In our “introduction to raising chickens” class my wife and I attended at the local extension school, the presenter discussed chickens’ need for calcium and that providing oyster shells is necessary. One of the audience members asked about feeding the chickens’ eggshells back to them. The presenter thought this was a bad idea, that oyster […]
Archives for September 2022
First Brush With A Predator
I’ve been feeling somewhat smug that we hadn’t had a single issue with any predators and our chickens. Over labor day weekend I was awakened shortly before dawn by frantic clucking. I stuck my head out the window and saw a small raccoon investigating our coop. I yelled at him, and as soon as he […]
A Simple Technique for Keeping the Waterer Clean
The Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I get money if anyone clicks on them and then makes a purchase. Water is one of the main things chickens (and every other living thing) need constant access to. Beyond just water, they need access to CLEAN water. Clean, liquid water if you’re keeping chickens […]
Dust Baths
A dust bath is how a chicken keeps herself clean. The basic idea is that the chicken gets into loose soil and covers herself with it. If the chickens are free ranging or if there is appropriate soil in their run, they will dig a pit, pulling away any surrounding vegetation. When we let our […]
Chicken Tractors
Chicken tractors, also known as arcs or mobile coops are simply movable runs without a floor. Usually, this is achieved by having wheels on the coop. To get a bit more of the terminology down, a run is simply an enclosure for chickens – like a cage. A coop is the hen house, where they […]
Negotiating After Getting A Job Offer
I’ve published my second non-fiction book. It’s about making the most of a job offer from a company, increasing the compensation as much as possible. It’s currently available for pre-order and will be released on Friday, September 9th. UPDATE: As of November 14, 2022, it’s now also available as an audiobook. I decided to write […]
Coop Bedding
Part of keeping chickens will be providing bedding in their coop. The bedding’s purpose is threefold. It is used to: Provide a soft and secure surface for the chickens to walk on Control odor by absorbing the chicken waste as well as making the coop easier to clean out Cradle the eggs laid by the chickens […]