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Raising Chickens

Welcome to Raising Chickens 101! We cover how to get started raising chickens, chicken breeds, building coops, baby chick care, protecting chickens from predators, collecting eggs, and more. All articles are by expert multi-generation chicken keepers. Our current contributor, Chris Leslie, teaches people all around the world how to care for healthy chickens. See her website, Chickens & More.

Backyard Chicken Basics

Tips for Raising Baby Chicks

The Keys to Happy and Healthy Chicks

Protecting Chickens From Predators

Keeping Chickens Safe From Predators

An egg and a baby chick side by side

Fertilized Chicken Eggs: Facts and Myths!

How DO Chicken Eggs Get Fertilized?

Colorful organic chicken eggs in a egg carton. These eggs were produced in small batches by a variety of chicken species so they appeared in different colors, patterns, and sizes.

No Harm, No Fowl: What to Do When Chickens Stop Laying Eggs

How Many Eggs Should A Chicken Lay Each Day?

Brown Chinese Geese

Raising Geese: A Beginner's Guide

How to Raise Geese for Eggs

Two chickens feeding out of a trough

What to Feed Chickens: From Baby Chicks To Hens

Feeding Chickens at Different Ages Through All Life Stages

An open carton of a dozen multi-colored eggs

How Many Eggs Does a Chicken Lay Each Day?

The fascinating one-day cycle of egg formation

How to Collect and Clean Chicken Eggs

Plus, How to Store Fresh Eggs from Backyard Chickens

Chick Days are Here! How to Care for Baby Chicks

Raising baby chickens in your backyard

How to Build a Chicken Coop: The Definitive Guide

Building a Safe and Sturdy DIY Chicken Coop: Step-by-Step

Hatching Eggs

Hatching Eggs: How to Hatch Chicken Eggs at Home

A 21-day beginner's guide to hatching eggs

The Best Chicken Breeds for Laying Eggs

Which Type of Chicken Best Suits You and Your Space?

A white rooster dancing in front of a brown chicken

How Do Chickens Mate?

All about chicken reproduction and romance!

Welsummer chickens stepping out into the first snow of the year. keeping chickens safe in the winter

5 Tips for Keeping Your Chickens Safe and Warm in the Winter

Is Your Winter Chicken Coop Ready for the Cold?

Training Chickens: How to Train a Chicken to Come When It's Called

Learn How to Train Your Chicken Like a Dog!

What To Do About An Aggressive Rooster

When Roosters Attack Humans (and Dogs)

Hens on a traditional free range poultry organic farm grazing on the grass

Raising Chickens 101: How to Get Started

A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens

Eggs in wicker baskets

Why Are Eggs (and Chicks) So Expensive Now?

Learn why egg prices have been surging

Ground level photograph of free range chickens feeding on grass

Know Your Backyard Chicken Terms!

Glossary of terms every backyard chicken keeper needs to know

a woman gathering fresh eggs into basket at hen farm in countryside

Common Chicken Health Problems

What's Wrong With My Chicken?

Chicken Behaviors: Dust Bathing, Mating, Preening, and More

Why Your Chickens Do What They Do