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The last house we sold had a .29 acre lot. Our current house has 10.1 acres. The zoning where we live is based on density, not lot size. You could have a subdivision zoned for 5 acre density, but the lots themselves could be 1/2 acre with 4.5 acres of common space. So, odd-sized lots is not...

Don't underestimate bugs, snakes, and other creatures that show up in the run as a source of protein. If we do have a complete collapse of civilization, running equipment won't be possible and we'll have to be concerned about our own access to clean water and sanitation. (No sewer treatment or...

It's usually not this brutal in middle TN, but temps in the 90s with dew points in the 60s is typical. We've been having high temps with dew points in the mid 70s - where is feels like you need gills to breathe! Still, the coop is not oppressive to be in. (I won't say comfortable because I'm...

My daughter wants to have a rooster bachelor pad when she grows up. Apparently, they don't fight when there are no hens to fight over!

My daughter has named all the ones we get to keep. (She has to sell some next week as part of the 4-H project that gave us 29 chickens.) Ironically, she can't tell the show quality bird apart anyway. She has named her keepers for striking characteristics, for her dance teachers, or just gave...

Starting to lay!

I love this site, too! I'm piggy backing off this advice! My daughter just found her first egg when cleaning the coop. It was under the roosting bar. Glad to know it's not abnormal for a pullet to be surprised!

I have to remind my daughter these are livestock. If a bird gets sick, we'll cull them not take her to the vet. I told her we'll keep them when they stop laying since part of the reason for our flock is bug control, but we may still need to euthanize them in the end.

I also use the term free range when referring to how I raise my kids - I set boundaries but they are free to make decisions and take risks. I provide guidance on the front end (on whatever) and then step in if they need help or venture into something truly dangerous. Kind of like chickens...

Free range in the supermarket is a much different context than raising chickens. I always discourage people from buying grocery store eggs because a factory egg is a factory egg no matter what it says on the carton. Using the term free range when raising chickens communicates that you do not...

Thank you. The bandage did come off pretty quickly, but she seems to be doing fine with the others.

Where do you store the food? I'd like to keep it outside next the coop. Do I have to worry about raccoons getting into it like I do with cat food?

This chick (6 weeks old) has been pecked. Should we separate her or leave her with the flock? We have a total of 26 pullets and 1 roo in an 8x8 coop. We know we need more roosting bars to prevent this in the first place. They are being installed this weekend. We also plan to start letting...

I have passed signs like yours in rural KY and TN. However, it's always a little nerve racking to stop. First, I want to talk to someone about the eggs. I'll have questions! What do you feed them? How do you keep them? Also, clear instructions are good. You could add "self-serve" to the sign...

The problem is, I don't have any other container big enough. I have 27 chickens. Our brooder is an octagon of approximately 15 - 20 sq ft. I have a 7 sq ft tub and a heat lamp that will hopefully work for today. I'm not sure it will work as they get bigger. Suggestions on something...

Our current brooder is made of 8 brooder panels from Premier 1 Supplies. I am currently having a couple issues. 1. Where do I put the chicks when I clean the brooder? They were so small the first week that we used a plastic storage container as a brooder. We just put them in another one to...

We saw some heat plates online with a cover so that the chicks can't get on it. They were out of stock when we needed to place our order, so we have the TSC plate. We are going to try to make a cover for it with cardboard. If they still get on the cover we can just compost the whole thing and...

My girls didn't even wait to get them home! They have a list of potential names hanging in one of their rooms. So far they have assigned names to the rooster, the 3 white leghorns, and the two sickly chicks. The one that died is buried next to her pet fish. The other sickly chick is strong...

The floor is indeed starting to rot. I will clean it, my husband will refloor it, and I will paint it. We will also re-roof the coop and put "siding" on it - i.e. something to cover the crude vent holes and corner gaps and that will stand up to the elements. I'll be checking out the coop...