Five Tips from a New Chicken Keeper

Five tips from a new chicken keeperNew chicken keeper James Gibbon and one of his hens on his Montana farm.

Are you thinking about getting your first chickens this spring? Meet Counting My Chickens reader and aspiring blogger James Gibbon. James recently returned to his family farm in Montana and started raising his first flock of chickens. He says he has learned a lot about keeping chickens over… Continue reading

Caring for Chickens in Extreme Weather

Iowa in WinterWinter in Iowa

Lessons from the Polar Vortex

There’s nothing like an extreme weather event to get you rethinking your chicken-keeping practices.

The polar vortex event that hit the Midwest in late January sure had me rethinking mine. I spent a week trying to keep my small flock of chickens alive during record low temperatures and insanely wicked wind chills. Fortunately, we all survived. And I learned a… Continue reading

Caring for Your Chickens in Winter: A Guide

Caring for Your Chickens in Winter

Are your chickens ready for winter?

It’s been a glorious autumn in Iowa, but these photos from last winter provide a chilling reminder of what lies ahead. Where I live, negative double-digit temperatures are all too common during the winter months, along with blowing snow and ice… Continue reading