Hi! My name is Annie and I’d love to tell you a little bit about myself, my family and how we got into raising backyard chickens My husband and I have been married for 15 years and have 3 kids I remember when our first son was born There is just no time in a person’s life like experiencing that first baby I remember looking at him and thinking how fiercely I loved him and how I wanted him to experience all that life had
Now fast forward to our life currently We have 3 kids and have the same
Hey everyone! If you live in the upper Midwest like I do, you understand my need to not complain about the heat after our very long, cold winter! Even though I love the heat, my girls aren’t necessarily sharing my love
Heat stress in chickens can be very dangerous and even deadly to your birds The loss of electrolytes in the heat can be a silent killer because it is not something you can see Just like humans, chickens need electrolytes to remain healthy Depletion of electrolytes can lead to kidney malfunction, weakened immune system, respiratory disease and can create
Can you believe we are in the middle of the summer already? If you are like our house, you have eggs coming out of your ears! Gathering eggs is one of my favorite chores
I sometimes get asked if I have trouble with soft eggshells or if the eggshells are so thin or they crack easily? If you are experiencing this with your girls, have no fear I can help!
Let’s start with why your hens might be laying soft shelled eggs and what you can do to help them
Hens can start laying soft shelled eggs for several reasons It can
The day is finally here! The girls’ new home has arrived To say I was excited is an understatement Thank goodness they didn’t capture the part of me running down the driveway to welcome the delivery man He probably doesn’t get too many grown women running to meet him over the excitement of a shed!
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The first part of the delivery was easy I stood there and took pictures and squealed with excitement over my new chicken coop After it was set and leveled, our work began But, first, I had to check it all out
COOP SETUP
Food and
I would love to tell you that I’m a DIY queen and that I know my way around power tools and the lumber yard, but I’m not and I don’t! I enjoy watching people do it though, so does that count? Haha!
Last summer, I was scrolling through what every DIY “wannabe” does to grab ideas for the flock to enjoy I came across a picture of a really fun “playset” for chickens I sent the picture to my husband and a few hours later, he and our daughter had it built!
We strive for excellence around here and not for
Hey everyone!
Today I am going to be talking about how to set up a brooder for your baby chicks Getting baby chicks is such an exciting time If you’ve never raised baby chicks before, you’ve come to the right place! I remember when I first heard the word, “brooder” I remember pretending to know what that was when in actuality, I had no idea! Ha Ha! A “brooder” is just a fancy word for a place to keep your baby chicks until they’re big enough for a coop
There are 4 basic things your baby chicks will need to survive
It’s been pure joy heading out to the coop each day to see how many eggs the girls have laid To tell you I was overzealous about the “first egg” is an understatement! That’s a long story for a different day
Our big girls have been laying for about 3 months now We have enjoyed eggs prepared many different ways! And, it is just so much more fun because we raised them right in our backyard The kids can go “pick breakfast”
Beautiful eggs from my girls
Did you know?
Eggs are considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet
Today we’re going to be talking about poop! Sounds exciting, right? If that topic doesn’t excite you, don’t leave yet! I’ll be discussing the approach we use to combat all that poop called the deep litter method Some people have lovingly labeled this method as the “lazy person’s” way to keeping a clean coop, but I see the deep litter method as an awesome system with many benefits Instead of cleaning out chicken poop multiple times a week, how does 1-4 times a YEAR sound?
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What is the Deep Litter Method?
Did you know that chickens can poop 50-60 times a
My husband and I love to entertain people, especially around the holidays For me, setting everything up is fun, but can I be honest with you? Preparing the food can sometimes cause me unwanted stress I’m not a top chef, so I always seek out easy entertaining ideas What I have learned after all these years is to make it easy on myself because my guests are just thankful to be invited They want to be included and inviting people into your home gives them a wonderful feeling of belonging
Our menus vary depending on the type of party or
It’s the middle of winter here in Minnesota and temperatures frequently drop below freezing Many people question my choice to live here, but if they’d experience the other seasons, they would know why Minnesota is a wonderful place to grow up, raise a family or even just visit! However, I do sometimes wonder if my flock wishes we lived somewhere more mild, but they can’t talk so I’ll never know!