Even if you don’t have the exact materials or skills that my dad does, reading about his new chicken coop with give you lots of good ideas for a very functional AND nice looking arrangement for your backyard flock. Most of his ideas don’t require a degree in engineering. 😉 I will probably use his […]
Preparing an Inexpensive Sandbox Brooder for the Little Spring Chicks
Little chicks are cute… and stupid. That is, they tend to kill each other trying to huddle for warmth, shade, or protection. They walk in their food, and usually can’t find their water unless you show it to them. They panic if you reach your loving hands from above, but run and peck mindlessly if […]
Pre Spring Evaluation of Chicken Coops, Nesting Boxes, and Predator Protection Measures
It is time to decide if I’m really going to be able to do the chicken thing this spring. We have the surviving few chickens in the back pen, but we keep coming back to the idea that chickens are the best subcontractors to put to work in the large area at the front of […]
If You Give A Livestock Guard Dog a Chicken
It seems to come down to opinions about whether or not breeding or training is the most important thing about dog behavior. Are there just as many variations in outcome within a breed as between different breeds? Is the dog guarding because it was bred to or because it was trained to? I am having […]
Beginning Steps in Training My Chicken Guard Dog
Two nights ago, I informed my husband that I am going to train my dog to guard the chickens. He took it in stride. He only suggested it about 3 years ago. The man has patience. The problem was that I had read, in what has been a reliable chicken-fact book (Chickens In Your Backyard: A […]