An Overview of What to Feed Chickens

Whether you're a new or a veteran backyard chicken keeper, it’s natural to wonder just what to feed chickens. When you get your first chickens, you grab a bag of starter feed, but what happens next? And exactly what starter feed should you grab?

All About Double Yolk Chicken Eggs

What is a double yolk egg? It's simply a single-shelled egg with two yolks inside and it's not as uncommon as you might think.

Growing and Making Fresh Herbal Tea

As summer heats up, the herb garden is in full swing and many of the herbs have grown so big that it’s time for them to have some trimming done to encourage fullness and regrowth. What do you do with all those trimmings? Make a fresh herbal tea, of course! If you’ve never had fresh herb tea, it’s definitely something you should try. It’s easy and delicious!

Lemon Balm is a member of the mint family and grows rapidly.
I usually cut mine back once or twice a season to keep it under control.

What is Coltsfoot?

Are you seeing dandelions in the spring? You may want to double check. Those yellow flowers you're seeing could be coltsfoot.

While its flowers are pretty, this plant is actually named after its leaves which resemble a horseshoe in cross section. Coltsfoot flowers pop up in early spring and are often found in poor, disturbed soils. (Which is why it grows next to my driveway!) The leaves don't appear until after the flowers have died back and the plant has gone to seed, so in the spring, the flowers show up with no apparent leaves. 

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

The Backstory on Hornet Nests

Bald-Faced Hornet nests have a story to tell. Through most of the year, hornet nests are barely visible tucked in trees with leaves surrounding them. But in winter, hornet nests are easily found and fascinating structures that can be safely explored without fear of repercussion. Around my neck of the woods, bald-faced hornets make beautiful, teardrop-shaped nests that provide a home base for the colony from spring to late fall.

New Hampshire Chicken - Breed Spotlight

The New Hampshire Red chicken is a great family-friendly bird that's named for the state where it was developed. Many confuse this breed with the Rhode Island Red which makes sense because it was originally developed from Rhode Island Red stock. This is a good dual-purpose bird that matures early and consistently lays brown eggs.

Class: American
Origin: United States
Comb Type: Single
Color: Red
Standard Size: 6.5 Pounds (Hen) 8.5 Pounds (Rooster)
Egg Color: Brown
Egg Size: Large
Production: 4 to 5 Eggs Per Week
Hardiness: Cold and Heat Tolerant
Disposition: Calm, Friendly

Big Red and our Buff Orpington (behind) are two of our most friendly chickens.

Winter Chicken Keeping - How Cold is Too Cold for Chickens?

As winter sets in and cold weather is here to stay, it’s common to wonder how cold is too cold for chickens? Let's face it, the weather plays an important part in our lives. There's a reason it's the most-watched part of our nightly news. It affects us and it affects our chickens.

Every year there are stories of folks that bought the wrong breed for their climate and experience losses, have unhealthy chickens, or end up bringing their birds inside where the climate is more moderate.

Don't let this happen to you! There's no magic number when it's too cold outside for chickens, but there are some cautions you should take during cold weather.