Why Your Kids Need Chickens

I’m a huge advocate for having children involved in raising livestock One of the easier species of livestock to keep is chickens Chickens are a great farm animal to get kids involved with Chickens require just enough care that children can learn responsibility and don’t require that much help from adults
One of the reasons that more children should own farm animals is all about learning Raising an animal of any kind teaches a child responsibility Children learn to take care of something and anticipate something’s needs other than their own There is a ton of research

A Guide For Feeding Growing Chickens

A trip to your local feed store may leave you asking more questions about chicken feed than before you visited What percentage protein should they get? What about calcium? Are my chicks old enough to get a pellet feed? There are many types of chicken feed available and it can leave you scratching your head wondering which is best for your chickens
There are three main forms of chicken feed: pellets, crumbles and supplements Pellets and crumbles are complete feeds In other words, these feeds will meet the entire dietary needs of your chickens These are

How to Identify Chicken Preadators: Racoons

Unfortunately, there are many animals out there that would love to make an easy meal of your flock One of the most notorious chicken predators is the raccoon Raccoons are deadly, smart and determined They’re also vicious and unrelenting Here’s the first in our 4-part series of how to identify chicken predators: raccoons
Identifying Raccoon Attacks
Raccoons will leave behind a complete mess when they’ve attacked your chickens If they cannot get into your coop, they will settle for reaching through fencing and pulling your chickens through the fence, piece by piece After a raccoon attack,

Forage or Feed? Nutritional Benefits of Chickens that Forage

There are many benefits to having chickens that are able to forage and don’t rely on just chicken feed Allowing chickens to forage helps reduce your carbon footprint and is great when you want to cut back on your feed costs There are also nutritional benefits for both you and your chickens when you provide them with access to forages
Chicken Nutrition
Before we go any further, let’s talk a little bit about chicken nutrition There are many aspects to nutrition that we need to be concerned with- protein, energy, vitamins and minerals Chickens that are being

How to Start Raising Livestock: Try Chickens First

Raising livestock is one of the most rewarding parts of farm and homestead life, but it can also be genuinely hard work, and it’s easy to underestimate just how much care large animals demand Many people dream of pastures filled with cattle, horses, sheep, or goats Before you take that leap, though, it’s worth asking whether you’re truly ready for the responsibility There’s a smarter way to find out: ease into livestock keeping by starting with chickens Here’s why chickens are the perfect first animal for new farmers, and what makes them so much more forgiving than large livestock

Harvesting Meat Chickens

Raising and harvesting meat chickens at home is a great way to provide your family with nutritious food It’s nice to know how the chickens were raised and what they were fed The downside to raising meat chickens is harvesting them Here are some tips to make the harvesting process a little bit easier

The most commonly raised meat chicken is the Cornish cross  These chickens reach harvest weight in as little as 6-8 weeks  Other breeds, like the Rudd Ranger,

Can You Feed Pumpkins to Chickens?

Chickens on a farm can be like having a flock of small pigs in the backyard They seem to eat everything and you can give them a lot of the scrap material from your kitchen But what about some of the fall décor that often gets trashed? Can your chickens eat pumpkins?
Can Chickens Eat Pumpkins?
Yes! Chickens love pumpkins and they are a really good source of nutrients for your flock


When you get ready to carve jack-o-lanterns this year, keep all of the ‘guts’ of the pumpkin

How to Safely Can Poultry Meat

You can’t compare the flavor of home-raised poultry to the flavor of birds that are raised commercially If you’re raising your own birds for meat, you’ve probably looked at how you should be storing the meat after you’ve harvested the birds Canning chicken or other poultry meat will free up some of your freezer space and gives you an easy, go-to option when you are cooking

Before you start canning poultry, it’s important to discuss the risks to ensure that you process your canned chicken safely  Chicken

Why Do Chickens Need Dust Baths ?

If you’ve kept chickens, you’ve almost certainly caught one mid dust bath: sprawled in a shallow pit of loose dirt, kicking soil all over itself, wings flapping, looking for all the world like something is terribly wrong The first time you see it, it can honestly look like your chicken is having a seizure Don’t worry It’s completely normal, and it’s a genuinely important part of your bird’s health Here’s why chickens need dust baths, what they actually do for a bird, and how to provide one if your flock can’t make its own

What Poultry Can Do For Your FFA and 4-H Experience

Joining FFA and 4-H is an excellent way to improve your agricultural knowledge, meet people with the same interests as you, and compete in fun activities It’s not a requirement to have poultry to join these clubs, so you may be wondering how owning poultry can enhance your FFA or 4-H experience Get all of the details below!
How can poultry benefit me if I join 4-H?
Although there are many activities that you can do in 4-H, one of the largest and most recognized is showing livestock This includes poultry! You can raise purebred birds and