Raise Happy Hens
Everything you need to raise healthy, happy backyard chickens, breeds, coops, egg production, feeding, flock health, and more.
trending
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Cities Are Legalizing Backyard Chickens at a Record Pace
Something shifted in the backyard chicken movement this summer, and it’s not what most people assume. Egg prices have actually dropped. Hard. The $6.23/dozen record from …
Salmonella Outbreak Hits 31 States as Flock Numbers Keep Rising
New USDA Transparency Rules Now Live: What Backyard Flock Owners Need to Know
New City Chicken Laws Are Passing Fast. Is Your Town Next?
Compare chicken breeds by eggs, temperament, and climate hardiness.
coop
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Hawks and Chickens: 12 Proven Ways to Protect Your Flock
Roughly 300 million birds are killed by raptors in North America every year, according to estimates from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Your flock is a small but very convenient …
Keep Your Chicken Coop Clean: A Simple Monthly Schedule
Protect Your Flock: Fox-Proof Your Chicken Coop
Straw Or Pine Shavings: Which Bedding Keeps Chickens Healthier
breeds
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Wyandotte Chickens: Breed Guide for Backyard Farmers
Three of my Silver Laced Wyandotte pullets started laying at exactly 18 weeks, right in the middle of a January cold snap that had dropped temps into the single digits. No heat …
Why Barred Rocks Are Perfect Backyard Layers
Sussex Chickens: The Backyard Keeper's Best Breed
Why Maran Chickens Are Backyard Gold
Calculate the coop and run size your flock needs to stay healthy.
health
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When Your Backyard Chicken Gets Sick: Finding A Vet
Most chicken keepers don’t call a vet until something is already very wrong. I get it. I was the same way for the first few years. My flock got respiratory symptoms, I …
Protect Your Flock: Newcastle Disease Warning Signs
Protect Your Backyard Flock From Avian Influenza
Treating Chicken Parasites: The Right Ivermectin Dose
eggs
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When To Candle Chicken Eggs And What To Look For
Nobody warns you that candling looks completely different at day 7 than it does at day 14, and the first time I held a flashlight up to a mystery egg, I genuinely couldn’t …
Winter Egg Production: The Light Strategy That Works
Let Your Broody Hen Hatch Eggs Naturally
Your Chicken's Laying Schedule: What To Expect
Estimate what it costs to feed your flock each month.
feeding
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Boost Chicken Health With Mealworms: A Feeding Guide
My chickens would do anything for mealworms. Truly, anything. I once accidentally dropped a bag near the coop door and had six hens in a full sprint before the bag even hit the …
The Best Chicken Treats Your Flock Will Actually Eat
Best Organic Feed Options For Healthier Backyard Chickens
Oyster Shell vs Limestone: Which Feeds Your Hens Better
chicks
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How to Tell Male and Female Chicks Apart
I’ll be honest: this is the question that haunted my first year of chicken keeping. I ordered six “pullets” from a hatchery in April, and by August, I had four …
How To Prevent And Treat Pasty Butt In Baby Chicks
Essential Vaccinations For Backyard Chicken Health
How To Tell Male Chicks From Female Chicks
Track incubation days and get your exact hatch date.
flock
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How Long Do Backyard Chickens Really Live?
My first flock of Black Australorps came from a local feed store in the spring of 2016, and I fully expected them to lay well for two or three years and then quietly retire. What I …
Can You Keep A Rooster? Know Your Local Laws
How To Safely Introduce New Chicks To Your Flock
Why Your Backyard Chickens Turn Aggressive
Can Chickens Eat
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Can Chickens Eat Banana Peels? 90% Safe For Flocks
Banana peels make up roughly 40% of a banana’s total weight, which means if you’re going through even a modest amount of fruit in your house, you’re throwing away …
Can Chickens Eat Rice? A Complete Feeding Guide
Can Chickens Eat Watermelon? 96% Safe and Refreshing
81% Water: Why Grapes Are a Safe Treat for Chickens
Estimate how many eggs your flock will lay each week.
basics
Start Raising Chickens: A Beginner's Complete Guide
Your neighbor shows up at your fence one Saturday morning holding a cardboard box with holes punched in the lid. Inside: six fluffy Buff Orpington chicks, peeping like crazy. She …
Your First Chickens: A Beginner's Complete Guide
The Right Flock Size For Your Backyard
Your First Flock: A Beginner's Guide To Raising Chickens
finances
Cheapest Chicken Feed Options: $14-$50 Per Bag
Most backyard chicken keepers overpay for feed by 30 to 40 percent. That’s not a vague estimate, the National Chicken Council tracks commercial feed costs, and when you …
What It Really Costs To Raise Backyard Chickens
Do Backyard Chickens Actually Save Money on Eggs?
Raising Backyard Chickens: What You'll Really Spend
sustainability
Grow More Food: Design A Garden Your Chickens Will Love
Most chicken-and-garden advice boils down to “let your hens roam free and watch the magic happen.” That advice will cost you your tomatoes, your lettuce, your newly …
Turn Your Chicken Manure Into Garden Gold
Keep Chickens Out Of Your Vegetable Garden
Turn Your Chicken Coop Waste Into Garden Gold
Chicken Health
Why Your Chicken Is Losing Feathers: 5 Common Causes
Roughly 80% of feather-loss questions I see in backyard chicken groups have nothing to do with disease. That number used to surprise me. Now it just makes me want to get this …
Why Is My Chicken Sneezing? 6 Causes and What to Do
Why Hens Stop Laying: 9 Common Causes and Fixes
legal
Can Your HOA Ban Backyard Chickens?
Thirty-one percent of U.S. homeowners live under some kind of HOA. If you’re one of them and you want chickens, that percentage either means nothing to you or it’s the …
Your Chicken Flock Size: Legal Limits and Best Practices
Which Cities Allow Backyard Chickens: A Local Guide
products
Best Chicken Waterers for Backyard Flocks
Most chicken waterer reviews compare products on looks and price and leave out the part where your flock of eight goes thirsty for six hours because a nipple froze solid in …
The Best Egg Incubators For Backyard Flocks
Chicken Coop Kits That Actually Work for Beginners
Chicken Behavior
Flock Management
Chicken Feed Cost Calculator: What Does It Really Cost to Keep Chickens?
Backyard chickens are deeply rewarding, but anyone who tells you they are cheaper than buying eggs from the store is probably not accounting for all the costs. Feed is the largest …
Chicken Egg Production Calculator: How Many Eggs Will Your Flock Lay?
Seasonal Care
Keeping Chickens Cool in Summer Heat: 7 Essential Strategies
Hundred-and-three degrees in the shade, and I lost my first Delaware hen on a Tuesday afternoon in late July. I was at work, my husband checked on the flock around noon and thought …
7 Ways to Keep Chickens Warm and Healthy All Winter
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