Best Egg Incubator: The 2026 Homestead Hatching Guide
Four egg incubators from Brinsea, GQF, and Incubator Warehouse ranked for homestead hatching — automation, capacity, and hatch-rate features compared.
Poultry
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Best Chicken Coop: The 2026 Homestead Buyer’s Guide
Four chicken coops from OverEZ, Carolina Coops, Nestera, and Omlet ranked for homestead flocks — capacity, predator protection, cleaning, and durability compared.
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Bird Flu and Backyard Chickens: How to Protect Your Flock in 2026
Bird flu is hitting backyard flocks in 2026’s largest-ever outbreak. The biosecurity routine that keeps your chickens safe this spring, step by step.
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Bird Flu in Backyard Flocks: A 48-Hour Biosecurity Checklist for Spring 2026
HPAI is hitting backyard flocks in Georgia, Iowa, and Kentucky this April. Here’s the 48-hour biosecurity checklist that closes the gaps before the virus finds your coop.
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Broody Chicken Hens
As a longtime poultry farmer, I’ve seen quite a few surprises, but this one caught me off guard. I have this determined hen who was so set on hatching eggs, she just couldn’t let go
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Shell-Abrate Diversity: Cracking the Colorful World of Egg Variety!
Going to the store and buying eggs is so passé, backyard micro farms is where it’s at. Those living out in the country have always known the benefits of raising your own brood for the freshest of eggs. Due to current economic circumstances the practice of micro farming is gaining momentum, even among people that…
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How To Be a Chick Magnet
by James the “XDMAN” Nicholas, Mr UnPewFessional Himself Chickens seem to be all the rage right now. With everything that is going on in the world, even basic commodities like eggs are skyrocketing in price. The result is you have everything from companies renting egg-laying birds for the summer, to hordes of people interested in…
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Homegrown Eggs: Are They Safe?
Amidst the nationwide egg “crisis,” I’ve begun to notice two distinct trends among folks. The first, and the more heartening, are those who are (albeit belatedly) using the situation as an excuse to jump into poultry ownership, so they are better prepared for whatever comes next. The other, more worryingly, are those who seem to…
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How to Clean a Gizzard
Plenty of people eat ducks and chickens, but many are unaware they are throwing out some of the best bits with the entrails. Hearts, livers and even gizzards can make excellent eating, though that last one will take some serious prep work. Read on for how to clean a gizzard for use in gravy, or…
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First Case of Wild Avian Flu in Utah Confirmed
While highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in domestic birds in Utah last month, the first case of the virus in a wild bird was recently confirmed after a dead great-horned owl tested positive. High pathogenic avian influenza viruses are very contagious among birds, and can cause rapid and high mortality in domestic birds, such as…
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Poultry Diseases
Almost everyone loves chickens. From the eggs, to the meat, to the crowing of the cock, there’s just something about the non-airborne avian that brings to mind the peaceful tranquility of a self-sustaining existence. What happens though, when your fowl are feeling a little … well, foul? Read on for some common chicken illnesses, and…
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Homemade Bone Broth
It’s no secret–the great outdoors get a lot less welcoming in the wintertime. When the seasons cold chases you indoors however, that doesn’t mean you must give up on fun projects and activities until spring! To the contrary, it’s a great time to work on stuff indoors, and the kitchen is always a cozy place…
