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.  read more »

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.

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.  read more »

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

Chicken news this week...  read more »

The Weekly Roost is a posting that I started last week, which will appear every Thursday. It's a way to stay up to date on chicken related news. As much as I would like to blog daily about chickens and chicken news, it just does not work with grad school, having a job, and having time to update this site and continue research on chickens/ordinances. So this seemed like the best way to reduce my time while still providing good info. I plan on also having 1-2 blog entries per week in addition to The Weekly Roost. Enjoy!  read more »

About a month ago I taught my first chicken keeping 101 class to about 17 people in my community. Here are some tips on how to organize and teach your own class:  read more »

Here is the weekly roundup of chicken related news...  read more »