Thanks to the hard work of Dan Brown and other Ft. Collins chicken supporters, residents of the city will now be allowed to keep hens in residential backyards. The city council passed the ordinance 5 to 1, which allows up to 6 hens per household.  Roosters and slaughtering are not permitted, and hens must be housed 15 feet from your property line.  read more »

This week in the world of chicken news...

Yes- the same line of defense that was used back in the day for castles, can be used to protect your garden. This style of moat however does not involve a protective barrier of water, but rather a protective barrier of chickens.

In an article over on Mother Earth News, Gene Gerue, explains the beauty of this simple invention:

Switters, one of my Rhode Island Reds, has had a round scab on the bottom of her right foot for a few weeks now. I soaked and cleaned her feet many times, but the scab showed no signs of clearing up, and a slight pink color had now developed around the edges. I then noticed a very tiny round scab on the bottom of her other foot, and decided that I needed to get her feet healthy right away before it got serious.  read more »

This week in the world of chicken news....  read more »

Note: I am including a few pictures in this post. Nothing too graphic, but I just wanted to be polite and warn you, since the idea of slaughtering a chicken turns some people's stomaches.

We processed our first chicken last Saturday, and we ate him for dinner last night. It was an experience, and I suggest (to all who want to) that someday you process a chicken as well. It was everything you would expect and more- a little bit bloody, very educational, and in the end- quite tasty. I was a little anxious at the beginning of the process, but I took comfort in knowing that the 1 year old rooster I was about to process was raised very humanely, would be hand processed humanely, and would provide quality food for my family.  read more »

Here is a great video about Rhode Island Reds- one of my favorite breeds of chicken. This video is part of a series on Expert Village by Tia Pinney, a teacher, naturalist and program coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Some of her videos are also featured on our FAQ page. If you want to know more about chicken breeds, her videos are a good place to start.  read more »

The last chicken keeping class of the season was a major success, with over 30 people in attendance! A special thanks to the Harwood Art Center for giving me the opportunity to teach at the Wells Park/Sawmill Community Garden. This was a wonderful class!  read more »

Chickens in the news this week...  read more »

• 5th annual Tour de Coops in Portland, OR this weekend.
• 6 out of 7 city councilors in Lonmont, CO say yes to backyard chicken keeping.

Around the same time that I noticed feed prices going up, I also noticed that we were going through chicken feed much faster than usual. I thought that maybe the girls were eating more...but I soon found out that I had been feeding more flocks than just my own.

A huge flock of sparrows had recently discovered the bounty of food that my chicken pen provided.  read more »