Read More →

Steps to start Raising Backyard Chickens photo credit: portmanteaus Raising chickens within your backyard is often easy, enjoyable, and lucrative. It can also be gratifying knowing that you are growing tasty and nutritious eggs for the table. The chickens you harvest is going to be meatier, have more fat, and can taste improved believe it or not. You possibly can decide from a wide wide variety of chickens to improve, and every single type does have its different features. Earlier to ordering your chickens you need to obtain or make your own chicken tractors, also identified as chicken arks, or chicken coops. Additionally, you will require feeders, water fountains, nests, and several added items. Then when you’ve got your movable chicken... Read→

If you thought raising chickens in your backyard was something that required a lot of land, and was for country folks, you might want to reconsider. Raising chickens has become a popular and efficient hobby lately, especially after documentaries like “Food Inc.” shed light into the low-grade chicken that’s found in stores. photo credit: galateadia Raising your own poultry can be a rewarding and experience, from constructing the unique house for your chickens to roost in, to raising them, and finally eating them. If you have never had a fresh chicken that’s had the ability to walk and gain a little muscle, you’re missing out. A recent Cooks Illustrated magazine explained how chicken used to have much more flavor... Read→

photo credit: peggydavis66 When I was building my chicken coop (for the last time) I went through quite a few iterations. Some of them involved lopsided 2×4 legs that couldn’t hold a mouse; needless to say I, and my husband ended up smashing to bits and using as firewood. So I’ve learned a few things about building one. Like anything else, good instructions help. I’m a woman, what can I say. You can find a ton of chicken coop building plans all over the internet. The problem is that most are junk, hard to read, etc, so how to you find the best ones? In fact, most designs you come across are shoddy, and may not be adaptable to your situation; they will probably cost you a lot of money and maintenance costs. Failure comes... Read→

photo credit: furtwangl Building a chicken coop for chickens and other poultry birds to make sure they can have shelter and food without having any annoyance of external beings. Inside, they have perches where they sleep and also have nest like piles to lay eggs. Interior and exterior floor of the chicken coop is often covered with a material, usually straw or wood fibers this helps to contain the chicken waste and also helps in easier cleanup of the chicken coop. Ventilation is something that’s certainly required, is also supplied. Usually chicken coops smells bad, so when when building a chicken coop you want to look into some of the methods used to control the odor. A well ventilated, carbon scrubbed environment is an easy solution. Backyard... Read→

photo credit: furtwangl In fact, it’s easy and probably a fun experience if you are enthusiasic. And why shouldn’t you be? Raising your own chickens means that you’ll have those $5/dozen eggs right in your backyard. You’ll have chickens that taste better too because they actually be able to walk. Store-bought chicken just doesn’t taste like it should and it’s because of the way they are raised. There’s nothing wrong with mass producing them, but if you want to actually know what chicken flavor really is, you need to raise your own. You can build chicken coops in all sizes and shapes; there are many designs. They each have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. It is important to know that several... Read→

All sorts of chicken coop plans exist, but if you want to pick the best models, you need to make sure they are convenient, cleanable, comfortable and closeable. The coop must be easy to close during the night, so rats and foxes can’t enter and attack the chickens. photo credit: peggydavis66 It also needs to be comfortable, so the chickens can perch above the ground, ideally on a wooden perch, or on a chicken wire floor, if the coop is placed on stilts. Even during the night, the chicken digestion systems will still work, so their droppings will go through the chicken wire. You need good ventilation in it, to allow them to breathe easily, even when they’re cooked up inside for longer periods of time. Ideally, you should also put... Read→

photo credit: furtwangl It all started years ago when I became somewhat obsessed with gardening, which encouraged me to look into sustainable living practices. When I first heard about chicken coops, I thought they were for po-dunk farmers; they smellled, were noisy, and generally unfit for urban dwellings. I was wrong. Being a foodie, I also knew that “real” chicken tastes better. No, I’m not saying that the hormones and whatnot that Purdue and others use makes them taste bad. Actually, the lack of muscle tissue is what does it. You see, muscle breaks down to fat when cooking, and fat tastes good. It also gives added flavor and a better texture to the meat. A recent NYT article highlighted the virtues of a farmer-bred chicken,... Read→