Tag Archives: chickens

How homesteading taught me about the importance of Winter Solstice

I was never that much of a nature girl when I was growing up, I guess. I always loved animals, but I don’t think anyone in my family would have guessed that I would grow up, quit a hard-earned administrative job, and become a homesteader. My husband and I have a small-but-growing-more-efficient-by-the-day homestead, and we’ve […]

5 reasons not to buy a bunny or chick for Easter

baby chicks

This weekend, some of us may find ourselves tempted to buy baby chicks or bunnies for Easter presents for the children in our lives, but in general, this is a really bad idea. Unless you’re someone who is experienced in raising rabbits and chickens are are willing to take care of the animals, it’s best […]

Is oatmeal a healthy treat for your chickens?

oatmeal with blueberries

Do you remember when all the nutritionists said that butter was bad for us and that the whipped margarine stuff was so much better? Well, I do. I ate that whipped crap for my entire childhood, only to learn as an adult that the nutritionists were wrong. “Oops,” they said. And this was neither the […]

10 things I wish I knew before I got my first chickens

image of baby chicks

It’s the season of baby chicks. Chicken people are planning their flocks for the coming year, and people who are considering chickens are seeing baby chicks showing up in the stores. I did my very best research before we became chicken owners. I had wanted chickens for years, so I had plenty of time to […]

Maine-based independent publishing company launches children’s book at The Briar Patch

image of chicken illustration

I also hope you will be able to join us on Friday at The Briar Patch. The fun begins at 5:30 PM, and we’ll have a poetry reading, an art activity for children in honor of the The Art Walk events, and a signing. I don’t know how well my son is going to sign those books, but, by golly, he’s going to try.

Backyard homestead: Is it possible to raise a sweet rooster?

image of rooster

I’ve been reading chicken blogs, chicken forums, and following chicken Facebook groups for several years, and I’ve read some mixed reviews of keeping roosters. We had chickens a for quite a while before we made the leap and got a rooster for our flock. We accidentally ended up with two roosters (story below), and so […]