Gardening with Free Range Chickens for Dummies

  • Post published:09/07/2013
  • Post comments:4 Comments

Dogs and cats are so 20th century. Chickens are the new trend in ‘pets.’ They are colorful, cheerful, easy to care for, and productive. Think of all those fresh eggs! Dogs only give you sticks you have thrown for them to bring back. OK, sometimes they bring you the newspaper, too. Cats are too independent to bring you anything. Of course, chickens have different needs than a dog or cat if you are going to include them in…

Taking Stock of Experiments and Projects

  • Post published:11/11/2012
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Every spring we begin the gardening season with new energy and new plans. After a winter of reading and thinking we stride out into the spring sun to build and dig, to add and subtract with confidence and high hopes. In the fall, while we are hoping we still have time to plant some bulbs (we do) it is time to review and see how our projects and experiments turned out. Our big project this year was really…

Chicken Encyclopedia Finale on National Poultry Day

  • Post published:03/19/2012
  • Post comments:3 Comments

Chickens have been much on my mind over the past two weeks as I participated in The Chicken Encyclopedia virtual book tour with the participation of 15 of us chicken loving bloggers. I am one of the bloggers who gave away a copy of the book and passed on some information. However, I also passed on some misinformation. Happily I have been corrected by Gail Damerow and the editors at Storey Publishing and I want to make the…

We Have a Winner! And It’s Bloom Day

  • Post published:03/15/2012
  • Post comments:3 Comments

I am happy to announce that Gracia is the winner of Storey Publications book The Chicken Encyclopedia.  Send me your mailing address and I will have Storey mail the book directly to you. Congratulations! Have fun with your chickens. While Gracia is celebrating  with her chickens I am celebrating my snowdrops on this Bloom Day. To see what else is blooming across the  country visit May Dreams Gardens. Carol, thank you for hosting this beautiful and useful meme.…

Chicken Encyclopedia – Storey Blog Tour & Giveaway

The chicken is a familiar farm animal, but even those who are setting up backyard flocks may not be aware of the more arcane facts of their life. Some may not be aware of the most basic facts of their biology. I cannot count the number of times people have told me they would love to have chickens producing eggs in the backyard, but they just cannot stand the thought of having a rooster. BASIC FACT: Hens, like…

Fox went out on a chilly afternoon

  • Post published:02/11/2012
  • Post comments:8 Comments

I was about to start cooking yesterday when I looked out the kitchen window and saw my chickens all a-flutter and one in the mouth of a fox. A healthy and beautiful red fox. I opened the window and started yelling and banging my frying pan and lid. Everyone really got excited. The fox dropped the chicken and had trouble finding the hole in the chicken fence, but finally pushed his way through. The chickens went flying in…

Start a Free Range Chicken Flock – Contest

  • Post published:02/10/2012
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Dreaming of free range chickens? Dreaming of sun yellow egg yolks? Dreaming of buk-buk-buk songs in the back yard? Dreaming of cheerful, domestic and productive chickens working for you and keeping you cheerful and domestic?  This is your chance to win Free Range Chicken Gardens book by Jessi Bloom and published by Timber Press - as well as a $50 gift card for chicken feed or supplies from McMurray Hatchery One chicken coop plan from The Garden Coop (a $20…

Free Range Chicken Gardens – Timber Press Giveaway

  • Post published:01/26/2012
  • Post comments:3 Comments

Yesterday I heard a discussion about the environmental and economic situation on the radio. One speaker laughed and said we'll all be stocking up on gold and backyard chickens. I don't have any gold, but I do have backyard chickens. As do many of my rural neighbors. However, I know that gardeners who live in town on small lots are also setting up backyard flocks. The town ordinances allow up to ten chickens. No roosters! If you don't…

My Ornamented Life – Part 3

  • Post published:12/16/2011
  • Post comments:1 Comment

One year my boss at Greenfield Community College gave me this ornament. I thought he was giving me a compliment, but no. He was merely acknowledging my flock of chickens and the eggs I brought to give out at work. Have you even been given ornaments at work? Were they compliments? We have lots of other chicken ornaments on our tree. I think chickens are cheerful, domestic and productive. I emulate the chicken.