Category Archives: Poultry
My Farm and Life Will Never Be the Same
How do I write a tribute to an animal like Rupert? How do I do justice to such an incredible soul who touched so many people’s lives? As I write through my heartache I’m afraid I’ll miss something important about … Continue reading
Chicken Moms – Broody Hens
It’s that time of year when I have hens who start to go broody. Hens who decide they want to be a mom are called “broody”. It should really be called “moody” because my little sweet balls of feathers become … Continue reading
Parents of the Year Goes to…
Last year I bought five Sebastopol goslings and hand raised them myself. It was a spectacular experience. Out of all the babies I’ve had on my farm geese are my favorite to raise myself. The goslings bonded to me within … Continue reading
Chicks for Babes
It’s the time of year when the hens are laying well. Last year I donated hatching eggs to the local Montessori school so the kids could learn about the early cycle of chicken life. With lighter colored eggs kids are … Continue reading
Helping a Hatchling – a Story, Not a How-To
I have Sebastopol geese I raised myself. I anxiously awaited while my goose, Poppy, patiently sat on a nest with ten large eggs under her. She got off the nest periodically (usually once every couple of days) to eat, take a bath and stretch her legs … Continue reading
When Cosmo Comes Calling
This past August I received an email from an editor with Cosmopolitan.com. I thought it was a joke. After researching her info and discovering it was legit I responded and we set a time to talk on the phone. Since … Continue reading
Farm Animal Parenting Styles
Willow, the first chicken I hatched became a mom today. Unfortunately, she has fowl pox and is unable to see from one eye. She panicked when the babies hatched and killed one and pecked one hard so I had to take her … Continue reading
The Turkeys Have Chicken Pox, err, Fowl Pox
Rupert and the boys have been avoiding me lately. I thought it was because of their molts but since they’ve been molting for a couple months and this is a recent behavior it clued me in that something was wrong. I … Continue reading
Helping an Egg Bound Hen
At some point in your chicken keeping days you’ll probably have an egg bound hen. Meaning the hen has an egg it’s unable to pass easily. This can be deadly to the hen. Sometimes you won’t see symptoms. Maybe they … Continue reading
How to Kill
This isn’t a fun post but it’s an important one and it’s not about methods of killing – there are plenty of youtube videos for that. Four years ago I never thought I’d ever be in the position to kill … Continue reading
