Homestead

Poultry Care Guides

Breed selection, coop and run design, feed safety, laying performance, and flock health.

90 guides in this silo

Poultry

Start here

Get this right first

Build the coop for the flock you will have in two years, not the six chicks in the box. Birds outgrow a starter coop faster than most keepers expect.

What a Chicken Coop Needs Before the Birds Move In

What a Chicken Coop Needs Before the Birds Move In

The common failure

What goes wrong most often

Treating scraps as feed. Treats above roughly a tenth of daily intake pull protein below what a laying hen needs, and egg production drops before anything looks wrong.

All 52 feeding and safety

What Can Chickens Safely Eat Beyond Their Daily Feed?

What Can Chickens Safely Eat Beyond Their Daily Feed?

Are Crickets the Best Protein Treat for a Flock?

Are Crickets the Best Protein Treat for a Flock?

Are Peas the Only Vegetable With Real Protein for Hens?

Are Peas the Only Vegetable With Real Protein for Hens?

Before you commit

Choosing between options

Choose the breed for your climate and your egg target. Cold hardiness and comb type matter more than plumage.

All 8 comparisons and best-of

Orpington or Australorp: Calmer Bird or Better Layer?

Orpington or Australorp: Calmer Bird or Better Layer?

Purina Layena+ at 16% Protein Is the Layer Feed to Buy

Purina Layena+ at 16% Protein Is the Layer Feed to Buy

Rhode Island Red or Plymouth Rock for Your First Flock?

Rhode Island Red or Plymouth Rock for Your First Flock?

Browse by

What are you deciding?

Every guide in this silo, grouped by the job it does. Counts are the full silo, not this page.

Every guide

90 guides, page 1 of 4.

What Can Chickens Safely Eat Beyond Their Daily Feed?

What Can Chickens Safely Eat Beyond Their Daily Feed?

Are Crickets the Best Protein Treat for a Flock?

Are Crickets the Best Protein Treat for a Flock?

Are Peas the Only Vegetable With Real Protein for Hens?

Are Peas the Only Vegetable With Real Protein for Hens?

Can Chickens Eat Fish, or Only When It Is Cooked?

Can Chickens Eat Fish, or Only When It Is Cooked?

Can Hens Eat Apple Skin as Safely as the Flesh?

Can Hens Eat Apple Skin as Safely as the Flesh?

Can Hens Eat Pumpkin Skin, Seeds and Guts Too?

Can Hens Eat Pumpkin Skin, Seeds and Guts Too?

Can Hens Eat Sweet Potato Leaves and Vines Too?

Can Hens Eat Sweet Potato Leaves and Vines Too?

Can Hens Eat Zucchini Leaves as Well as the Fruit?

Can Hens Eat Zucchini Leaves as Well as the Fruit?

Can Your Hens Eat Melon Rind and Seeds as Well?

Can Your Hens Eat Melon Rind and Seeds as Well?

Can a Chicken Even Taste Capsaicin in a Hot Pepper?

Can a Chicken Even Taste Capsaicin in a Hot Pepper?

Can a Lactose-Intolerant Hen Handle Plain Yogurt?

Can a Lactose-Intolerant Hen Handle Plain Yogurt?

Can a Lactose-Intolerant Hen Really Handle Cheese?

Can a Lactose-Intolerant Hen Really Handle Cheese?

Damp Air in the Coop Kills More Chickens Than Cold

Damp Air in the Coop Kills More Chickens Than Cold

Do Cherry Pits Put Cyanide in Front of Your Hens?

Do Cherry Pits Put Cyanide in Front of Your Hens?

Do Oats Beat Corn on Protein for a Laying Flock?

Do Oats Beat Corn on Protein for a Laying Flock?

Do Oranges Affect How Well Your Hens Lay Eggs?

Do Oranges Affect How Well Your Hens Lay Eggs?

Do Squash Seeds Really Deworm a Backyard Flock?

Do Squash Seeds Really Deworm a Backyard Flock?

Do Sunflower Seeds Give Hens the Methionine They Need?

Do Sunflower Seeds Give Hens the Methionine They Need?

Does Asparagus Really Change the Flavour of Hen Eggs?

Does Asparagus Really Change the Flavour of Hen Eggs?

Does Corn Give Your Hens Anything Beyond Energy?

Does Corn Give Your Hens Anything Beyond Energy?

Does Feeding Hens Eggs Teach Them to Eat Their Own?

Does Feeding Hens Eggs Teach Them to Eat Their Own?

Does Garlic Really Work as a Natural Flock Remedy?

Does Garlic Really Work as a Natural Flock Remedy?

Does Onion Thiosulphate Destroy a Hen's Blood Cells?

Does Onion Thiosulphate Destroy a Hen's Blood Cells?

Does Pineapple Bromelain Irritate a Hen's Crop?

Does Pineapple Bromelain Irritate a Hen's Crop?