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When we first started keeping chickens we usually stopped by a local feed store and picked up a handful of baby chicks from the cheeping-fluff-filled cages in the back corner. It didn’t take us long to try ordering baby chicks mail-order instead. Wow! What a difference! Half the price and a simple phone call – [...]
There is something to be said for buying a chicken, bringing it home, and having her lay an egg that first day. After all, a baby chick can take anywhere from 14-24 weeks before they begin laying eggs, and if you buy straight-run chicks you could end up with more roosters than you anticipated. But [...]
It happens every year. My in-laws get offers weeks or months after Easter for “free chickens” that were purchased for children over the Easter holidays. Every year. Usually these chicks are roosters that are cast-offs of the commercial egg farms and therefore come to your local store for pennies. Why do you think they are [...]
One of our hens was acting a little broody. You can tell when a hen is broody because they won’t just lay their egg and jump off the nest cackling with delight. They lay their egg and hunker down, ready to wait it out. We generally say around here that the hen has “gone setting” [...]
With an increase in awareness of the damage of many medicated commercial feeds and genetically modified food sources, some backyard chicken owners are trying their hand at growing their own chicken feed.
In previous years we’ve always purchased baby chicks from the local feed store. But this year my in-laws and our family want to go in together on some baby chicks so mail-order will probably be more reasonable in price. Plus the selection is better than what’s available through the local feed stores. Thoughts? Suggestions? What [...]
Rich, savoury, tasty chicken stock adds instant gourmet to soups and risottos. This homemade version is made using chicken bones or carcasses from the kitchen – as a result, it costs next to nothing. Use a crockpot or saucepan to create delicious stock from scratch with minimal effort.
Make a simple roasted chicken work overtime by buying one store-bought, shredding it to make multiple meals, then using the bones to make a chicken stop for soups and cooking.
Raising a few chickens to supply your family with eggs is fun and easy. Even if you don’t live out in the country, you can easily raise chickens in a small backyard, and you can’t beat the flavor of fresh eggs. There are a few things you need to know before you start raising your own chickens, such as whether your town allows chickens, what kind of housing you want to use, and what breed you will want to raise.
