Flock Journey is the education home of Hoover's Hatchery | Ready for birds? Shop at hoovershatchery.com
Practical guidance for every stage of keeping—from your first chicks to an established flock.
Not sure where to start?
Pick the moment that sounds most like your flock right now.
No wrong place to begin
You're deciding, planning, and getting ready.
The box arrived. Now it's real.
You know your birds. Let's keep improving.
Something wrong with your birds right now?
Start with a common worry, or open the Health & Wellness journey.
Choose your path
Every journey is a guided path: a short video to lead the way, and deeper reading whenever you want it. Start anywhere. They all connect.
How a journey works
Start here. We'll walk you through it.
Eight paths cover keeping from the first daydream to the deep end. Each one meets you where you are.
Each journey opens with one short film that lays out the whole path. A few minutes, no fluff.
Every video links to articles and deeper guides on the exact topic. Read as much or as little as you want.
Start here
Then take the Getting Started journey
Has your flock moved to the coop? Find the right journey for you:
Daily Care Egg Production Predator Protection See all eight journeys
Already know what you're looking for?
Hundreds of articles and videos, organized the way Keepers already browse them. Journeys guide you. Topics let you look it up.
The Flock Journey podcast
Conversations with poultry experts and the people behind Hoover's Hatchery.
PodcastThe Flock Journey newsletter
One short note every other week: what your flock needs now, and one thing worth trying.
The latest information we've published on Flock Journey.
The best chicken breeds for cold climates have small combs, loose fluffy feathers with plenty of down, and big bodies. Brahmas, Cochins,…
Your first flock starts with one decision that shapes everything after it: where you get your birds. The hatchery you choose determines…
Our Rhode Island Red hen reminded us of the joy our flock of diverse breeds gives us. Years ago, we’d order a…
Yes, you can raise chicks in winter, even in very cold states. Brood them in a heated, draft-free room such as a…
On their first night in the coop, most young chickens huddle together in one corner or on the floor instead of using…
Common questions
Flock Journey is the education home of Hoover's Hatchery. It offers practical, step-by-step guidance for backyard chicken Keepers, from first chicks to an established flock.
Start with the Getting Started journey. It walks you from deciding to keep chickens through choosing breeds, setting up the brooder and moving chicks to the coop.
Getting Started, Daily Care, Egg Production, Predator Protection, Seasonal Planning, Health & Wellness, Growing Your Flock, Advanced Topics. Each one is a guided path with a short video and deeper articles on the exact topic.
No. Start anywhere. The journeys all connect, so you can move between them as your flock changes.
Hoover's Hatchery, a family-owned hatchery based in Rudd, Iowa, hatching and shipping baby chicks and backyard poultry since 1944.
Hoover's Hatchery sells chicks and backyard poultry at hoovershatchery.com, shipped to your local post office.
Open the Health & Wellness journey for common worries such as panting, sneezing chicks, limping and pasty butt. If a bird is declining or symptoms persist, call a poultry-experienced veterinarian.
From Hoover's Hatchery
When it is time to go from learning to Keeping, Hoover's has a complete selection of backyard poultry, hatched with care and shipped to your local post office, or available at a partner store near you.
