The holiday season is all about warmth, joy, and festive traditions. Integrating backyard chickens into your holiday celebrations can add an extra layer of charm and a unique flair to your festivities. From fresh eggs for holiday recipes to engaging family activities, here’s how keeping backyard chickens can make your holiday season more special: Fresh… Read more »
Winter is approaching, meaning it’s time to ensure your backyard turkeys are prepared for the cold. Turkeys are resilient, but the harsh weather conditions can still pose significant challenges. Here are 10 detailed tips to help you provide the best care for your turkeys during the colder months: Winterize the Coop Inspect your turkey coop… Read more »
With the seasons in transition and the colder weather setting in, you have likely noticed some changes in your backyard chickens’ behavior. These are natural adaptations to the colder temperatures and shorter days. Understanding these behavioral shifts can help you better care for your flock during this time of year. Decreased Egg Production Chickens tend… Read more »
With the official start of autumn just days away, it’s important for new backyard chicken owners to know that this change in season will bring a new set of considerations. As the days grow shorter and the temperatures drops, you’re going to have to prepare your flock for the cooler months ahead to ensure their… Read more »
Embarking on the journey of backyard chicken keeping can be incredibly rewarding, providing you with fresh eggs, natural pest control, and the joy of connecting with your food source. However, like any new endeavor, there are important basics every first-time chicken owner should know to ensure success. Here are ten essential tips to help you… Read more »
As the chill of winter thaws into the warmth of spring, it’s an ideal time for backyard chicken keepers to perform a thorough check-in with their feathered friends. Spring symbolizes renewal in nature, so this is a crucial opportunity to ensure the health and well-being of your chickens after the long winter months. Here are… Read more »
As the frost of winter melts away and the first green shoots of spring make their appearance, many of us start to feel the itch for new beginnings. For those considering entering the rewarding journey of backyard chicken keeping, there couldn’t be a more perfect time than spring to start. The season of renewal is… Read more »
In the coldest of winter months, it’s easy to begin to worry about the well-being of our feathered backyard friends. Chickens are surprisingly resilient creatures, well-equipped by nature to withstand cooler temperatures. However, as a caring chicken owner, you can take steps to ensure they stay comfortable and healthy through the winter. Let’s explore how… Read more »
Chickens are adaptable to many conditions, including most weather. But sometimes the elements get serious enough that you can’t help but be concerned as a backyard chicken owner. Heavy rain, extreme wind, snow, cold, thunder, and lightning can cause certain problems for your backyard poultry. But if you plan ahead, prepare, and act quickly, ensuring… Read more »
The cool nip in the air, the first frost on the grass, and the reduced daylight can only mean one thing: winter is coming. And for those with backyard chickens, it’s a time when our protective instincts might kick into overdrive. Your immediate thought might be that you need to keep your chickens warm. While… Read more »
As the warmth of summer gradually transitions to the crisp breeze of autumn and eventually the chill of winter, budding poultry enthusiasts might be wondering how to ensure your backyard flock stays cozy, safe, healthy, and comfortable. The good news is it’s totally doable if you’re equipped with the right knowledge. Here are some tips… Read more »
As the end of summer approaches, it’s time for a backyard flock health check. Making sure your chickens are ready for the fall can ensure they transition smoothly into the cooler months. Here’s a checklist to help your chickens face autumn in good health. Health and Nutrition Molting often starts at the end of summer…. Read more »
In today’s world, it’s becoming increasingly important to live sustainably. As someone raising a backyard flock, then, you will want to find ways to raise your backyard chickens sustainably. But how can you do that? Here, we provide some sustainable practices you can use for raising backyard chickens. Why Use Sustainable Practices? Before we get… Read more »
Most chickens don’t have feathers on their feet, but not all! These feather footed chickens are a sight to behold, and they’re a great addition to any backyard flock. Nevertheless, they do need different kinds of care. Here, we discuss everything you need to know about your feather footed chickens and how best to care… Read more »
Have you ever been stuck inside for days, bored out of your mind? Well, that’s how your chickens feel in the winter. It’s normal for chickens to get bored during the winter, especially if they’re stuck inside the coop due to bad weather. However, if they get too bored for too long, they’ll start to… Read more »
Have you ever stepped outside and seen your chickens rolling around in the dirt? This is your chicken taking a dust bath. While it may look odd, there are actually specific reasons why your chickens take dust baths. What are dust baths? A dust bath is at it seems—it’s when chickens flop and roll around… Read more »
With the temperatures starting to drop, your main concern will be keeping your chickens warm and comfortable. But you should also worry about their water. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, so it’s possible that some of your chickens’ water will start to freeze. Here are a few ways to prevent that: Rotate the water… Read more »
Here at Chickens for Backyards, we’ve talked repeatedly about what you should do when caring for your chickens in the winter. But what about what you shouldn’t do? Being aware of what not to do will help prevent you from making these mistakes in the first place. Read on to learn more: Don’t tightly insulate… Read more »
