First, Should You Clip or Not?
It can be a dilemma for many backyard chicken owners – To clip or not to clip their chicken’s wings. The answer is that you don’t need to do it unless your chickens are getting into trouble by flying over fences or restricted areas. In that case, clipping the wings can keep them safe and your garden intact.
The idea behind clipping is that it prevents your chickens from being able to get lift when trying to fly. Granted, a chicken doesn’t fly much anyway because their body mass prevents them (in most cases) from getting more than a few feet off the ground. But lighter breeds can fly over six feet high. And even within the heavier breeds, you can always have a few birds with enough determination and wing strength to get high off the ground.
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FAQs about Backyard Chickens
My current chicken coop
As an urban homesteader who owns city chickens, I get asked a lot of questions about the care and maintenance of my flock. I’ve noticed that I get the same questions over and over, so I thought today’s post in the 31 days of Homegrown Inspiration and Resource information should address some of those questions.
Here we go…
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It happened yesterday.
I was working in my office at dawn, when I heard a funny noise. {You know what’s coming, right?}
It sounded like a sick cat or a hurt animal. I immediately started walking from window to window trying to figure out if it was coming from the front or the backyard. I thought maybe a neighbor’s cat had been hit by a car or someone’s dog was sick somewhere near my house.
When suddenly…I heard it.
A pathetic “Cocka-Doodle-Doo” from an untrained voice. It was weak and shaky…but it was definitely coming from a juvenile rooster…in MY backyard.
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If you are a city homesteader like me, you don’t have access to a big farm supply store to get equipment for your chickens. Some of my friends who to live in a places like Portland and Seattle can just go to their local independent nurseries to find chicken keeping and homesteading supplies! But here in Los Angeles? Not so much.
The best feed store near me is a 40 minute trip (one way). So, I sometimes order online. [click to continue…]
The most recent 31 Days of Living Homegrown posts have focused a lot on agriculture and our food system. So I thought it was time change it up. Let’s get back to some homesteading topics! So here we go…
Keeping Fresh Eggs on the Counter
The subject of whether or not to refrigerate home-harvested eggs is a big one among homesteaders. What is really safe and what is not? I will lay out the facts below so that you can find your own comfort zone.
But in case you are wondering WHY someone would want to have eggs on the counter, let me say this: There is a certain satisfaction in seeing those beautiful eggs every morning. It just feels “farm-y”. So I can see why people ask about it all the time. And understanding the safety zones can also help if you discover an egg of unknown age in your coop.
- Charolette – Our Golden Laced Polish Chicken
So Are Unrefrigerated Home-Harvested Eggs SAFE?
Well, the truth is… [click to continue…]
Theresa Loe is the award- winning Co-Executive Producer & Canning Expert on Growing A Greener World TV. She blogs here about Living Homegrown®, local and fresh-from-the-garden. 
