Hoover’s Hatchery recently produced a Facebook Live event at Etzel’s Sugar Grove Farm showing how Carl and Gavin Rosier use modern smart chicken coop technology to make managing their flock easier One viewer responded with a great point: if they skip a day at the coop, eggs pile up in the nest, some break, and most get dirty The Rosiers agreed completely Their devices were never meant to eliminate the daily visit Technology simply makes it easier to monitor the flock from a distance, and that distinction matters more than most new keepers realize
VIDEO: How to Get Your Chickens Inside the Coop
VIDEO: Taking Care of Your Chickens During the Winter
Off The Grid Chicks
Carl and Gavin Rosier have found solutions to problems shared by many backyard flock owners They are researching how to use chickens to reduce weeds and insect pests in corn and soybean fields Sponsored by the Rodale Institute, their test area is on Etzel’s Sugar Grove Farm about ten miles north of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
The problem? They live a half hour drive south of their chickens, so it’s not easy to just saunter out to the coop to check on the birds, deliver water or food, or shoo off predators The coop is way out in a farm field
How to Keep Chicken Water from Freezing in Winter
Just like us, chickens enjoy sipping cool, clean water throughout the day What surprises many new flock owners is how much they drink, even in the dead of winter How to keep chicken water from freezing in winter is one of the most important parts of cold-weather flock care, because
How to Care for Backyard Chickens: Simple Ways to Show Your Flock Some Love
Few backyard experiences are as rewarding as carrying a basketful of freshly laid eggs from the nest box into the kitchen, but learning how to care for backyard chickens well gives you far more than the makings of a good breakfast Hens provide hours of entertainment with their antics in the
Chicken Breed Characteristics That Will Love You Back
Late each winter, both new and seasoned chicken keepers run into the same happy problem You flip through the Hoover’s Hatchery chick catalog or browse the website, and every single breed looks perfect Placing the order suddenly feels impossible It is tempting to grab one chick of every breed, but most coops only have
Demystifying Chicken Feed
When it comes to food, chickens are just like people Both need a nutritious well-balanced diet to be both healthy and productive
That’s a simple concept but visit a feed store and a customer confronts a dizzying array of feed types There’s starter feed, both medicated and unmedicated, layer feed in crumbles or pellets, feed for molting birds, meat bird feed, organic feed, scratch, and cracked corn Figuring what bag to buy can be confusing
There is a simple solution Read information printed on most feed bags and on the label to decide what’s best to
Coop Spring Cleaning: A Step-by-Step Guide for a Healthy Flock
Spring can be slow to arrive, especially across the Midwest, where late snowstorms and cold snaps stretch well into April But once that first stretch of warm weather finally settles in, it’s the perfect time to tackle your coop spring cleaning The job is messy, no question about it, but a thorough clean turns the coop
Neighbors, Neighbors, Neighbors
A century ago most Americans lived on farms or in small towns That’s changed
Today’s people either live in suburban neighborhoods or big cities and are far removed from cattle, hogs, and chickens that produce their animal based food
That can be a problem for a family wishing to raise chickens in a small backyard As suburbs grew following the Second World War, many city councils believed that chickens were noisy, smelly, dirty animals that only belong on the farm and not in town They passed ordinances banning them Fortunately, the trend is reversing Ordinances are being