I am not a specialist; I am a generalist. But one thing we generalists have over the specialists is that we tend to see the connections between things a lot faster and more easily than specialists do. In fact, sometimes it’s so easy for us to see the connections that the specialists think we’re stupid. […]
Tag Archives | chickens
A Tribute to Lady Gaga, the World’s Bravest Rooster
by Leah Zerbe, an online editor at RodaleNews.com I’ll never forget where I was the day I heard Lady Gaga crow for the first time. Not the singer, but my chicken, a particularly beautiful little guy with flashy feathers and a gorgeous, larger-than-life swagger. To backtrack: I never asked for Lady Gaga the day we […]
10 Fascinating Chicken Facts
by guest blogger Leah Zerbe. During prime-time growing season on our farm, you can look out onto our fields and see a rainbow of colors: pink, purple, yellow, and green. But not even the multicolor flashiness of the fields can capture our visitors’ attention once they look around the corner and set eyes on our chickens.
The Dinosaurs in My Backyard
by guest blogger Leah Zerbe. All over the United States, people are opening their lawns and gardens to prehistoric animals, allowing them to peck at pests, feast on weed seeds, and slurp down blades of grass like spaghetti. I myself have about 80 dinosaurs running around the pastures of my family farm.
Turkey Therapy
by guest blogger Leah Zerbe. The start of 2013 hit my family with an emotional sledgehammer that left me with lingering anxiety. I was living in fear, and nothing escaped my worry—not even subtle changes in the behavior of the animals in the barnyard. But it was a turkey that finally got me out of my head and back into the world.
7 Ways to Care for Summer Chickens
by guest blogger Jean Nick. If you bought chicks in the spring they are about half grown by now, and they’re big enough and well feathered enough to spend their days in a run and their nights outside in a secure building or pen. Here’s how to make sure they grow to be happy layers.
The Secret to Happy Backyard Hens
by guest blogger Jean Nick. When most people think of backyard chickens they either think of chickens running around free or a chicken house with a permanent run. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but there is a better way: A small secure but portable shelter with a bottomless run attached.
How to Start Raising Chickens
by guest blogger Jean Nick. Having a few hens is a great way to make good use of kitchen and garden leftovers, harvest your very own amazing-tasting eggs, cut your food miles, and get the greatest compost bin on the block. It’s easy to get started.
Scratch
Raised on America’s first organic farm, Scratch author Maria Rodale learned how to make everyday favorites from, yes, scratch — the way you remember them; the way they turn out best.
Order NowOrganic Manifesto
Drawing on findings from leading health researchers as well as conversations with both chemical and organic farmers from coast to coast, Maria Rodale irrefutably outlines the unacceptably high cost of chemical farming on our health and our environment.
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