A Note About Chick Handling and Salmonella

With the rise in popularity of backyard poultry, the Centers for Disease Control is seeing a rise in reports of salmonella. Salmonella can cause diarrhea, vomiting, fever, or abdominal cramping in humans. The illness can range from mild to life threatening. The biggest tool you have in preventing salmonella...

I’ve Placed My Chick Order… Now What?!

Congratulations! You will soon be the proud owner of your very own chickens! But how do you get ready to be a keeper of chickens? Within a few days of placing your order, you should receive an email with your ship date. Mark it on your calendar and give you post office a call the week they will ship. Your...

Painting and/or waterproofing the inside of your chicken coop?

A couple things to keep in mind if you are painting and/or waterproofing the inside of your chicken coop. If the waterproofing produces strong toxic fumes, leave plenty of time in the building process to let it dry/cure/and air out. Chickens are actually fairly sensitive to the same chemicals and inhaled...

Waterfowl: Ducks, Geese and Swans

Waterfowl are different from their land-based relatives, the chickens and other gallinaceous birds such as quail and pheasants. Their plumage is oiled to resist water and their meat is all dark. They carry a layer of fat under their skin, an adaptation that helps them stay warm in cold water. All those...

Chicken breeds for broody hens

Natural incubation keeps a backyard flock going. The hen gets broody, the rooster does his job, she lays her eggs and sets on them, and 21 days later, she emerges with chirping chicks. A hen is broody when she insists on setting on the nest. She won’t get up, even if you lift her out. She fluff her...

Buy baby chicks or hatching eggs?

Buy baby chicks or hatching eggs? After living in Madison, Wisconsin for four years, I returned to California’s Central Coast in 2007. I hatched some eggs two years ago for baby chicks for my own backyard flock. I wanted traditional heritage breeds such as Dorkings.  I asked a friend and he sent me White...