Whether you live in the country or in the city* you can get fresh eggs out of a backyard chicken coop every morning with minimal cost and chores.
Raising chickens is a fun hobby for all age groups and can lead to a small farm income for those willing to put the effort into it. Efficiency [...]

There are thousands of coop plans, designs and ideas for different buildings people the world over use for housing chickens. They range from elaborate two story structures right on down to a small doghouse type dwelling surrounded by a few feet of chicken wire. Before you invest a lot of money and time setting up [...]

The practice of using a small coop rather than a large one is becoming more popular. There are several reasons why these coops are gaining in popularity. One reason is because hectic, busy lifestyles are better suited for small chicken coops. Another is that the average family is shrinking in size. No longer do we [...]

Building your own chicken coop can be cost effective and fun. If you’re still living in the city (or within town limits) it is important to first check with officials regarding land use and specific zoning regulations. With that out of the way, let’s talk about how to make a chicken coop.
First, you will [...]

Aside from deciding on a coop design, size and the materials you will use to build housing for your chickens, you’ll also need to ensure your chickens are protected. Protected from the weather as well as predators.
First you’ll need to determine which predators are potential trouble in your region. This might be a pack of [...]

My short article on building smaller coops to raise chickens in yesterday stirred quite a few questions, so I’ll try to elaborate on the difference between stationary coops and mobile chicken coops to help you make your decision on which to build.
Mobile Versus Fixed
A portable coop offers many advantages already discussed in my chicken tractor [...]

Rather than build a large coop for your flock of chickens, consider the growing trend of building smaller, portable coops – dubbed chicken tractor and chicken ark.
These smaller coops aren’t just for city folk hoping to keep a few contained chickens in their backyard – country folk with acres of land are also using them. [...]

Have you always wanted farm fresh eggs and a backyard chicken coop but thought you couldn’t since you live in the city? While there are some cities that don’t allow any type of farm animal, many cities do and if you live in one of them, you’ll be allowed to have chickens and farm fresh [...]

“Hey City Girl, you got a heat lamp for raising those baby chicks?”
I wasn’t sure at first he was talking to me, that old farmer who’d just sold me 20 day old chickens, and whom I was walking away, from…
"A heat lamp for raising chickens? You mean I can’t just…"
That’s how it all started.
My education [...]