The Best Chicken Waterers

An egg sizzling in the frying pan is chock full of protein and vitamins but 76% of it is water With every egg laid a hen loses water from her body She needs plenty of clean drinking water to stay healthy and keep laying those delicious eggs

 

Unlike mammals, Chickens don’t sweat Their urine is a solid coating over droppings  They don’t need as much water as a similar-sized mammal, but they still must drink several times every day no matter what the weather is

 

It’s easy to install a big feeder in the coop that keeps hens happily eating for

Founding Flocks, Part 7: The Delaware

7 Classic American Chicken Breeds to Raise for America’s 250th Birthday

FlockJourney America 250 Series, Part 7: The Delaware, the newest breed in the lineup, named for the first state of all

Top 3 Takeaways

  • The youngest breed on our list is named for the oldest state Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, which is why it is still called the First State The breed that carries its name arrived much later, developed in 1940 by George Ellis, and it is the newest bird in our All-American lineup
  • It lays more eggs than any other breed in this

Founding Flocks, Part 4: The Wyandotte

Some American breeds came over with the settlers The Wyandotte came from here Developed in New York and named for the Wyandot people, it is a true American original, a breed Americans created rather than imported Week four of our Founding Flocks series belongs to the bird that wears lace and shrugs off winter

Top 3 Takeaways

  • An American original The Wyandotte was developed in New York, which makes it one of the breeds that America can call its own creation rather than an import
  • Built for cold A low rose comb that resists frostbite and a dense, well-rounded body

America 250 Series, Part 3: Barred Plymouth Rock

Close your eyes and picture a chicken Odds are you just pictured this one The black-and-white striped hen scratching around the barnyard is the Barred Plymouth Rock, and for the better part of a century it was the most common chicken in America Week three of our America 250 series belongs to the bird that became the picture of the American backyard

Top 3 Takeaways

  • It’s the chicken everyone pictures The barred black-and-white hen is the storybook American farm chicken, and it was one of the most popular breeds in the country for

Rhode Island Red: The All-American Hen Behind Half Your Favorite Layers

Top 3 Takeaways

  • The Rhode Island Red is America’s most-raised backyard hen In a recent Hoover’s survey of 253 backyard keepers, 66% had raised one That’s two of every three keepers, and no other brown egg layer comes close
  • You may already be raising its descendants The Red Star, Black Sex-Link, Cinnamon Queen, and ISA Brown all trace back to a Rhode Island Red parent, and the New Hampshire was refined straight from Rhode Island Red stock One breed from one small state is the genetic backbone of the modern hen house
  • It delivers exactly what keepers say they

Choosing the Best Breeds for Backyard Flocks

No one knows exactly how many chicken breeds exist There are hundreds, and possibly thousands The Hoover’s Hatchery catalog alone lists at least 100 breeds, and a few new ones get added every year There are heritage breeds, modern hybrids, specialty egg layers, broilers, and a handful of oddballs that don’t fit neatly into any category at all So with that many options in front of you, how does a family pick the best chicken breeds for a backyard flock? It can feel overwhelming The good news is that choosing is genuinely one of the most fun parts of

Give Your Chickens Room to Roam: Why Adequate Space Matters

How Much Space Do Chickens Need for a Healthy Flock

Raising happy, healthy chickens isn’t just about food and water—it’s about space Think of your flock as tiny, feathery divas who appreciate a little breathing room to strut, scratch, and socialize without feeling like they’re stuck in hen house traffic The very best option is allowing your flock free range time, but understandably this isn’t always feasible for all

How Much Space Do Chickens Really Need?

The golden rule: each chicken deserves at least 2–3 square feet inside the coop and 8–10 square feet in the outdoor run Cramped quarters lead to

All About the Cayuga Duck

If you have ever fallen down an internet rabbit hole searching for unique egg colors, you may have stumbled onto something that sounds made up: black duck eggs They are real, and they lead straight to one of the most striking waterfowl you can raise, the Cayuga duck Known for its shimmering dark feathers and those famous inky eggs, the Cayuga is a favorite among backyard keepers who want to add beauty and variety to their flock Whether you are homesteading in the Midwest or simply want a calm, eye-catching duck, the Cayuga deserves a serious look

Keeping the Flock Fresh

We need a steady supply of eggs from our backyard coop Doing it successfully takes planning and requires tough decisions

 

Each spring we buy five or six baby female chicks from a nearby farm store The tiny birds had been hatched just a few days earlier at Hoover’s Hatchery and quickly delivered to the store Soon our tiny peepers are happily housed in our brooder

 

Why six new chicks?

 

We like to have about 12 laying chickens to lay enough eggs for us, and we like to give many to friends and neighbors To keep the flock fresh, we replace about half

Downsizing A Flock

From time to time, we’ve had to downsize our flock It’s emotional Saying goodbye to the feathery friends who have generously given us eggs is hard An empty coop, lacking the bubbly chicken energy is a sad place Downsizing or eliminating a flock can be distressing and tricky

 

Why Downside a Flock

 

People downsize a flock for many reasons Here are a few we have had to use

 

  • We’re moving and can’t have chickens in our new home
  • Our hens are getting old and aren’t laying many eggs We need to replace them with younger ones
  • We bought chicks when egg

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