With the cold weather setting in, you’re likely taking steps to prepare your flock for the months ahead. But if you live in a cold climate, it may be a good idea to get chickens that are built for colder weather. These hardy chickens can withstand tougher conditions than most normal chickens. But which breeds… Read more »
Making sure your hens are properly fed is essential to keeping them happy and healthy, as well as keeping up egg production. However, did you know that your hens’ dietary requirements change with the seasons? A hen during the wintertime will need different feed and different amounts of feed than they would during the warmer… Read more »
If you stayed home alone all day, every day, chances are you’d start to get lonely. Our chickens are just the same. Chickens are social animals, and they need other chickens around them in order to be happy. Here are a few reasons why that is: More chickens will keep away predators A single chicken… Read more »
Automatic chicken coop doors are essential components to your chicken coop. They can keep your chickens secure while also providing them easy access to the outdoors. Plus, it saves you time and energy so you don’t have to go outside to let your chickens out every morning. However, many chicken owners have questions about how… Read more »
Predators are a threat to your chickens year-round, but they are especially dangerous in the winter and early spring months when food is scarce. However, you and your chickens are not helpless. You can take steps to protect your chickens from predators to ensure that they never have to experience an attack. Know the predators… Read more »
Chickens have many distinguishable features, and among those are their plumes of feathers. These feathers aren’t just for looks; they also provide chickens with protection from the elements and help them fly, to name a few reasons. Understanding how your chickens’ feathers work can help you better take care of them. Read on to learn… Read more »
The life of a backyard chicken owner means always thinking a few steps ahead. While we may still be in the midst of summer, we also have to start thinking about the upcoming season–fall. Autumn is a time for pumpkins, falling leaves, and Thanksgiving dinners. It’s also the time for chickens to start molting. Every… Read more »
Earlier in the year, we discussed how best to take care of your chickens during the cold, winter months. But now that the temperatures are rising, we must turn our attention to the coming summer months. Summer, just like winter, brings its own host of challenges when caring for your backyard flock. As such, preparing… Read more »
While chickens provide great companionship, there is a very tangible benefit to raising backyard chickens: their eggs. Having a fresh supply of eggs that your family can enjoy each morning is why many chicken raisers get into the business in the first place. Plus, there’s no denying that selling your chicken eggs can be quite… Read more »
Small, lovable, and with tons of personality, bantam chickens are a popular breed for backyard chicken raisers. Their diminutive size makes them perfect for backyards where space is wanting, and their upbeat demeanor turns them into excellent pets. If you’re just getting started with raising backyard chickens, bantams are a great place to start. Nevertheless,… Read more »
Wintertime can bring a whole host of challenges, especially if you’re a chicken owner. While some chickens are built to withstand the cold, all chickens will still need some protection. As such, you’ll need to take extra precautions to keep your chickens happy and healthy throughout the tough winter season. Below is our chicken winter… Read more »
The chickens have come home to roost…literally. Chicken roosts, or roosting perches, are a familiar concept to veteran poultry keepers, but not so much for novices. There are a lot of questions soon-to-be chicken owners will have regarding roosts: what are they? How do you build them? Do you need them? Here we seek to… Read more »
For some people, owning one or two chickens in their backyard is all they need to be happy. For others, however, the more the merrier! While you can certainly keep buying hens from Chickens for Backyards, there is a special joy in breeding chickens yourself. Not only will this increase the numbers in your flock,… Read more »
If you’re a chicken owner, you’ve likely had to spend at least a few nights tracking down each of your chickens before you go to bed. This is hardly how you want to spend your evening, which is why many chicken owners opt for training their chickens to return to the coop on their own…. Read more »
If you’re new to raising backyard chickens, you’re bound to make some mistakes. However, as the temperature turns colder, those mistakes can become dangerous for your flock. We’ve talked about what you should do when caring for your chickens in the wintertime, but there are also some things that you shouldn’t do in order to… Read more »
One of the joys of owning backyard chickens is having freshly laid eggs on your kitchen table. Yet, there may come a time when one or many of your chickens stop laying eggs. The reasons can be varied, ranging from age to more serious health concerns. Nutrition If your chickens stop laying eggs, then the… Read more »
Wintertime can bring a whole host of challenges, especially if you’re a chicken owner. While some chickens are built to withstand the cold, all chickens will still need some protection. As such, you’ll need to take extra precautions to keep your chickens happy and healthy throughout the tough winter season. Keep them warm This should… Read more »
Hens sometimes go through phases where they will “refuse” to lay eggs for a period of time. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you’re raising chickens for the sole purpose of having fresh eggs at home. There are several different reasons that hens might suddenly stop laying eggs and Chickens for Backyards has some… Read more »
Even with their heavy plumage, chickens can get pretty chilly during the winter. To keep your flock happy, healthy and comfortable, it’s important to make sure their coop is equipped to keep them warm even on the coldest days of the year. Today we’ll look at a few ways to ensure your flock stays warm… Read more »
