Field Guides & Blueprints
Search our library of 237 practical articles.
Broody Hen Hatching: Letting a Hen Hatch Her Eggs
Letting a broody hen hatch eggs means waiting for a hen to commit to sitting, slipping fertile eggs under her…
Are Roosters Allowed in Residential Areas?
Roosters are banned in the large majority of residential and urban areas, even where hens are fully legal, because a…
How Many Chickens Are Allowed in Urban Areas
Most urban areas allow four to six hens per household, though the limit is set locally and can run anywhere…
Raising Backyard Ducks: The Complete Keeper Guide
A keeper-engineer guide to raising cold-hardy backyard ducks for eggs.
Urban Chicken Keeping: A Complete Guide for Town Flocks
You can keep urban chickens legally in most U.S. towns and a great many suburbs, but the path runs through…
Best Meat Chicken Breeds: Fast, Hardy, and Dual-Purpose
The best meat chicken breeds fall into three camps: the Cornish Cross hybrid for fast, efficient, broad-breasted carcasses in 7…
Dual-Purpose Chicken Breeds: Eggs and Meat From One Flock
Dual-purpose chicken breeds are the ones that earn their keep twice: a hen that lays 200 or more eggs a…
Grit and Oyster Shell for Chickens: What Each One Does
Grit and oyster shell are the two supplements every chicken keeper hears about and almost everyone confuses. Grit is hard…
Backyard Meat Chicken Regulations: What to Check First
Backyard meat chicken rules vary enormously by location, so the only universal advice is to check four things with your…
How to Sell Backyard Eggs Legally
In most places, a small backyard keeper can legally sell ungraded eggs directly to consumers — at the farm gate,…
Raising Meat Chickens: The Complete Backyard Guide
Raising meat chickens in a backyard flock means picking the right kind of bird, feeding it correctly, and planning for…
How to Compost Chicken Manure for the Garden
Fresh chicken manure is the richest free fertilizer you’ll ever produce — its nitrogen runs roughly 1.1–1.5%, hotter than cow…