiser likes to think that the litter they have in the chicken coop can actually be harmful to the their flock. However, no matter what coop litter you choose there is always a health hazard that needs to be addressed. Coop litter dangers can pose a threat...

I have incubated hatching eggs using both an incubator and a broody hen. Starting off using an incubator to hatch eggs made me realized just how much easier it is to let a mother hen hatch eggs! Honestly, I thought caring for a broody hen while she is incubating eggs...

Herbs have long been valued for their medicinal and culinary uses for people, but did you know that they are great for your chickens too? I love growing herbs for my chickens, and despite my green thumb not being the best, I still manage to maintain a little herb garden...

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...

There’s nothing more exciting on the homestead than watching a mother animal do her thing and raise her babies! As much as we love to get our hands into the mix and do the raising ourselves, it’s always so much more fun, a whole lot less work, and so less...

Ever wonder exactly what it takes to raise chickens? Or maybe you’re wondering what tools and supplies are available to help you raise a backyard flock? The Complete Guide to Supplies for Raising Chickens lists all of the materials you may need to begin and continue your backyard chicken raising...