Poultry

A google search for “crazy business ideas” turns into a full time job and affiliates nation wide. Would it work for you?

Josh Slingerland became a farmer by accident. He was trying to drop his kids off at day care on the way to his welding job, but the day care was closed for good. The solution to their sudden child care problem? Start a poultry-based farm. Since then he’s planned everything out, and three years in, […]

It’s the time of year when things are evening out for those of us with livestock. We have set the pace and are beginning to settle into our smooth summer stride. Most of the animals are now busy raising their young, chewing their cud, and enlarging their wallows. For the people raising laying hens this […]

Thanks to Kevin Ellis for this article! Demand for eggs from pasture-based poultry is increasing. Setting up and operating a system in which laying hens forage and range outdoors can be quite an undertaking, but can yield benefits such as boosted soil fertility, farm diversification, increased animal welfare, and eggs with increased nutritional value. Some […]

Got some chores to do and need something to listen to while you’re at it? Here’s a great podcast about raising and direct marketing chickens, pigs, sheep and cows, all on leased land!

Here’s a collection of past poultry articles to get you started. Find even more by clicking on “Livestock” in the menu above and choosing “Poultry” from the drop down menu. The Basics Some Thoughts On Keeping Chickens What Chicken Should I Raise? How to Get Your Chickens to Make the Best Use of Pasture Pastured […]

I don’t claim to know all there is about keeping birds. Heck, I don’t claim to know anything at all. This is a post about what I think I know about chickens…and I have given this topic some thought. Egg Eating All chickens eat eggs happily. All chickens. Just break an egg open in front […]

In a typical year 500 million people will get the flu and more than 500,000 will die from the virus. During pandemics, the loss of life can be even more devastating. For example, the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed from 40 to 50 million people causing global political, social and economic problems. So it’s no […]

Outbreaks of avian flu may have declined a bit over the summer since the virus doesn’t do well in the heat. But with cooler temperatures the danger rises again. In addition, one of the ways that Avian Flu may travel is via migrating birds, especially waterfowl. And since this is the time that migration occurs, it means its […]

Remember the recent article on how cattle and bison are better at mixing their own feed than the people who try to do it for them? Well it turns out that chickens are better at it too! In a SARE funded study, Dr. Anne Fanatico of Appalachian State University compared feed costs and weight gain of organic […]

Here is the story of two women who built their own poultry processing facility and the steps you might expect if you’d like to do the same.

The results of a 3-year study were released last March and they show that the health and well-being for cage-free hens and the people who care for them is actually worse than the conventional caged system. This comes at a time when visibility for how our eggs are produced is on the rise. Recently, actor Ryan […]

It’s hot out there, and in some places it’s really humid too! If you’re feeling it, so are your livestock. To help you figure out if there’s a problem and to do what you can to protect them, here are some tips from Rob Eirich, Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator, and Mariah Woolsoncroft, Nebraska Extension […]

Many pasture-based poultry producers raise Cornish Rocks, the same bird raised in confinement and bred for rapid growth, a double breast, easy cleaning and other traits important to that production system. But are these the best birds for pasture? Does their lethargy, weak legs, sensitivity to heat, and potential for heart attack reduce their performance?  Would other breeds […]

While it’s not a human health concern, the current avian flu is hitting some areas hard. Here’s what’s happening, and what you can do to help your fellow farmers and ranchers to prevent the spread of this disease.