Spring is here!. And you know what that means. It’s time for Hipster Chicks!
Follow me on Facebook!
Meet Toby! The New Guardian of the Hipster Hens
There’s a new dog in town….and he’s delightful!
Salmonella in Eggs: It’s Poisonal
Salmonella continues to be a problem in eggs and large-scale egg recalls continue to pop up in the news. Is there anything you as an egg consumer should look for when shopping for eggs that might reduce your risk? In fact, there is!
The Chickens of Vietnam and Cambodia
I ran into chickens everywhere I went in Vietnam and Cambodia: The urban streets of Hanoi, the hamlets along the Mekong River in Cambodia, pecking and scratching on the grounds of Buddhist monasteries, amongst the ruins of ancient Angkorian temples, and for sale in the local markets. Warning: Like everywhere else in the world, the people of Southeast Asia eat chickens, and that is discussed here. They also eat eggs and any number of things we don’t eat in the US.
In the Coop & Around the World - April 10, 2019
The chickens of Vietnam and Cambodia - Introducing Toby the Lab, Guardian of the Hipster Hens - And Baby Chicks! Coming soon to a coop near me!
Chicken Frostbite
Ingredients for frostbite: Take one coop of chickens. Add one polar vortex event.
Virulent Newcastle Disease Can Kill Your Backyard Flock
In May of 2018, backyard chickens in Los Angeles County, California began to die – first in one backyard, then in another, then in many, many more. It was the beginning of the spread of a terrible scourge known as Virulent Newcastle Disease (vND), a contagious and deadly viral disease that affects birds. By January 2019, in spite of the heroic efforts by staff of the US Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, not only had vND found its way into large commercial flocks, it continued to spread through many, many more backyard flocks southern California.
In the Coop & Around the World - January 6, 2019
Thinking wistfully of spring. And dealing with the problems of winter, including frostbite and rodents in your coop. Frostbite in rodents is not discussed.
What My Chickens Gave Me For Christmas
My chickens do give me gifts. And those gifts last the entire year.
In the Coop & Around the World - December 2, 2018
Here are a few gift ideas for your chicken people. And your chickens!
In the Coop & Around the World - November 25, 2018
Why isn’t Moe the Salmon Faverolle molting? Plus winterizing the coop. And a few words about California’s recently passed Prop 12 and how it will make life better for hens everywhere!
In the Coop & Around the World - November 18, 2018
In this post: The Silkies lay their first eggs. A turkey video for Thanksgiving, but its so scary maybe it should be for Halloween. A heartwarming story about chickens in Paradise, CA. And millions and millions of ducks!
Six Silkie Chicks Grow Up
One bright morning in May, I traveled to Forest Lake, Minnesota where I adopted six baby chicks. By October, those babies were gone. In their place were six fine young cockerels and pullets. This post is about what happened in between.
Marek’s Disease – Six Things You Should Know
If Marek’s Disease strikes your flock there’s very little you can do except suffer as your sick chickens suffer, and end their suffering when it becomes severe. There is no cure. Thus, your best strategy is to prevent Marek’s from harming your flock in the first place.
A Children's Book: Gwen the Rescue Hen
Leslie Crawford has ably imagined and narrated this story of Gwen’s great adventure, and Sonja Stangl’s illustrations have perfectly captured the whimsy inherent in all things chicken. Together they show children, and adults that “happily ever after” is a real thing—and making it happen can be as simple as letting chickens live like chickens.
Getting Your Ducks in a Row for Raising Baby Chicks: Eight Questions and Answers
When you adopt baby chicks, you’re taking small, helpless, peeping balls of fluff under your wing. It’s a big responsibility, and if you’ve never done it before, you should make sure you understand the list of basics before you undertake this big venture. If you have done it before, it’s good to pull out that list and review it just to make sure you have all your ducks in a row . Raising baby chicks is not hard, after all, but there are a few things you have to consider and a few things you need to do right.