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What Do Chickens Eat Naturally? (5 Things)
We already know what our domestic chickens eat: just about anything! The chicken feed from the farm supply store, berries from the garden, scraps from the dinner table… to a chicken, everything is a potential meal, and it’s at least worth having a taste! But what if we weren’t around to do their shopping and […]
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Feral Fowl Fables: Are There Wild Chickens?
The chickens we know and love today are the result of many years of selective breeding. By breeding chickens, we’ve created many different varieties and emphasized traits like friendliness and calmness. But few people have considered where, exactly, chickens come from. No, we’re not talking about the old “chicken-or-egg” conundrum. We’re talking about the ancestry […]
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No Porches for Poultry: How to Keep Chickens Off the Porch
It’s a lovely spring day, and you’re thrilled to go sit outside on your patio and enjoy the fresh air. After a long winter spent cooped up inside, nothing sounds better than getting to relax on your porch. But you weren’t the only one to come up with this idea. Your chickens have also decided […]
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Backyard Bird Bacteria: How Do Chickens Get Salmonella?
No animal is more closely associated with salmonella than the chicken. We’re constantly warned not to eat raw eggs or chicken meat due to the risk of salmonella, and the horror stories of those who have been infected with it are enough to make us obey. While it’s true that chicken meat and eggs are […]
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From Farm to Freezer: How Are Chickens Slaughtered?
Slaughter is an inevitable part of a broiler (meat) chicken’s life. We associate the word “slaughter” with brutality and suffering, but thankfully, chicken slaughter has come a long way from the barbaric methods of the past. Today, many chicken farms use the most humane slaughter methods possible. The process is designed to be as comfortable […]
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What Do Chickens Like to Eat? (Top Treats for Picky Poultry)
Chickens will eat just about anything you put in front of them. That’s no secret, and it makes it easy to supply your flock with daily treats. But just because they will eat something doesn’t mean that they truly enjoy it. Like us, chickens have their own favorite foods that they’ll do just about anything […]
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What Can’t Chickens Eat? (The Big List of Off-Limits Foods for Your Flock)
When chickens encounter new things, their first instinct is to see if they’re edible. So when you present them with food, it’s only a matter of seconds before they gobble it down. This eagerness to eat can make it fun to give your chickens new foods and see how they like them. But just because […]
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The Best of the Nests: Your Guide to the Best Nest Boxes
Human mothers always want the best for their babies, and chicken mothers are no different. And a nest box is without a doubt the best place for a brooding hen to lay her eggs. Sure, hens are willing to lay eggs just about anywhere. The corner of the coop, under a bush in your yard, […]
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Getting Hot in Here: The Ultimate Sweeter Heater Guide
Chickens have plenty of built-in insulation in the form of feathers, but all that fluff is no match for the chill of winter. When the days get short and temperatures drop, your chickens are in danger of freezing unless they have a toasty place to retreat to. A chicken coop heater is essential for any […]
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A Quick Refresher: Chicken Waterers for Happy, Healthy Poultry
Water is life, and we don’t just mean that metaphorically. Every living thing, including you and your chickens, needs water to survive — and the cleaner, the better. But providing that clean water can be more of a hassle than it seems. Keeping your chickens’ water supply fresh is a chore, and getting them to […]