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....

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...

While chickens may be the gateway animal to homesteading, there are also plenty of other poultry species to consider adding to your homestead! Raising poultry on the homestead can be fun, educational, challenging, and even rewarding. My goal is to raise every species of domesticated poultry, and so far I...

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...

Chickens have a mysterious way of getting sick very suddenly! However, it’s probably not that they get sick very suddenly, it’s they often don’t make their symptoms apparent until it’s too late. That makes it very hard on us chicken keepers though. One way to keep track of your flock’s...

Preventing disease & death in the homestead flock is my number one priority every year! It seems like everything I do for my chickens revolves around what will keep them the healthiest and the happiest. I know this may sound depressing, but every year I review my flock’s mortality rate...

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...

Chickens are intelligent creatures. They can recognize up to 100 different individuals and have the ability to compare themselves to other flock members in relation to ability, experiences and gender. When I first had the idea to train one of my chickens, I didn’t realize how easy it was going...

A chicken’s social life is quite complex and ever changing. Chickens are smart and can remember many different individuals as well as distinguish other chickens’ feelings, personality, and social status. Learning how to read your flock’s social interactions will help you raise a healthy, peaceful flock. It all starts with...