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[Photo credit: backyardchickencoops.com] We as chicken keepers should want to know everything we can about the creatures we care for. When it comes to chickens and other kinds of poultry, one of the most essential characteristics of all flock behavior is the pecking order. And it is very...

Well BYC, it's been a good while since I was last on here! In the past couple days I've suddenly been bit by the writing bug again, and thus I thought I had better write on this website seeing as my last article was published over a year ago!:th I've been at this chicken raising thing for a...

Table Scraps and Leftovers for Chickens Fun fact: chickens like to eat…a lot! Being omnivores, they will happily gobble down most anything you provide them with. This can be very convenient for us when it comes to disposing of our leftover table scraps and other unwanted food. Additionally...

Does Chicken Keeping Ever Get Boring? Can or does chicken raising ever get dull? I’ve been at this chicken keeping business for years now. I don’t know about you, but when I first began my journey, it seemed as though I couldn’t learn enough about chickens. I read every book about chickens at...

Bigger is Better: Advice from one chicken keeper to another I’ve been raising chickens for close to six years now. Compared to some, that’s a long time, and compared to others, that’s nothing. But, nevertheless, I have learned countless lessons throughout my years of chicken keeping. Lessons...

Things I’ve Learned After Five Years of Chicken Raising I began my personal chicken raising adventures in the spring of 2012, even though chickens have always been apart of my life thanks to my grandparents’ farm. The whole idea of raising my own chickens hatched quite quickly and randomly in...

Nesting Boxes: Everything You Need to Know About These Coop Essentials While most chicken keepers are familiar with nesting boxes, some may not know of their importance and significance in the chicken coop. Many people think of a nest box as just that: a simple box birds use for laying their...

Let’s be honest: In the summer, when it’s hot and humid, it can sometimes discourage us from spending as much time with our flock as we normally would. However, the summer makes for a great opportunity to spend time with the birds. Spending time with our chickens is healthy for both them and us...

What a Chicken’s Comb Can Indicate The comb, or the red crown atop a chicken’s head, can indicate many things. But before we look at these things, let’s see what the chicken’s comb’s purpose is. Its primary purpose is to act as a blood circulator. It helps keep the bird cool during hot weather...

Dogs and Chickens What You Need to Know About Harmonizing These Two Creatures Thousands of people love dogs. Thousands of people love chickens. And, thousands of people wonder how they can make their two loves get along with one another and live together in peace. Training dogs to not kill...

Tips for Successfully Sexing Your Chicks Well, it’s that time of year. The chicks are in, we’ve fallen in love with their adorable appearances and peeping, we realize just how fun they are to keep…and we start asking the age-old question: “What gender are my chicks??” Sexing birds is one...

Tips for Preventing Chicken Boredom In The Winter I’m aware that there are many resources, articles and videos explaining all about how to keep chickens entertained in the winter. While this article may seem similar to others, it contains factual information about the tips and methods for...

Water in the Winter Have you ever found yourself filling the chicken waterer more frequently in the winter than you do any other time of year? Have you ever wondered why that is? I asked the same question a couple years ago. One of our family friends, who used to own horses, explained the...

The Key to Happy Hens and Healthy Eggs When you think of a healthy, fresh egg, what do you imagine? Probably something along the lines of a tough, clean shell, clear, firm egg white and a dark, strong, tasty egg yolk. While this may seem like the perfect egg, what if I told you it was possible...

Like any living creature, chickens grow old. They start out as tiny embryos inside an egg and end up as large, clucking birds full of life. Chickens have a life expectancy of 5-8 years on average. However, some chickens have been known to live past 10 or even 15 years! Throughout these years...

Introducing New Chickens: Using the “See but don’t touch” Method Chicken keeping is addicting. Along the road of your own chicken raising adventure, you are bound to add new chickens to your flock. This cannot and should not be taken lightly. When new chickens are introduced to an old flock...

How to Train Peafowl to Stay Home At Night Like chickens, peafowl like to sleep in the same place each night. Unfortunately, if you don’t train them to sleep in their coop at night, they may never come home to roost! Why is it important for them to stay home? Several reasons. They are much...

The Reasons Why I Love BYC BYC is a wonderful website! It has really made an impact on my life in ways I never would have thought were even possible. I just wanted to share my appreciation for it in this article. The Members The members on BYC are just like a big, unique family. I love...

Raising Chicks: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers In the spring, chicken keepers all over the world are preparing for the arrival of their new chicks. Whether they have raised chickens before or not, they all have questions. This is an article answering frequently asked questions...

Dust Baths: What they are and why they are important We bathe to keep clean. Chickens take baths too. The interesting thing is chickens bathe in the dirt! And yes, this keeps them clean. Dust bathing is very important for chicken health. The dust keeps their feathers clean and absorbs excess...